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Opera Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Opera Quizzes, Trivia

Opera Trivia

Opera Trivia Quizzes

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Fun Trivia
100 Opera quizzes and 1,400 Opera trivia questions.
Sub-Categories:
Opera by Region Opera by Region (8 quizzes)
1.
  Creators and Creations: Opera Masterpieces   popular trivia quiz  
Classification Quiz
 15 Qns
This is a classification quiz. Here are 15 opera titles that must be attributed to these four excellent composers. Have a good time.
Very Easy, 15 Qns, masfon, Sep 01 24
Very Easy
masfon gold member
Sep 01 24
392 plays
2.
A Night at the Animal Opera
  A Night at the (Animal) Opera   popular trivia quiz  
Photo Quiz
 10 Qns
Animals and opera - not an obvious combination, but see how much you know about operas which feature animals either as characters, or refer to them indirectly in their titles. The pictures may help!
Average, 10 Qns, stedman, Nov 08 22
Average
stedman editor
Nov 08 22
1794 plays
3.
  Grand Opera   popular trivia quiz  
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
Though the years many composers have created operas that have thrilled audiences again and again. Can you match the opera to the composer?
Easier, 10 Qns, mlcmlc, Jul 26 17
Easier
mlcmlc gold member
1734 plays
4.
  His Immortal Beloved Dies    
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
Several operas are named after the male hero. In many cases the woman he loves, dies. Match the correct woman to the title character.
Average, 10 Qns, JanIQ, Nov 06 22
Average
JanIQ gold member
Nov 06 22
286 plays
5.
  Who Is Her Leading Man?   great trivia quiz  
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
Several operas are named after the female protagonist, enacted by a soprano. But can you match the title character to the leading male character (usually played by a tenor)?
Average, 10 Qns, JanIQ, Nov 01 21
Average
JanIQ gold member
Nov 01 21
307 plays
6.
  Operatic Deaths    
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
Many operas end with the death of one or more of the principal characters. Match these opera characters to the way of their demise.
Average, 10 Qns, JanIQ, Dec 02 18
Average
JanIQ gold member
Dec 02 18
400 plays
7.
  What's Playing: Sydney Opera House 2018   popular trivia quiz  
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
The Globetrot Trivia 2 challenge is visiting the Sydney Opera House. Let's have a look at what is planned for the 2018 season there! Can you match the main characters with the name of each of the productions?
Easier, 10 Qns, ponycargirl, Mar 29 18
Easier
ponycargirl editor
Mar 29 18
373 plays
8.
  Various Vacancies: Ten Terrific Tenors   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Tenors sing most of the leading roles in opera. I love the following arias. Jonas Kaufmann, please call me for recording these famous arias.
Average, 10 Qns, JanIQ, Sep 28 12
Average
JanIQ gold member
459 plays
9.
  The Sopranos   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This quiz is not about the TV series, but about soprano singers in opera and other classical music. Have fun.
Average, 10 Qns, JanIQ, Feb 04 14
Average
JanIQ gold member
413 plays
10.
  È La Solita Storia (It's The Same Old Story!)   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
According to some literary critics, there are only a tiny number of really different dramatic plots. So if you go to the opera often, you will probably find a lot of similarities between the stories.
Average, 10 Qns, TabbyTom, Feb 03 13
Average
TabbyTom
362 plays
trivia question Quick Question
What type of style is Mozart's music?

From Quiz "The Life of Mozart"




11.
  La Stupenda Performs ...   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Dame Joan Sutherland was one of the great voices of her time. This quiz examines some of the performances that marked her career.
Easier, 10 Qns, pollucci19, Apr 12 21
Easier
pollucci19 gold member
Apr 12 21
857 plays
12.
  Which Opera are they from?   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
I'll give you the names of some operatic characters - you have to say in which opera they appear. Most are well known, but there are a few teasers thrown in as well.
Average, 15 Qns, stedman, Jun 29 11
Average
stedman editor
2653 plays
13.
  10 Questions about A Night at the Opera   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Even if you have never been to the opera you might know some of these questions. Let's see what you know. You might surprise yourself!
Easier, 10 Qns, dcpddc478, Aug 27 23
Easier
dcpddc478
Aug 27 23
614 plays
14.
  Operatic Madness editor best quiz   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Some have called opera itself a "demented" art form. Certainly, the subject of madness is a recurrent theme in many operas, particularly the ones featured here. Good Luck!
Difficult, 10 Qns, jouen58, Sep 23 16
Difficult
jouen58
1613 plays
15.
  Doomed Divas    
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
Opera just would not be the same without its romantic, and often tragic, heroines. Here is a selection of great female characters from various well-known operas. As hinted by the title, happy endings are not guaranteed!
Tough, 10 Qns, LadyNym, Mar 23 18
Tough
LadyNym gold member
Mar 23 18
472 plays
16.
  Operatic Aliases and Disguises   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Opera plots frequently revolve around intrigue and deception, and so it's not surprising that characters sometimes assume false names or appearances. Can you solve these questions of operatic identity?
Average, 10 Qns, TabbyTom, Apr 10 22
Average
TabbyTom
Apr 10 22
328 plays
17.
  Sleepless at the Opera   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Some of the greatest moments in opera occur when some person or persons are unable to sleep. Here are some notable examples. This quiz is dedicated to the late, great Luciano Pavarotti. Enjoy!
Average, 10 Qns, jouen58, Aug 28 08
Average
jouen58
710 plays
18.
  Opera Since the Second World War   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
Opera is sometimes said to be a dying art. This quiz hopes to show the reverse, by highlighting some of the composers worldwide who have added to the repertoire, from the 1940s into the first years of the twenty-first century.
Average, 15 Qns, stedman, Mar 21 07
Average
stedman editor
1105 plays
19.
  Greatest Hits by Maria Callas   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Maria Callas (1923-1977) was an excellent soprano. Here are just ten of the arias she sang. What do you know about these arias? Mind you: this is more about the arias than about Callas.
Average, 10 Qns, JanIQ, Nov 05 19
Average
JanIQ gold member
Nov 05 19
222 plays
20.
  It Ain't Over Until The Fat Lady Sings    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Over the years I've developed an interest in opera, and this general quiz explores some of my favourite works.
Average, 10 Qns, Southendboy, Oct 17 23
Average
Southendboy gold member
Oct 17 23
230 plays
21.
  A Date With the Devil   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The Prince of Darkness makes a personal appearance in quite a number of operas, and is even the title character of a few. I hope you will enjoy this devil of a quiz; Good Luck!
Average, 10 Qns, jouen58, Jan 25 09
Average
jouen58
473 plays
22.
  Operatic Fundamentals    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Here is an opera quiz that does not ask you to match a composer, character, or aria to the name of an opera! This is a chance for the Quizzyland operaphobe to learn more about the operatic art form.
Average, 10 Qns, Triviasoprano, Jun 29 05
Average
Triviasoprano
680 plays
23.
  Which Opera Are They From? 2   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
Following on from my last quiz on this subject, a similar mix of the well-known to the downright obscure. Just match the characters with the opera in which they appear.
Average, 15 Qns, stedman, Jun 02 12
Average
stedman editor
1961 plays
24.
  Early Opera   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Most opera buffs are familiar with the repertoire of Mozart (1756-1791) and later composers. But what do you know about Mozart's predecessors, who completed some of their operas before 1750?
Average, 10 Qns, JanIQ, Apr 14 19
Average
JanIQ gold member
Apr 14 19
262 plays
25.
  I Do Not Exist   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Opera characters that don't belong
Here are ten famous operas and four characters from each of them... no, that's not right. There are three characters and one complete impostor - your job is to pick the one who is NOT a part of the respective opera!
Average, 10 Qns, WesleyCrusher, Dec 07 22
Average
WesleyCrusher editor
Dec 07 22
279 plays
26.
  A Prayer at the Opera   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
When everything is going badly, sometimes a prayer is all you have left. Or certainly that's often the case in opera. What do you know about a few operatic prayers, some of which were more successful than others?
Average, 10 Qns, stedman, Oct 31 18
Average
stedman editor
Oct 31 18
411 plays
27.
  What Happens at the Opera ... editor best quiz    
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
... does not always stay at the opera. Here are ten instances of operatic oddities. Can you match the situation described with the opera in which it occurs?
Average, 10 Qns, PearlQ19, Dec 14 19
Average
PearlQ19 gold member
Dec 14 19
200 plays
28.
  "Moonstruck" at the Opera   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The moon plays an important part in many operas, both symbolically and as a plot device; here are some notable examples. (NOTE- this quiz is not about the 1987 film "Moonstruck", though it is mentioned here). Enjoy!
Difficult, 10 Qns, jouen58, Aug 23 04
Difficult
jouen58
487 plays
29.
  A Night at the Opera: Part III    
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
Given the composer and two or three characters from an opera, find the correct title of the work.
Easier, 10 Qns, imahogg, Feb 08 19
Easier
imahogg gold member
Feb 08 19
242 plays
30.
  Opera all' Inferno   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A number of illustrious denizens of Dante's classic "Inferno" have been the subject of an opera (or two). Test your knowledge of both opera and Dante. Good Luck!
Difficult, 10 Qns, jouen58, Dec 21 18
Difficult
jouen58
Dec 21 18
261 plays
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Opera Trivia Questions

1. Which composer wrote the opera 'William Tell'?

From Quiz
The Wonderful World of Opera

Answer: Gioachino Rossini

This opera takes place in Austrian-occupied Switzerland, the protagonist being a leading member of the resistance movement. Tell is arrested along with his son and is famously obliged to shoot an apple from his son's head. The story ends with the celebration of the country's independence. The opera's overture is well known for being the theme music for the TV series 'The Lone Ranger'.

2. In which version(s) of "Eugene Onegin" does Olga marry another man after Lensky's death?

From Quiz Pushkin-Based Operas

Answer: In the book

The opera doesn't elaborate on Olga's fate after Lensky's death in the duel. In the novel, she mourns Lensky for a while and then eventually gets happily married to an uhlan (a member of a light cavalry unit).

3. What is the title of the tenor aria from Act 3 of "Turandot" that concludes with the words: "Al alba vincerò! Vincerò! Vincerò!"? If you watched the BBC TV coverage of the 1990 World Cup you might have an idea!

From Quiz It Ain't Over Until The Fat Lady Sings

Answer: Nessun Dorma

"Nessun Dorma" ("Let No One Sleep") is one of the best-loved tenor arias in opera, from the unfinished opera "Turandot" by Puccini. The last words translate as "I will win" - and, very appropriately, Pavarotti's 1972 recording of the aria was used as the theme music by the BBC for their 1990 World Cup coverage.

4. Opera characters discuss opera.

From Quiz Extra Opera Summaries in Four Words

Answer: Capriccio

The main theme the characters discuss is whether music or poetry is the superior art form while attempting to stage an opera (which of course contains both). This isn't the only self-reflection in the piece: in one scene, servants discuss whether or not servants would make good protagonists for opera. The composer, Richard Strauss, contributed to the libretto. He also wrote the libretto for his "Intermezzo", which essentially consists of sung dialogue.

5. Callas debuted in several of the greatest opera houses with the role of Norma. Which aria thus became her signature song, in as much that we can imagine playing the song and asking for the performer?

From Quiz Greatest Hits by Maria Callas

Answer: Casta Diva

All these arias stem from the opera "Norma" by Vincenzo Bellini. Norma is the protagonist: a high priestess of the druids of a Celtic tribe. She secretly fell in love with the Roman general Pollione and had two children with him. But now Pollione has broken with her and is enamoured by the young priestess Adalgisa. War between the Celtic tribe and the Romans is about to start, and the druids demand a ritual sacrifice to implore the gods' aid in battle. The crowd has apprehended Pollione and intends to sacrifice him, but Norma (who has to fulfill the deed) can't stab him. In the end, Norma confesses her infidelity and takes on the role of the sacrifice, and as she leaps into a pyre Pollione joins her. Callas made her debut at Covent Garden in London in 1952, at the Opera of Chicago in 1954, and at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1956, all with the role of Norma. "Casta Diva" ("Chaste Goddess") is the aria in which Norma prays to the moon goddess for help in the war. "Meco all'Altar di Venere" ("With Me at Venus' Altar") is sung by Pollione, describing how he dreamt to meet Adalgisa in Rome at Venus' altar. "Deh! Proteggimi o Dio" ("Oh, Protect Me, O God") is an aria by Adalgisa, who prays to her gods to end her doomed love with Pollione. "In mia man alfin tu sei" ("In My Arms at Last You Are") is the duet between Norma and Pollione, sung just after she refused to sacrifice Pollione.

6. What does "travesti" mean in French? (Is the answer hiding?)

From Quiz Travesti Is No Travesty!

Answer: Disguised

In some times and places, such as many European countries into the 17th century and beyond, women were not allowed on stage at all, so the female roles in theater were played by men or boys "disguised" as women. En travesti roles are not limited to opera or theater: you can also find them in ballet. Widow Simone in "La Fille mal Gardee", the witch in "La Sylphide", and the evil fairy Carabosse in "The Sleeping Beauty" are female characters traditionally played by men, although Carabosse is more often played by a woman these days. Franz, the male lead in "Coppelia", was first played by a woman.

7. Druid's love affair sours.

From Quiz Additional Opera Summaries in Four Words

Answer: Norma

Norma is a high priestess among the druids. She has broken her chastity vows by having an affair with a Roman and bearing two sons. She soon discovers that he's left her for another girl, who's also made vows. Norma doesn't blame Adalgisa or become angry at her, but she does want vengeance on the man. The title role of Bellini's work is considered one of the most difficult and taxing roles in opera.

8. Poker game decides fate.

From Quiz Further Opera Summaries in Four Words

Answer: La Fanciulla del West

Yes, there's an opera about the American Old West. Minnie is a well-liked barmaid who's in love with Dick Johnson, a thief in hiding. When he's discovered at her place, sheriff Jack Rance (these names do have a good Western ring to them) agrees to play a poker match against Minnie. If she wins, he won't arrest Johnson. If Rance wins, she will submit to him. The poker game ends Act II--there's still more conflict to resolve! This is, overall, a more upbeat opera than most Puccini ones. Despite taking place in the Old West, the libretto is in Italian. The English title is "The Girl of the Golden West".

9. Unhinged daughter avenges father.

From Quiz Yet More Opera Summaries in Four Words

Answer: Elektra

Strauss's opera, based on Greek myth and the plays of the "Oresteia", focuses on the title character, who seeks revenge on her mother for conspiring to kill her husband, Elektra's father. Elektra has gone insane from her father's murder: even her brother doesn't recognize her when he returns. The orchestra calls for 110 musicians and the use of the tambourine, the glockenspiel, and castanets.

10. Gilbert and Sullivan's 'The Mikado' is light and frothy and fun and very offensive to a lot of people. What is it most often accused of?

From Quiz Operas That Offend

Answer: Cultural Appropriation

'If you want to know who we are, We are gentlemen of Japan: On many a vase and jar - On many a screen and fan, We figure in lively paint: Our attitude's queer and quaint - You're wrong if you think it ain't Ooh!' It is fairly certain that the opening chorus of 'The Mikado' sums up pretty much everything W. S. Gilbert actually knew about Japan. It quickly became one of the most popular comic operas ever. It has also became one of the most controversial. In the 1990s, amateur and professional productions of 'The Mikado' started to close due to protests. Accused of cultural appropriation, racism and caricaturing Asians, theatre directors decided to do something about it. Unlike other operas based in Asia, like 'Turandot', 'Madama Butterfly' or 'Lakme', 'The Mikado' is satiric. Although proponents argue that it has a lot more to do with society and politics in England than Japan, it also gives license for white singers with taped up eyes and long robes to ham it up all over the stage. In order to get away from this, some productions are now set in England. A successful English National Opera 'Mikado' of 2015 is set in a hotel at a seaside resort and nobody is Japanese. Other companies have mounted productions with all-Asian casts. Nevertheless, the protests continue. As Desdemona Chang argues in 'Why The Mikado is Still Problematic: Cultural Appropriation 101', 'The Mikado is not OK, but Hamilton is. Doing The Mikado will do a lot of hurt to the perception of an entire culture of people because in real life, they've been historically denied social agency. Alexander Hamilton, on the other hand, will probably be on the US ten-dollar bill for a long, long time.'

11. "Die Zauberflote". Or maybe you know it as "The Magic Flute". Which very famous Austrian artist composed it?

From Quiz Ten Nights at the Opera

Answer: Mozart

This opera, that premiered in 1791 (three months before Mozart's death) is more properly a "Singspiel", including sung parts and spoken parts. The music is fantastic, featuring the super-famous aria of The Queen of the Night, pièce de résistance for sopranos. The plot of the Emanuel Schikaneder libretto is very hard to follow, full as it is of allusions to Freemasonry and other esoteric themes, probably more clear for XVII century audiences than for me.

12. The Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts began on 25 December 1931 - yes, on Christmas Day. Which opera was broadcast, whole and entire, on NBC that afternoon?

From Quiz The Metropolitan Opera Radio Broadcasts

Answer: Hansel und Gretel (Humperdinck)

"Hansel and Gretel" was paired with "I pagliacci" that Christmas afternoon, but "I pagliacci" was not broadcast. In the cast of "Hansel und Gretel" were Editha Fleischer as Hansel, Queena Mario as Gretel, Henriette Wakefield as Gertrud, Gustav Schutzendorf as Peter, Dorothee Manski as the Witch, Dorothea Flexer as the Sandman, and Pearl Besuner as the Dew Fairy. Karl Riedel conducted. (Composer Deems Taylor served as narrator for this broadcast performance, providing commentary from a specially-constructed glass booth in one of the Grand Tier boxes. Problem was, his narration continued throughout the opera, while the singers were singing and the orchestra was playing. NBC received a good many telegraphed complaints about Taylor's commentary during the music, so Taylor scaled back his comments for the rest of the broadcasts that season - and the "narration" during the music was done away with entirely the following season.)

13. Adina, Tatyana, Belcore, Nemorino. Which of them wouldn't you find in Donizetti's "L'elisir d'amore"?

From Quiz One of These Opera Characters Doesn't Belong

Answer: Tatyana

Nemorino loves Adina, who is enamored with Belcore. A traveling fraud offers Nemorino a love elixir that will make women fall in love with him. Too bad it's only wine. Tatyana loves the title character in Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin".

14. French aristocrats watch opera.

From Quiz Still More Opera Summaries in Four Words

Answer: The Ghosts of Versailles

This opera by John Corigliano premiered in 1991 at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Marie Antoinette has just been beheaded and is in an afterlife with other dead French courtiers, who wear decayed, ripped costumes. Playwright Beaumarchais decides to stage a sequel to "The Marriage of Figaro" to entertain the courtiers (to which Louis XVI replies that he never understood what happened in Act III of that opera). The story goes back and forth between the opera-within-an-opera and the drama of Marie Antoinette's grief at how her life turned out and her love for Beaumarchais. It contains many parodies of operatic conventions, including a cameo by Brunnhilde, who declares, "This is not opera! Wagner is opera!"

15. In which opera does a Japanese lady called Cio-Cio-San fall in love with an American naval officer?

From Quiz Accessible Opera

Answer: Madame Butterfly

Lieutenant Pinkerton buys the right to marry a young ex geisha called Cio-Cio-San also known as Madam Butterfly. The Japanese marriage contract dissolves after one month if the husband wishes it, and Pinkerton thinks of it as a bit of fun, but Cio-Cio-San is really in love with him and sees it as a marriage for life. When he leaves her she is desperate and poverty stricken and cannot believe that he will not return.

16. The barber's getting hitched!

From Quiz Even More Opera Summaries in Four Words

Answer: The Marriage of Figaro

"The Marriage of Figaro" is Mozart's sequel to Beaumarchais's play "The Barber of Seville" (which wasn't made into an opera by Rossini until after Mozart's opera). Figaro, the title character in "Barber", is getting married this time, after accidentally getting engaged to his mother. Meanwhile, his wife Susanna and her mistress Countess Almaviva conspire to teach the Count about fidelity, and not suspecting his wife of infidelity, by dressing Cherubino (a man who's played by a woman) as a woman and arranging a tryst (confusing, isn't it?).

17. Insensitive nymphs doom world.

From Quiz More Opera Summaries in Four Words

Answer: Das Rheingold

"Das Rheingold" starts Wagner's four-opera cycle "Der Ring des Nibelungen". The three Rhinemaidens are tasked with protecting the Rhinegold, which can be forged into a ring of great power if one renounces love. After being scorned by them, Alberich the Nibelung steals the gold and forges the ring. When it's stolen, Alberich curses it: everyone will long for it, but only misfortune and death will come to those who possess it. Alberich's theft sparks a chain of events that will eventually destroy the world.

18. Courtesan dies very beautifully.

From Quiz Opera Summaries in Four Words

Answer: La Traviata

The title of Verdi's opera means "The Fallen Woman" and is based on the Alexandre Dumas book "La Dame aux Camélias". Violetta is a courtesan dying of consumption. She decides to pursue a romantic relationship with Alfredo, but being in a tragic opera, of course she can't have a happy ending. Alfredo's father begs her to stop seeing his son, leading to resentment and unhappiness. A ballet based on the same book, "Lady of the Camellias", has the same story and is set to Chopin music.

19. Which composer has given us the December 1724 version of "Didone abbandonata" ("Dido Abandoned")? His style is recognisable in the instrumental work "Adagio in G minor" popularly titled as part of the "Concerto for Oboe".

From Quiz Early Opera

Answer: Tommaso Albinoni

Albinoni (1671-1751) was a Venetian composer. In his lifetime he was best known for his operas (between 50 and 81), but most of these are alas lost. Part of his instrumental work survives, mostly sonatas and concerti for strings. He was also one of the few Baroque composers who produced concerti for oboe. The "Adagio in G minor" from the "Concerto for Oboe" has two oddities. First of all, it has been ascribed to Albinoni, but it was published in 1958 by Remo Giazotto, who claimed to have found only a few of the opening measures and to have completed the work himself. Secondly, although its title refers to the oboe, many recordings don't use this instrument at all. In many of the popular recordings a string quartet plays the melody, and a church organ delivers the basso continuo. "Didone abbandonata" was the title of multiple operas: February 1724 by Domenico Natale Sarri, December 1724 by Albinoni, 1726 by Leonardo Vinci, 1742 by Johann Adolf Hasse, and so on. It tells the story of Queen Dido of Carthage who has to take leave from her lover Aeneas, who sails to Italy. Struck with grief, Dido commits suicide on a pyre. Antonio Maria Abbatini was a composer whose biography leaves some ambiguity. He may have been born either in 1595 or in 1609-1610. (Perhaps he had a brother named Antonio too). Antonio Maria Abbatini died in 1677 or 1679. He worked primarily in Rome, and left us many works of sacred music. He also produced three operas, but these are no longer performed. Adolfati (1722-1760) and Amato (1629-1670) are two other Italian baroque composers.

20. In which nineteenth-century opera, based on a well-known fairy-tale, do two characters sing an "Evening Prayer" before lying down to sleep in a forest?

From Quiz A Prayer at the Opera

Answer: Hansel and Gretel

"Hansel and Gretel" was written by the German composer Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921), and its premiere in 1893 was conducted by another composer, Richard Strauss. The "Evening Prayer" is sung by Hansel and Gretel after they have got lost on the forest, where they have been sent by their mother to pick strawberries. In response to the prayer, 14 angels come to protect them while they sleep.

21. What do Violetta in Verdi's "La Traviata", and Mimi in Puccini's "La Bohème", have in common?

From Quiz È La Solita Storia (It's The Same Old Story!)

Answer: both die of consumption

Pulmonary consumption, as tuberculosis was often called, was indeed widespread in nineteenth-century Europe, and tubercular heroines were something of a cliché in Romantic fiction. Verdi's Violetta and Puccini's Mimi are both separated from their lovers but are eventually reunited with them in deathbed scenes. Hackneyed as the plots are, the music of Verdi and Puccini makes it very hard to hold back the tears.

22. Although it is quite hard to determine which is the oldest recording of a soprano singer, chances are you pick the soprano who recorded "La Traviata" in 1904. Whose voice can be recognised on a 1904 gramophone with the aria "Sempre Libera"?

From Quiz The Sopranos

Answer: Nellie Melba

Nellie Melba was the stage name of Helen Porter Mitchell (1861-1931), a famous Australian soprano. She lived in Europe during the 1890s, singing in London and Paris. In 1904, Camille Saint-Saens composed the opera "Hélène" especially for her singing the title character. Melba first tried recording some arias in 1895 on wax cylinders. But the result didn't please her at all. Fortunately, she decided to give it another try when the disc records became more popular than cylinder recordings. And so we have a 1904 disc with Nellie Melba singing "Sempre Libera" from Verdi's opera "La Traviata". Melba also recorded Puccini's "La Bohème" in 1906 and "Tosca" in 1910. Elisabeth Frösslind (1793-1861) was a Swedish soprano. Josepha Hofer (1758-1819) was a German soprano, best known as the first to sing the role of "The Queen of the Night" in Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute". Maria Malibran (1808-1836) was a French mezzo-soprano. All these red herrings died before the disc recording technique was invented.

23. Which young girl dressed up as a wanderer to be killed in the darkness instead of her lover?

From Quiz Hero in Disguise

Answer: Gilda

In G.Verdi's "Rigoletto", Gilda dressed up as a man to knock on the door of a murderer's house at midnight to sacrifice herself instead of her treacherous lover, Duke of Mantua. If she had not done it, the murderer Sparafucile would have killed the Duke following the orders of Gilda's father, Rigoletto, who wanted to avenge his daughter's seduction.

24. Puccini's last opera contains the aria "Nessun Dorma", sung by Luciano Pavarotti in the concert of "The Three Tenors" in 1990. What is the opera's title?

From Quiz Various Vacancies: Ten Terrific Tenors

Answer: Turandot

Pavarotti (1935-2007) began his career in 1961, singing the roles of Rodolfo in "La Bohème" in Reggio Emilia (Italy) and the Duke of Mantua in Verdi's "Rigoletto" in Vienna (Austria). In 1990, Pavarotti teamed up with his friends Placido Domingo and José Carreras for a concert in Rome, preceding the finals of the World Cup Soccer. "Nessun Dorma" was a solo aria by Pavarotti, but the three companions sang it as one of the encores. All operas listed were composed by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924). "La Bohème" (1896) contains the famous tenor aria "Che Gelida Manina", sung by Rodolfo. "Tosca" (1900) is known for the tenor solo "Recondita Armonia", sung by the painter Cavaradossi. "Madama Butterfly" (1904) has a tenor role for Lieutenant Pinkerton, who joins the title character in the love duet "Viene la Sera". And in the opera "Turandot" (1926, completed by Puccini's pupil Franco Alfano) the unknown prince (a tenor) bursts out in act 3: "Nessun Dorma".

25. In 1947 Dame Joan Sutherland made her concert debut as the First Queen of Carthage in which opera by the English baroque composer, Henry Purcell?

From Quiz La Stupenda Performs ...

Answer: Dido & Aeneas

"Dido & Aeneas" was Purcell's first opera, which he wrote in stages during the late 1600s. The story is taken from Book IV of the "Aeneid", written by Virgil, and it recounts the love between Dido, the Queen of Carthage, and the Trojan hero Aeneas, then documenting the queen's decline into despair when the Trojan abandons her. Sutherland was only twenty years old when she performed this in a concert in Sydney, but it was enough to showcase her extraordinary vocal agility.

26. Who was the librettist for Salieri's 'La Scuola de'Gelosi', Mozart's 'Le Nozze di Figaro', and Bianchi's 'Antigona'?

From Quiz Opera Composers and their Librettists

Answer: Lorenzo Da Ponte

Lorenzo Da Ponte (1749-1838) was a Venetian opera librettist and poet. He was a librettist for approx. 28 operas. Salvatore Martirano (1927) is an American composer.

27. In 'Samson and Delilah', Delilah sings a beautiful aria about being in love with Samson. What does it roughly translate to in English?

From Quiz Opera Mixture

Answer: Softly Awakes My Heart

'Softly Awakes My Heart' is sung by Delilah who is singing about her love for Samson. Although it is essentially a solo, Samson interjects with singing 'Delilah! Delilah! I love you!'

28. She changed the concept of opera diva, in her "Daughter of the Regiment" performance at the Met, flaunting her belly button and a 22 inch waist.

From Quiz Opera Divas: part 2

Answer: Lily Pons

In a world of zaftig Brunhildes, she became a new standard for glamour which she maintained throughout her career.

29. It isn't only coloratura sopranos who have "mad scenes"; the great Marilyn Horne went wonderfully mad playing this title character in an opera by Vivaldi, who was also the subject of an opera by Handel.

From Quiz Operatic Madness

Answer: Orlando

Vivaldi's "Orlando Furioso" is based on the epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto, which takes place during the Saracen invasion of France and features the evil sorceress Alcina, also the subject of an opera by Handel. Orlando, the legendary warrior nephew of the emperor Charlemagne, is consumed with love for the lovely Angelica. Angelica, however, falls for a young Saracen named Medoro; when Orlando finds their names engraved on a tree, jealousy drives him completely mad (hence the title "Furioso") and, among other things, he imagines that he is Orestes, the son of Agamemnon (see q.2). Eventually, however, he regains his wits, forgives Angelica and Medoro, and wishes them well. Marilyn Horne's facility at portraying "trouser roles", particularly of a military nature such as this one, has earned her the nickname "General Horne". She found a tailor-made vehicle in this role, which was originally written to be performed by a castrato.

30. One of the most widely known pieces for alto is Dalila's seductive aria "Mon Coeur s'ouvre à ta Voix" from "Samson et Dalila". Who composed this opera?

From Quiz It's All About Opera

Answer: Camille Saint-Saëns

"Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix comme s'ouvrent les fleurs aux baisers de l'aurore..." It is actually a duet, but Dalila sings most of it. If you love opera, you've got to know this. It's brilliant!

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