Question

What famous music was written to commemorate the victory over Napoleon?

a. Musorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain"
b. Glinka's "A Life for the Tsar"
c. Rimsky-Korsakov's "Polovetsian Dances"
d. Chaikovsky's "Overture of 1812"

Answer 1

Tchaikovsky's "Overture of 1812" was written to commemorate Russia's victory over Napoleon.

Step-by-step explanation:

The famous music written to commemorate the victory over Napoleon is d. Chaikovsky's "Overture of 1812". This overture was composed in 1880, celebrating Russia's defense against Napoleon's advancing Grande Armée at the Battle of Borodino in 1812. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky created this orchestral work to be performed at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, which was being built in Moscow to commemorate the victory.

While Glinka's "A Life for the Tsar" is patriotic and historic in nature, and Rimsky-Korsakov's "Polovetsian Dances" are a celebrated piece of classical music, neither was composed specifically to honor the victory over Napoleon. Musorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain" is an example of program music that does not pertain to the historical events of the Napoleonic Wars.