A Melodious European Tour Trivia Quiz

Answer: Greece

Manos Hadjidakis was born in 1925 in the city of Xanthi, in Greece. His career as a composer began in the mid-1940s, coinciding with the liberation of Greece from Nazi occupation. One of the most eminent composers of the 20th century, he acquired international fame and recognition, winning an Academy Award for his song "Never on Sunday" (the original Greek title was "The Children of Piraeus").

He died in 1994 in the Greek capital of Athens.

Answer: Greece

Vangelis Papathanasiou is most often known with his first name only. He was born in 1943 in the Greek town of Agria, in Thessaly. He is mostly associated with electronic and ambient music, including the universally acclaimed soundtrack of the film "Chariots of Fire".

Some other important compositions by him include the albums "Themes" and "Voices", released in 1989 and 1995, respectively, as well as "Mythodea", originally composed in 1993 but augmented and ultimately released in record in 2001, with the subtitle "Music for the NASA Mission: 2001 Mars Odyssey".

Answer: Greece

The Olympians were a band active mostly in the 1960s. Mostly associated with the talented Paschalis Arvanitidis, they were inspired by the worldwide popularity of rock music (chiefly by The Beatles and The Yardbirds) and combined the messages of classic rock with a distinctively Greek character, making them very popular in the country.

Answer: Germany

Ludwig Van Beethoven was born in Bonn in 1770. One of the most high-regarded composers of classical music, his works include Symphony No 3 ("Eroica"), "The Consecration of the House", which is a 1822 overture and the opera "Fidelio". Beethoven's musical genius becomes even more astounding when one considers that, from a point in time, he had completely lost his hearing.

Answer: Germany

Milli Vanilli have acquired a notoriety that has much eclipsed their original fame. Although initially they were known for albums like "All or Nothing" and "Girl, You Know It's True", the uproar caused by the revelation that their songs were lip-synched reversed their fame into infamy. One of the two founding members, Rob Pilatus, was dead before the end of the 20th century, while the second founding member, Fab Morvan, embarked on a solo career afterwards.

Answer: Germany

Helene Fischer is known as the queen of Schlager music, a genre widely popular in both Germany and Eastern Europe. One of the most famous songs by Fischer is "Atemlos durch die Nacht", meaning "Without Breath Throughout the Night", which was released in 2013.

Answer: Ukraine

The composer of "Shchedryk", known in English as "Carol of the Bells", was born in 1877 in the village of Monastyrok, near the city of Vinnytsia, in the part of Ukraine occupied by the Romanov Empire. Alongside Mykola Lysenko, Leontovych strove for a kind of music that would reflect the character and traditions of the Ukrainian people. Ultimately, the composer's love for his motherland cost him his life, as he was assassinated by a Soviet NKVD agent in 1921.

Answer: Ukraine

Ruslana Lyzhychko, known mostly with her first name, was born in 1973, in the city of Lviv, in Ukraine, then still part of the USSR. Most famous for her "Wild Dances", which earned Ukraine a Eurovision first place in 2004, she has also made other successful songs, like "Svitanok" (meaning "Sunrise") and "This is Euphoria", released in 1998 and 2013 respectively.

Answer: Ukraine

The band Zhadan i Sobaky (meaning "Zhadan and the Dogs"), is fronted by the talented Ukrainian author Serhiy Zhadan. Formed in the dawn of the 21st century, the band has produced albums like "Fight for Her" (original title "Viysya za neiy"), with the "her" in the title denoting both the beloved and the homeland, and "Radiopromin" (meaning "Radio Beam") in 2023.

Answer: United Kingdom

The composer of "The Planets" needs no further introduction. Gustav Holst was born in 1874 and began composing for a relatively early age. Alongside "The Planets", he has also created "The Hymn of Jesus", a 1917 composition based on an apocryphal Gnostic text and "Fugal Concerto" in 1923. He died in 1934.

Answer: United Kingdom

One of the most well-known British artists of the early 21st century, Ed Sheeran was born in 1991. His albums are distinguished for their extremely short titles, like "+", released in 2011, "x", released in 2014 and "=" , released in 2021. An exception to the rule has been the 2023 album "Autumn Variations", featuring songs like "American Town" and "That's on Me".

Answer: United Kingdom

The Beatles, also known as the Fab Four, were a British rock band formed in the 1960s. The most well-known classic rock band of all time, the spearhead of the "British Invasion" in music, the band that inspired all the revolutionary movements of the 1960s, The Beatles have remained immensely popular for decades after their relatively brief, yet phenomenal, career. Three of their best albums include "A Hard Day's Night", released in 1964, "Magical Mystery Tour", released in 1967 and "Yellow Submarine", released in 1969.