Tosca Quiz

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW Puccini's Tosca? Dale Johnson of the Minnesota Opera created the questions below. You can test your opera knowledge here!

What is Tosca's final destination?
A. A stack of mattresses
B. The Tiber River
C. Heaven
D. Hell
E. All of the above
What famous real-world event occurs during TOSCA?
A. The unification of Italy
B. The birth of Napoleon and Josephine's third child
C. The Battle of Marengo
D. The opening of the "Mall of Marengo"
E. All of the above
Who played the original Tosca? (Hint: She had one leg.)
A. Betty Ahab
B. Sandra Bernhardt
C. Ellen Terry
D. Sarah Bernhardt
E. Eleonor Duse
What composer was first offered the rights to compose TOSCA?
A. Ruggero Leoncavallo
B. Andrew Lloyd Webber
C. Giuseppe Verdi
D. Amilcare Ponchielli
E. Alberto Franchetti.
What famous composer briefly considered writing an opera to Illica's libretto?
A. Giuseppe Verdi
B. Andrew Lloyd Webber
C. Richard Wagner
D. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
E. Gioachino Rossini
What other famous opera, this one featuring bohemian life in Paris, premiered in 1900?
A. LA BOHEME by Ruggero Leoncavallo
B. LOUISE by Gustave Charpentier
C. The MERRY WIDOW by Franz Lehar
D. The BOHEMIAN GIRL by Michael Balfe
E. L'AFFITTO by Giovanni Larsen
How many characters are dead by the final curtain? Name them.
A. Sciarrone, Tosca, Scarpia
B. Tosca, Spoletta, the shepherd boy
C. The judge, the executioner, the sacristan, the cardinal
D. Scarpia, the Marchesa Attavanti, Queen Maria Carolina, Tosca
E. Angelotti, Scarpia, Cavaradossi and Tosca
What is "The kiss of Tosca?" ("Il bacio di Tosca")
A. a nibble on the ear
B. a chocolate bon bon
C. a knife in the gut
D. The high "C" at the end of "Vissi d'arte"
E. a hybrid tea-rose
What are the first names of Tosca, Cavaradossi, Angelotti and Scarpia?
A. Betty, Lars, Ernie, and Howard
B. Elisabetta, Giovanni, Ernesto, Owwardo
C. Sophia, Michele, Antonio, Guido
D. Floria, Mario, Cesare, Vitellio
E. Florette, Marcel, Edoard, Victoire
Puccini was fond of French inspirations for opera libretti. Which other Puccini operas were based on French sources?
A. LE VILLI
B. EDGAR
C. IL TABARRO
D. LA BOHEME
E. All the above.
What does the angel atop the Castel Sant'Angelo (set for Act 3) signify?
A. Indicator that the castle had been used by the Vatican to imprison enemies of the church.
B. Baroque flourish, common to many buildings of its time.
C. Record of a pope's promise of eternal grace to the castle's builders.
D. Illustration of a legend about an angel's appearance during a medieval plague.
E. To scare off Vandal hordes.
The Farnese Palace (set for Act 2) still stands in Rome. What is it used for today?
A. The Rome MacDonald's
B. The French embassy
C. An expensive hotel
D. The papal residence
E. A tourist trap
Not all of the score of Tosca was written by Giacomo Puccini. In addition to the shepherd's folk song in Act 3, which of the following was composed by someone else?
A. "E lucevan le stelle" was written by Puccini's publisher, Giulio Ricordi.
B. "Vissi d'arte" was composed by Puccini's wife, Elvira.
C. The Act 2 party music was originally composed by Puccini's father, Michele.
D. "Recondita armonia" was written by another composer, Alberto Franchetti
E. A and D
A famous Tosca from the past was raised in Minnesota. Name her and her hometown.
A. Florence Foster Jenkins, Mankato
B. Elizabeth Comeaux, Rochester
C. Olive Fremstad, Hinckley
D. Grace Moore, Moorhead
E. Berrit Olssen, Andover
What famous composer appears in Sardou's play, La Tosca? (hint: He wrote The Barber of Seville.)
A. Giovanni Paisiello
B. Domenico Cimarosa
C. Antonio Salieri
D. Gioachino Rossini
E. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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