Johann Sebastian Bach quiz

More questions about Johann Sebastian Bach

These visible examples show the question style. LearnClash turns the full topic into ranked duels and spaced repetition.

1. 1 Easy

   What drink does a comic Bach cantata celebrate?

   Answer: Coffee

   Why: It was likely first heard at Zimmermann's coffee house in Leipzig, where Bach's Collegium Musicum gave its concerts.

2. 2 Medium

   What got Bach jailed by his duke in 1717?

   Answer: Demanding to quit

   Why: The detention lasted from 6 November to 2 December 1717 and ended with an unfavourable discharge.

3. 3 Hard

   Which unfinished Bach work breaks off soon after a B-A-C-H theme?

   Answer: The Art of Fugue

   Why: German calls B-flat 'B' and B natural 'H', so Bach's name spells a playable four-note tune.

4. 4 Easy

   Which 1940 Disney film opens with Bach's Toccata and Fugue?

   Answer: Fantasia

   Why: The film uses Leopold Stokowski's orchestral version of what is really an organ piece, played by the Philadelphia Orchestra.

5. 5 Medium

   Which Beatles song's guitar part grew from a Bach lute piece?

   Answer: Blackbird

   Why: As teenagers, McCartney and George Harrison tried to learn Bach's Bourrée in E minor as a show-off guitar piece.

6. 6 Hard

   What instrument did Bach help Gottfried Silbermann sell in 1749?

   Answer: Piano

   Why: Silbermann's early pianos had first drawn Bach's criticism for a weak treble and heavy keys, before the improved ones won his approval.