General Awareness · History

Music History and Composers

3,808 Questions

Music history surveys the evolution of musical compositions, ranging from Renaissance madrigals and Baroque concertos to modern film scores. This topic covers notable composers, iconic operas, and the historical development of musical forms. It frequently appears in the general awareness and cultural sections of competitive exams.

Baroque composersRenaissance madrigalsFilm score composersClassical opera historyJazz and swing era

Music History and Composers Questions

Multiple choice

What is the name of the first hip hop artist to have a number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart?

  1. Run-D.M.C.

  2. Beastie Boys

  3. Public Enemy

  4. LL Cool J
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Run-D.M.C. had a number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1986 with their song "Walk This Way".

Multiple choice

What is the name of the first hip hop artist to win an Academy Award?

  1. Common

  2. Jamie Foxx

  3. Queen Latifah

  4. Will Smith
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Common won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2015 for his song "Glory" from the film "Selma".

Multiple choice

What is the name of the first hip hop artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

  1. Run-D.M.C.

  2. Beastie Boys

  3. Public Enemy

  4. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the first hip hop artist to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize?

  1. Kendrick Lamar

  2. Jay-Z

  3. Kanye West

  4. Chance the Rapper
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Kendrick Lamar won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2018 for his album "DAMN".

Multiple choice

What is the name of the first hip hop artist to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom?

  1. Bob Dylan

  2. Bruce Springsteen

  3. Stevie Wonder

  4. Jay-Z
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Jay-Z was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2017 by President Barack Obama.

Multiple choice

What is the name of the first hip hop artist to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature?

  1. Bob Dylan

  2. Toni Morrison

  3. Alice Munro

  4. Kazuo Ishiguro
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016 for his "new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition".

Multiple choice

What is the name of the first hip hop artist to be awarded the Grammy Award for Album of the Year?

  1. Outkast

  2. Kanye West

  3. Kendrick Lamar

  4. Bruno Mars
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Outkast won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2004 for their album "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below".

Multiple choice

What is the name of the first hip hop artist to be awarded the Grammy Award for Record of the Year?

  1. Lauryn Hill

  2. Outkast

  3. Kanye West

  4. Bruno Mars
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Lauryn Hill won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1999 for her song "Doo Wop (That Thing)".

Multiple choice

Which of the following Romantic composers is known for his melancholy and Weltschmerz?

  1. Ludwig van Beethoven

  2. Franz Schubert

  3. Robert Schumann

  4. Johannes Brahms
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Franz Schubert is known for his melancholy and Weltschmerz. His music often expresses a sense of longing and sadness. He also wrote about the beauty of nature and the power of love.

Multiple choice

Which musical is based on the life of the legendary singer and actress Édith Piaf?

  1. La Vie en Rose

  2. Piaf

  3. Edith and the King

  4. The Sparrow and the Rose
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

La Vie en Rose is a musical that tells the story of Édith Piaf's life and career.

Multiple choice

Which video game features a soundtrack that blends electronic music with traditional Japanese instruments?

  1. Okami

  2. Shadow of the Colossus

  3. ICO

  4. The Last Guardian
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Okami, released in 2006, features a soundtrack that blends electronic music with traditional Japanese instruments such as the shamisen and koto. The soundtrack is known for its beautiful and atmospheric soundscapes, which perfectly complement the game's visuals and gameplay.

Multiple choice

Which video game music track is known for its use of a theremin?

  1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Song of Storms

  2. Fallout: New Vegas - Main Theme

  3. Mass Effect 2 - Suicide Mission

  4. BioShock - Welcome to Rapture
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Song of Storms, composed by Koji Kondo, is known for its use of a theremin. The theremin is an electronic instrument that is played by moving one's hands in the air near two antennas. The Song of Storms is a haunting and atmospheric track that perfectly captures the mood of the game's stormy setting.

Multiple choice

Which video game music track is known for its use of a sitar?

  1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Saria's Song

  2. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - Main Theme

  3. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - Shambala

  4. Assassin's Creed: Revelations - Ezio's Family
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - Main Theme, composed by Stuart Chatwood, is known for its use of a sitar. The sitar is a stringed instrument that is popular in Indian classical music. The Main Theme is a beautiful and haunting track that perfectly captures the game's exotic setting.

Multiple choice

Which video game features a soundtrack that is heavily influenced by ambient music?

  1. Minecraft

  2. Journey

  3. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

  4. No Man's Sky
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Minecraft, released in 2011, features a soundtrack that is heavily influenced by ambient music. The soundtrack is known for its calming and atmospheric soundscapes, which perfectly complement the game's open-world exploration and creative gameplay.

Multiple choice

Which video game music track is known for its use of a choir?

  1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dragonborn

  2. Mass Effect 3 - Leaving Earth

  3. Final Fantasy VII - One-Winged Angel

  4. Halo 3 - Never Forget
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dragonborn, composed by Jeremy Soule, is known for its use of a choir. The choir adds a sense of epicness and grandeur to the track, which perfectly complements the game's dragon-themed expansion.