Q.1
The piece we are considering is the opening movement of the , but the 'interval' ( = pitch-distance) between the last two notes in its 'Da-da-da-DAH' motif is not an interval of a fifth. What interval is it?
  • An octave
  • A third
  • A sixth
  • A eighth note
Q.2
The basic rhythmic 'unit' in this piece has also been referred to as 'fate knocking at the door'. Which of these ominous circumstances was NOT the case at the time when Beethoven was working on this symphony?
  • Napoleon's troops occupied Vienna in 1805 during their campaign to dominate Europe
  • Beethoven was in his 30s and beginning to go deaf
  • He was launching not one, but two symphonies at the same four-hour concert in the week just prior to Christmas
  • His beloved pet dog was increasingly ill and had to be put down
Q.3
The famous, seemingly simple 'Da-da-da-DUM' rhythm runs almost constantly through the piece, like lettering through a stick of rock. How many times do we actually hear it in one performance?
  • About 250
  • About 320
  • Just over 400
  • Almost 500
Q.4
Before the movement really 'gets going', the theme is announced with a number of pauses. How many such pauses are there within the first 24 bars (about 30 seconds' listening)?
  • Two
  • Three
  • Four
  • Five
Q.5
The Symphony as a whole requires about as big an orchestra as could be mustered in Beethoven's day (a little over 2 centuries ago), but several of the instruments that he calls for in the final movement of it are called upon to play in the First Movement ~ perhaps surprisingly, given how loud and startling it sounds. Only ONE of the instruments in the list below is heard in the First Movement: which one?
  • Piccolo
  • Horn/s
  • Contra- (or double) bassoon
  • Trombone/s
Q.6
The four-note motif was also broadcast as a morale-boosting signal over Allied radio during World War 2 (even though its composer would effectively have been an 'enemy'). On what was it played in this context?
  • Tubular bells
  • Trumpet
  • Kettledrums
  • Cathedral organ
Q.7
When Samuel Morse invented his telegraph code, a generation or two after Beethoven, which letter did he pair with this 'Beethoven' rhythm?
  • B
  • M
  • V
  • X
Q.8
As though the shape of the notes and phrases were not enough, at numerous points Beethoven marks the music to be played . What does this mean?
  • It should feel and sound like a gigantic Science-Fiction epic
  • SF stands for 'super firmly'
  • Sforzando essentially means 'play this with as much power as your body and instrument can provide'
  • SF stands for 'suddenly frightening'
Q.9
One particularly zany take on this towering piece is when it is 'broadcast' with two commentators as though the performance were a sporting fixture (this track is nowadays available on YouTube). The man behind this version is an American musicologist called Peter Schickele, but what is/was Schickele's more usual stage-musical persona?
  • 'P D Q Bach'
  • 'Fred Beethoven'
  • 'Randy Mozart'
  • 'Harry Haydn'
Q.10
How many symphonies did Beethoven write?
  • Around 100
  • 13
  • 9
  • 7
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