Who wrote Nixon in China?

• A. Debussy
• B. Grieg
• C. Mahler
• D. John Adams

Answer: (D)

Nixon in China is an opera by John Adams. Adams, an American composer associated with minimalism, created this contemporary work with a libretto by Alice Goodman. It centers on Richard Nixon’s 1972 visit to China and uses their political and personal moments to explore themes of power, myth, and public life, set in a musical language that builds through repeating motifs and gradual change rather than through dramatic, linear development.

The other names listed are from different musical eras and styles: Debussy is a French impressionist composer, Grieg is a Romantic Norwegian composer, and Mahler is a late-Romantic Austro-German composer. None of them wrote Nixon in China, which is why John Adams is the correct match for this piece.