Music Quiz Questions
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Music Quiz Questions Check the box for all answers or click on each question for its answer. New! is an addition in the last month. 157. Though denied by its author as the source of his inspiration, what musical work has strong resemblance to the story of a mythical village called Germelshausen that fell under a curse and appears for only one day every century? Brigadoon by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe The story involves two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, a mysterious Scottish village that appears for only one day every hundred years. Tommy, one of the tourists, falls in love with Fiona, a young woman from Brigadoon. Lerner, however, denied that he had based the book on an older story and stated that he didn't learn of the existence of the Germelshausen story until after he had completed the first draft of Brigadoon. 156. In December 1971, Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention were playing in a concert when the casino venue they were in caught fire due to an over-zealous member of the audience firing a a flare gun into the rattan covered ceiling. This is the true origin story of what rock classic? "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple The resulting fire destroyed the entire casino complex, along with all the Mothers' equipment. The "smoke on the water" that became the title of the song (credited to bass guitarist Roger Glover, who related how the title occurred to him when he suddenly woke from a dream a few days later) referred to the smoke from the fire spreading over Lake Geneva from the burning casino as the members of Deep Purple watched the fire from their hotel. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_on_the_Water) 155. In 2013 to encourage the use of zebra crossings, Kolkata's police employed what image from the world of music with the caption "If they can, why can't you?"? that of The Beatles crossing Abbey Road Hoardings across the city were put up with the album cover. (http://www.mid-day.com/news/2013/feb/190213-kolkata-police-using-beatles-abbey- road-cover-to-educate-jaywalkers.htm) 154. In December 1989, along with “I Fought The Law” by The Clash, what hard rock song was famously used by the US Military to ferret out a hiding Noriega from the Vatican Embassy? Van Halen's "Panama" The Howard Stern Show was also played. (http://ivarfjeld.com/2010/04/30/when-heavy-rock-was-used-to-get-general-noriega-out- of-vatican-protection/) 153. An aversion therapy called the 'Ludovico technique' from the 1971 classic A Clockwork Orange features which composer's music? Kudos if you can name the piece too. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony It involved forcing a patient to watch violent images for long periods of time, while under the effect of a nausea-inducing drug. The aim of the therapy is to make the patient experience severe nausea when experiencing or even thinking about violence, thus attempting to solve societal crime. In the movie, the subject develops a severe aversion to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, one of his favorite pieces of classical music, due to its use as a background score for the films during his treatment. 152. Composer Philip Glass's 'Portrait Trilogy' of operas consists of Einstein on the Beach, Akhnaten andSatyagraha with the last one focusing on whom? Mahatma Gandhi The title refers to Gandhi's concept of non-violent resistance to injustice. The text of the opera is from theBhagavad Gita which is sung in the original Sanskrit. 151. In 2010 Sony signed a $250 million deal to retain distribution rights to whose works, a fall-out from a 2009 incident? Michael Jackson's (1958-2009) It was the largest music contract ever. 150. Talking about which of his hits did Eric Clapton say: "...It's no good to write a deliberate anti-X song and hope that it will catch. Because the general thing is that people will be upset by that. It would disturb them to have someone else shoving something down their throat. So the best thing to do is offer something that seems ambiguous..." "Cocaine" (x-drug) 149. A West End theatre that opened in 1881 to perform the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan was built on the site of a palace that was called as what? Savoy Palace The duos work became known as the Savoy Operas as a result. 148. Talking about what 1977 rock classic did a band member say that his physics training helped him in designing the "stomp, stomp, clap" section of the song? Get this right or you'd have mud on your face! Queen's "We Will Rock You" It was written by Brian May and he wanted to create the sound of thousands of people stomping and clapping without any echo. May holds a doctorate in astrophysics. 147. After a premiere in 1952, the creator of a certain work said the following words. Name him. They missed the point. There’s no such thing as ... What they thought was ..., because they didn’t know how to listen, was full of accidental ... You could hear the wind stirring outside during the first ... During the second, raindrops began pattering the roof, and during the third the people themselves made all kinds of interesting ... as they talked or walked out. John Cage after the premiere of 4'33" It was composed in 1952 for any instrument (or combination of instruments), and the score instructs the performer not to play the instrument during the entire duration of the piece throughout the three movements (which, for the first performance, were divided into thirty seconds for the first, two minutes and twenty-three seconds for the second, and one minute and forty seconds for the third). 146. When this classical music suite was written in the period of 1914-16, it consisted of seven parts, and not eight, for astrological reasons. When a discovery was made in 1930, the composer was urged to add an eight part but refused. In 2006 the work was said to have became complete again. What are we talking about? Planets by Gustav Holst The concept of the work is astrological rather than astronomical and hence Earth is not included. Each movement is intended to convey ideas and emotions associated with the influence of the planets on the psyche, not the Roman deities. The 1930 discovery/2006 change talks about Pluto. 145. What is the better known name of Violin Sonata in G minor by Giuseppe Tartini that the composer said was played to him in a dream by Satan himself? the Devil's Trill sonata It is famous for being extremely technically demanding. 144. In which country did the dictator Rafael Trujillo promote the merengue style of music/dance into the country's national music? Dominican Republic Trujillo was the dictator of the country from the 1930 to 1961. Merengue is a type of music and dance that originated in Dominican Republic. 143. "March of the Volunteers" was the second most played tune at the award ceremonies of what 2012 event? the London Olympics It is the national anthem of China. 142. The titular object fashioned by dwarf Alberich is the focus of what monumental work of music? the Ring Cycle by Wagner It follows the struggles of gods, heroes, and several mythical creatures over the eponymous magic ring that grants domination over the entire world. Wagner wrote them over the course of about twenty-six years, from 1848 to 1874. The four operas that constitute the Ring cycle are, in sequence: Das Rheingold (The Rhine Gold), Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), Siegfried and Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods). A full performance of the cycle takes place over four nights at the opera, with a total playing time of about 15 hours, depending on the conductor's pacing. 141. The cold infection of which superstar of music was the subject of Gay Talese's 1966 article for Esquire, a piece now considered a landmark in journalism? Frank Sinatra (Frank Sinatra Has a Cold) It was called by Vanity Fair as "the greatest literary-nonfiction story of the 20th century". 140. As its lyrics attest, what 1974 rock classic that celebrates a place was written in response to two songs of Neil Young that were derogatory of the American South? "Sweet Home Alabama" The lyrics of the song have the words "Well I heard mister Young sing about her; Well, I heard ole Neil put her down; Well, I hope Neil Young will remember; A Southern man don't need him around anyhow." Neil Young's songs are "Southern Man" and "Alabama". 139. In what 1843 opera does Senta throws herself into the ocean to break the curse of a legendary ship? The Flying Dutchman by Wagner In folklore, it is a ship that can never make port, doomed to sail the oceans forever and the sight of it is a portent of doom. 138. What custom in the world of classical music originates from the belief that at the premiere of a Handel's musical event, King George II did so and the crowd followed suit? standing during the Hallelujah Chorus of Messiah There is no convincing evidence that the king was present; the first reference to the practice of standing appears in a letter dated 1756. 137. According to the lyrics of a 1931 song by Noël Coward, what is it that the Japanese don't care to do, the Chinese wouldn't dare to do and the Hindus and Argentines avoid it as they sleep firmly from twelve to one? "go out in the midday sun" ("Mad Dogs and Englishmen") 136.