Music MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Music - Download Free PDF

• Marfati songs are traditional folk songs of Bangladesh.
• Purweli songs are folk songs of Nepal.

The correct answer is a-iii b-iv c-i d-ii.

Key Points

• Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia
  • He was born in Prayagraj.
  • Famous classical flutist of the Hindustani classical tradition.
  • Learned under the tutelage of famous flute player Bholanath Prasanna.
  • Formed a group called Shiv-Hari with Santoor player Shiv Kumar Sharma.
  • Was honored with many awards
    • The Sangeet Natak Academy Award 1984
    • Padma Bhushan 1992,
    • Kalidas Samman 1999,
    • Padma Vibhushan 2000,
    • Sangeet Natak Academy Fellowship Award 2012, etc.
• Ravi Shankar
  • ​Born in 1920 in Varanasi.
  • Famous Indian Musician and Sitar Maestro.
  • Learned playing Sitar and classical music under the guidance of musician Allauddin Khan.
  • He was honored with many awards for his contribution to Indian music
    • Padma Bhushan 1967,
    • Padma Vibhushan 1981,
    • Bharat Ratna 1999.
• Sadiq Ali khan
  • Was born in Jaipur.
  • Famous Veena player and was an expert in Alapa.
  • Studied under the Ustad Rajab Ali Khan.
  • He was a court musician of several states Jhalawar, Alwar and Rampur.
  • Belonged to the Lucknow Gharana.
• Bismillah Khan
  • Born in 1916 in Dumrao village of Bihar.
  • Known as the Shehnai Samrat.
  • Performed at Delhi's Red Fort on the eve of India's Independence Day 1947.
  • Also performed at India's first Republic Day Ceremony on 26^th January 1950.
  • He was honored with many awards
    • Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 1956,
    • Padma Shri 1961,
    • Padma Bhushan 1968,
    • Padma Vibhushan 1980,
    • Sangeet Natak Akademi 1994,
    • Bharat Ratna 2001.

The correct answer is Birha.

• Birha is a popular Folk song genre of Uttar Pradesh. 

Key Point

• This genre is mood-based and the basic theme revolves around the separation of lover and his beloved.
• Actually 'Birha' in English means separation.
• The history of this genre is not very old and the earliest reference goes back to the 17th century.
• The possible origination of this folk genre is credited to the incidents where mostly men from small villages used to migrate to cities in search of livelihood.
• Often they had to leave their newly-weds behind in the village only.
• The lament of separation and carnal desire among the womenfolk of the village led to the birth of Birha.
• The genre is extremely popular among the farmers and labourers in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
• The best example of this is the growing popularity of Chutney Music, the Soca-Samba version of Birha, in the west, especially in the Caribbean Islands.

Additional Information

• Tappa was derived from the folk music of Punjab and Sindh.
• Dhamar is one of the talas used in Hindustani classical music from the Indian subcontinent.
  • It is associated with the dhrupad style.
• Qawwalis comes from North Indian folk tradition.
  • And is widely used by bhangra bands, as well as Qawwali groups, although the playing techniques are different.

The correct answer is Birha.

• Birha is a popular Folk song genre of Uttar Pradesh. 

Key Point

• This genre is mood-based and the basic theme revolves around the separation of lover and his beloved.
• Actually 'Birha' in English means separation.
• The history of this genre is not very old and the earliest reference goes back to the 17th century.
• The possible origination of this folk genre is credited to the incidents where mostly men from small villages used to migrate to cities in search of livelihood.
• Often they had to leave their newly-weds behind in the village only.
• The lament of separation and carnal desire among the womenfolk of the village led to the birth of Birha.
• The genre is extremely popular among the farmers and labourers in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
• The best example of this is the growing popularity of Chutney Music, the Soca-Samba version of Birha, in the west, especially in the Caribbean Islands.

Additional Information

• Tappa was derived from the folk music of Punjab and Sindh.
• Dhamar is one of the talas used in Hindustani classical music from the Indian subcontinent.
  • It is associated with the dhrupad style.
• Qawwalis comes from North Indian folk tradition.
  • And is widely used by bhangra bands, as well as Qawwali groups, although the playing techniques are different.

The correct answer is Kajari.

• The Kajari folk music of Uttar Pradesh is mostly sung during the monsoon months and is also reflective of the mood of separation.
• It is sung in the month of Sawan by females.
• It also evolved into the form of semi-classical singing and its singing style is closely associated with the Banaras Gharana.
• Uttar Pradesh has produced some of the greatest exponents of Kajari such as Pundit Chhanulal Misra, Shobha Gurtu, Girja Devi, Rajan, and Sajan Mishra among others

Key Points

• Uttar Pradesh is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populous state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world.
• UP was created on 1 April 1937 as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh during British rule and was renamed Uttar Pradesh in 1950, giving it the acronym UP.
• The state is divided into 18 divisions and 75 districts, with the state capital being Lucknow, and Allahabad serving as the judicial capital.
• The two major rivers of the UP state, the Ganges and Yamuna, join at Triveni Sangam in Allahabad and flow further east as the Ganges.
• According to the National Human Rights Commission of India (NHRC), Uttar Pradesh tops the list of states of encounter killings and custodial deaths.
• Yogi Adityanath of the Bharatiya Janata Party is serving as the incumbent chief minister since March 19, 2017.

Additional Information

• Folk Music of Uttar Pradesh are:

The correct answer is Shenai.

Key Points

• Ustad Bismillah Khan:
  • He was an Indian musician who played the shehnai.
  • Original name: Qamruddin Khan.
  • Born: March 21, 1916, Bihar and Orissa province
  • Died: 2006, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
  • Khan was a devout Muslim but performed at both Hindu and Muslim ceremonies and was considered a symbol of religious harmony.
  • Bismillah Khan had won the rarest rare honor of performing at the Red Fort in Delhi on the evening of the Independence Day of India in 1947.
  • He Awarded with the Bharat Ratna in 2001.
  • Got Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1956.

Additional Information

• Important Indian instrumental player:

The correct answer is Mizoram.

Key Points

Mizoram- Khuang

• Khuang is a Mizo indigenous instrument that has an important value in the Mizo society both socially as well as religiously.
• Khuang is made up of a Hollow tree wrapped with animal skin on both sides.

Additional Information

Assam- Gogona

• Gogona is a popular Assamese musical instrument.
• It is made up of Bamboo.

Jharkhand- Singa

• Singa is a traditional wind instrument from Jharkhand.
• Singa is made up of Bamboo and Buffalo Horn.

West Bengal- Dotara

• The dotara is one of the most important instruments used in various genres of folk music in Bengal and Assam.
• It is made up of hardwood like neem etc.

The correct answer is Punjab Gharana.

Key Points

• Alla Rakha became a renowned player of Tabla.
• He specialized in Hindustani Classical music and belongs to Punjab Gharana.
• He is often seen accompanying Sitar specialist Pandit Ravi Shankar.
• He played an important role in introducing the Tabla to the West.
• He received the Padma Shri in 1977 and Sangeet Natak Akademi  Award in 1982.
• Tabla is a percussion instrument that consists of two drums: the smaller one is called the dayan and the larger one is called the bayan.

The correct answer is Ektara.

Important Points

• A bamboo is inserted through the center of the gourd, the upper side of the gourd sliced out and covered with skin.
• The string used is a single steel string.

Key Points

• The word Ektara is derived from two words, Ek meaning “one” and tara meaning “string”.
• It is a one-stringed musical instrument that can produce a wide variety of tunes and melodies.
• Ektara
• Esraj
• Edakka
• Ekkalam

Additional Information

           Some other musical instruments

The correct answer is Sitar.

Key Points

• Ilyas Khan
  • Ilyas Khan (1924-1989) was born in Lucknow to a family of musicians.
  • His father belonged to the Shahjahanpur Gharana of sarod players while his mother came from the Lucknow Gharana of Sarod players.
  • He was introduced to the sitar by his father.
  • He was a disciple of Abdul Ghani Khan - a dhrupad singer from Kalpi. 

Additional Information 

The correct answer is Sarangi.Key Points

• Ustad Sultan Khan was an Indian Sarangi player.
• A sarangi is a bowed stringed instrument with a skin-covered resonator.
• Ustad Sultan Khan was also a classical vocalist belonging to Sikar Gharana.
• He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2010.

Additional Information

The correct answer is Alha.

• Alha is a popular folk song of Bundelkhand. Some other forms of song famous in Bundelkhand include Faag, Lamtera, Dadre, and Gari.

Important Points

• Birha-It is a folk song which mainly belongs to Ahir Communities in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
• The term "Birha" in Hindi means "Separation".This folk music found its origin in the early nineteenth century.
• The ethos of a Biraha is every so often heroic (Veer Rasa) and of humour (Hasya Rasa).
• Rasiya-It is a popular folk music that belongs to Braj region of Uttar Pradesh.
• The most common instruments in this genre are dholak, sarangi, and harmonium.
• Rasiya contains lyrics, euphemisms, and double meanings often exhibiting the love between the Hindu gods of Krishna and Radha.
• Languria-It is another form of Rasiya.

The correct answer is Kajri.

• Kajri is one of the renowned folk songs of Uttar Pradesh.
• Kajri is generally sung by the women in Uttar Pradesh in the Bhojpuri language.
• Kajri is sung as the ode to the dark clouds which nurtures and devastates, brings life, and sometimes death.
• Kajri is often used to describe the longing of a maiden for her lover.

Important Points

• There are various genres of Kajri, which are, Saawan, Jhoola, Birha, etc.
• The main motifs in Kajri music include Radha and Krishna who are the iconic imagery of divine lovers.

Additional Information

• Rasia is also a genre of the Folk-Song from UP which is popular in the Braj region.
• Chaiti is sung generally during the holy festival of Rama Navami.

The correct answer is Tabla.

Key Points

• Ustad Alla Rakha
  • Indian tabla player Ustad Alla Rakha Qureshi (29 April 1919), often known as Alla Rakha, was an expert in Hindustani classical music. 
  • He frequently followed the sitarist Pandit Ravi Shankar, and he played a significant role in introducing the tabla to western audiences.
  • Alla Rakha received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1982 and the Padma Shri in 1977.
  • On April 29, 2014, the day of his 95th birthday, he was also featured in a Google doodle.
  • Under the guidance of Ashiq Ali Khan of the Patiala Gharana, he studied voice and raga vidya. 
  • Ustad Allah Rakha's oldest child is Zakir Hussain.

Additional Information

The correct answer is Shiv Kumar Sharma.

• Shiv Kumar Sharma is a famous Santoor instrumentalist.

Key Points

• ​Shiv Kumar Sharma:
  • He is a  music composer and a santoor maestro.
  • He hails from the Union territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
• Santoor:
  • It is a trapezoid-shaped hammered dulcimer instrument.
  • It is a traditional instrument of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.

Additional Information

• Ustad Binda Khan is a Sarangi maestro.
• Sajjad Hussain was a music composer.
• Nikhil Banerjee is a Sitar maestro.