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Quiz about Ive Heard That Song Before
Quiz about Ive Heard That Song Before

I've Heard That Song Before Trivia Quiz


Popular music has always been happy to borrow, adapt or update pieces from the classics. These are just a few examples.

A multiple-choice quiz by StarStruck60. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
StarStruck60
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
311,241
Updated
Jul 23 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Difficult
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
798
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Which song, popularised by Ken Dodd, is based on a Chopin Etude? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. In 1962 "Nut Rocker" by B. Bumble and the Stingers pounded out of our radios. Who wrote the classical theme on which this is based? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. The entire score of the musical "Kismet" is based on whose music? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. "Largo" from Dvorak's symphony "From The New World" is the basis for which Paul Robeson song? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. "Stan' Up And Fight" and "Beat Out Dat Rhythm On A Drum" are songs from an up-dated version of which opera? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Which former arranger for Electric Light Orchestra conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for the "Hooked on Classics" CDs of the 1980s? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Neil Sedaka has written new lyrics for several classical pieces. "Turning Back The Hands Of Time" is set to which Puccini aria? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Which Elvis Presley song is based on the melody of "O Sole Mio"? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Louis Prima's "The Bigger the Figure" is based on "Largo al factotum" from which Rossini opera? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. "A Lover's Concerto" by The Toys is based on which J.S. Bach piece? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Which song, popularised by Ken Dodd, is based on a Chopin Etude?

Answer: So Deep Is The Night

Based on Chopin's Piano Etude in E Major, Opus 10, "Tristesse", "So Deep Is The Night" was recorded by Ken Dodd in 1964.

Ken Dodd is best known as a comedian, but he has made many records in his long career, and "Tears", recorded in 1965, is in the top 20 of the most sold songs in the UK.
2. In 1962 "Nut Rocker" by B. Bumble and the Stingers pounded out of our radios. Who wrote the classical theme on which this is based?

Answer: Tchaikovsky

"Nut Rocker" was based on "March of the Wooden Soldiers" from Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker". Their follow up record was "Apple Knocker" based on "William Tell Overture" by Rossini, but neither this, nor "Dawn Cracker", taken from a Grieg piece, were as popular and 1963 saw their last UK record releases.
3. The entire score of the musical "Kismet" is based on whose music?

Answer: Borodin

"Kismet", written in 1953 includes such wonderful songs as "And This Is My Beloved" and "Stranger in Paradise". All the themes are taken from music by Alexander Borodin, especially "Polotsvian Dances" and "Prince Igor".
4. "Largo" from Dvorak's symphony "From The New World" is the basis for which Paul Robeson song?

Answer: Going Home

In addition to the 1922 Paul Robeson song, this theme has also been used in a British TV advertisement for Hovis bread.

The symphony was composed by Dvorak in 1893 whilst on a visit to the United States. It was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and had its premier at Carnegie Hall in December 1893. It is probably Dvorak's best known and most popular piece.
5. "Stan' Up And Fight" and "Beat Out Dat Rhythm On A Drum" are songs from an up-dated version of which opera?

Answer: Carmen

George Bizet's opera "Carmen" was re-made as "Carmen Jones", first, in 1943, as a musical, and then, in 1954, as a film. The setting was changed to African-American, Oscar Hammerstein ll wrote the lyrics, but, apart from some re-orchestration, Bizet's score was unchanged. The film starred Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge.
6. Which former arranger for Electric Light Orchestra conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for the "Hooked on Classics" CDs of the 1980s?

Answer: Louis Clark

"Hooked on Classics" took short, well known, extracts of classical pieces and played them over a continuous beat, the beat being the means of linking all the pieces together. The first album made Number Ten on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1981/82. Louis Clark produced two more "Hooked On Classics" albums in 1982 and 1983, as well as themed recordings such as "Hooked on Swing" and "Hooked on Baroque".
7. Neil Sedaka has written new lyrics for several classical pieces. "Turning Back The Hands Of Time" is set to which Puccini aria?

Answer: Nessun Dorma

Neil Sedaka is a prolific singer/songwriter. On his "Classically Sedaka" CD he puts new, romantic, words to much loved classical themes by Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Puccini, and others.

"Nessun Dorma" became known to a host of non opera fans thanks to the Football World Cup of 1990, held in Rome. Not only was it the BBC TV theme for the tournament, but this was also the year the first of the famous "Three Tenors" concerts was held.
8. Which Elvis Presley song is based on the melody of "O Sole Mio"?

Answer: It's Now Or Never

"It's Now Or Never" was recorded in 1960 and has sold some 25 million copies worldwide making it Elvis's biggest international hit single. Based on the Italian standard "O Sole Mio", which has been recorded by such greats as Gigli, Caruso, and Pavarotti, it was something of a departure from his earlier recordings, and did prove that Elvis could actually sing.
9. Louis Prima's "The Bigger the Figure" is based on "Largo al factotum" from which Rossini opera?

Answer: The Barber of Seville

Louis Prima started with a New Orleans style jazz band, but was more than happy to move with the times and changing musical tastes, and from jazz went to a swing combo and from there to a 1940s big band. In the 1950s he had a Vegas style lounge act and in the 1960s a pop-rock band. "The Bigger The Figure" was recorded in 1952.
10. "A Lover's Concerto" by The Toys is based on which J.S. Bach piece?

Answer: Minuet in G Major

Recorded in 1965 "A Lover's Concerto" made number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The melody is Based on Bach's "Minuet in G Major" but with a change from 3/4 time to 4/4 time.

In recent years there has been debate as to whether or not "Minuet in G Major" was actually written by Bach or by Christian Petzold. The music was contained in a book of sheet music kept by Bach's wife, Anna Magdalena, and it was thought that all of the music in it was Bach's, however some works, including "Minuet in G Major" are not in Bach's handwriting.
Source: Author StarStruck60

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