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Musical work by Charles Ives, early twentieth century
the Charles Ives composition

The Unanswered Question is a musical work by American composer Charles Ives. Originally paired with Central Park in the Dark as Two Contemplations in 1908, The Unanswered Question was revised by Ives in 1930–1935. As with many of Ives' works, it was largely unknown until much later in his life, and was not performed until 1946. Against a background of slow, quiet strings representing "The Silence of the Druids", a solo trumpet poses "The Perennial Question of Existence", to which a woodwind quartet of "Fighting Answerers" tries vainly to provide an answer, growing more frustrated and dissonant until they give up. The three groups of instruments perform in independent tempos and are placed separately on the stage—the strings offstage.

Ives composed The Unanswered Question, subtitled "(a Cosmic Landscape)" in Ives's work papers, in 1908 (though it is often erroneously dated 1906), and revised it in 1930–1935, at which time he included a 13 bar introduction, made the woodwind parts more dissonant, and added further dynamic and articulation indications. He also made a small but significant change to the "question motif", which had originally ended on the note that began it, but now remained unresolved. During 1930–1935 he also worked on a version of The Unanswered Question for chamber orchestra. The premiere performance of this version occurred on May 11, 1946 at McMillin Theatre, Columbia University in New York City, played by a chamber orchestra of graduate students from the Juilliard School and conducted by Edgar Schenkman (on stage), with the strings led by Theodore Bloomfield (off stage). The same concert featured the premieres of Central Park in the Dark and String Quartet No. 2. The original version of the work was not premiered until March 17, 1984, when Dennis Russell Davies and the American Composers Orchestra performed it at Symphony Space in New York City as part of the "Wall to Wall Ives" series. In 1985, Paul Echols and Noel Zahler produced an edition of The Unanswered Question that included both the original version and the revised 1930–1935 edition. Echols and Zahler were fortunate in that sufficiently complete sources were available to work from for both scores.

In his essay "The Rhythmic Basis of American Music," Elliott Carter noted that "the combination of different rhythmic planes involved Ives in complex problems of notation." In The Unanswered Question, the strings and trumpet play at a tempo marked "Largo molto sempre". But meanwhile the winds gradually accelerate, with tempo markings for the six "Answers" of Adagio, Andante, Allegretto, Allegro, Allegro molto, and Allegro, accel to Presto, and their bar lines going out of sync with those of the other instruments. In the foreword to the score, Ives wrote that the wind's music "need not be played in the exact time position indicated. It is played in somewhat of an impromptu way " He also noted: "'The Answers' may be played somewhat sooner after each 'Question' than indicated in the score, but 'The Question' should be played no sooner for that reason." Regarding the ending of the piece, Ives wrote: "The flutes will end their part approximately near the position indicated in the string score; but in any case, 'The Last Question' should not be played by the trumpet until 'The Silences' of the strings in the distance have been heard for a measure or two. The strings will continue their last chord for two measures or so after the trumpet stops. If the strings shall have reached their last chord before the trumpet plays 'The Last Question', they will hold it through and continue after, as suggested above." In terms of dynamics, the strings play throughout, fading to at the end. The trumpet plays throughout, except for the last "Question", which is The winds, however, gradually increase in loudness: dynamic markings for the six "Answers" are , , , < , < , and < < Ives noted: "During some of the louder passages of the flutes, the strings may not be heard, and it is not important that they should be."

Ives' biographer Jan Swafford called the piece "a kind of collage in three distinct layers, roughly coordinated". Aaron Copland, who often conducted the composition, considered it to be "among the finest works ever created by an American artist". Ives use of separate groups of instruments placed apart on the stage and playing in independent tempos influenced the work of American composer Henry Brant. The music was used in the 1972 short film directed by Donald Fox based on the tale "Young Goodman Brown" by author Nathaniel Hawthorne. It was also used in the 1998 film Run Lola Run. The music was used in The Thin Red Line (1998), performed by Orchestra of St. Luke's and conducted by John Adams. The part for strings was also used at the end of Terence Davies' biopic of Emily Dickinson, A Quiet Passion (2016). It is performed by the Brussels Philharmonic. Also used in Oliver Hermanus' film Moffie (2020). The piece was performed on electronic instruments by Japanese synthesist Isao Tomita on his 1978 album "Kosmos". The introduction was reused by Owen Pallett for an alternative version of the song "The CN Tower Belongs to the Dead" as a B side of the "Many Lives → 49 MP" single; it is humorously called the "Many Ives version" as a clear reference to Charles Ives. This version is also played live with orchestras. A version of the composition was also performed on the 2013 Fink album, Fink Meets the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.