Lock, Stock, and Carol Trivia Quiz

Answer: Heaven, Nature

"Joy To The World" is based on Psalm 98 of the Bible and was written by Isaac Watts in 1719. Lowell Mason then composed the accompanying music, perhaps based on Handel's "Messiah".

Isaac Watts is also known for writing many other hymns, as well as works on theology and logic - his book "Logic" was used in several well established universities such as Oxford and Cambridge for over 100 years. He was born in 1674 in England, and died in 1748.

As Isaac Watts wrote many hymns, Lowell Mason composed many tracks. He was born in 1792 in Massachusetts, USA, and died in 1872. As well as composing music, he also introduced it into American public schools, and is known as one of the first music educators.

Answer: Wizzard

"Well I wish it could be Christmas everyday.
When the kids start singing and the band begins to play.
Oh I wish it could be Christmas everyday.
Let the bells ring out for Christmas."

"I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" was released in 1973 by Wizzard, formed in Birmingham by Roy Wood - who also co-founded Electric Light Orchestra. The band was active from 1972-5 and "See My Baby Jive", their second single, was their most successful.

Answer: The Lady of the Lake

"The Lady of the Lake", published in 1810, is comprised of 6 cantos - divisions - which contain hunt, mystery, sacrifice, and battle. "Ave Maria" is sung in the third canto entitled "The Gathering", where Roderick Dhu overheard Ellen Douglas (The 'lady of the lake') singing "Ave Maria" before he went to battle. He was the leader of Clan Alpine, and wished to wed Ellen to form an allegiance with Clan Douglas thereby supporting his rebellion against King James (which fails). The poem is fictional, and only the title alludes to Arthurian legend.

Note that "Ellens dritter Gesang" translates from German to "Ellens Third Song", and the song itself is a prayer. It has notably been used in Disney's "Fantasia" (1940).

Answer: Diamonds and rubies

The relevant lyric sections are:

"Santa baby, a 54 convertible too,
Light blue."
"Santa honey, there's one thing I really do need,
The deed
To a platinum mine"
"Santa baby, forgot to mention one little thing,
A ring.
I don't mean on the phone"

Eartha Kitt released "Santa Baby" in 1953. The song, as suggested by the lyrics, is a jocular Christmas list of extravagant things. It's been covered by many artists, such as Kylie Minogue, Taylor Swift and Madonna. She was born in the amusingly named small town of North in South Carolina in 1927, and was fluent in several languages, notably French which influenced several of her songs.

Answer: yes

Wenceslaus I was the duke of Bohemia from 921 to 935 - when he was murdered by associates of his brother, Boleslav, after an argument between the brothers. Bohemia is considered to be the western part of Czech Republic in 2011, although it has referred to the whole Czech Republic in the past.
Wenceslaus was sainted for his 'piety' and 'princely vigor', and was generous, giving alms to the poor and afflicted. He was not actually a 'king', but was considered one posthumously by Roman Emperor Otto I, which is why the carol is called "Good King Wenceslas".

John Mason Neale published the carol in 1853, and also has other Christmas works to his name, such as "Good Christian Men, Rejoice" and translation for "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel". He had been persecuted by Anglicans on suspicion of Roman Catholic following his founding of the "Society of Saint Margaret", dedicated to nursing the sick. Fortunately, this persecution stopped after people saw the goodness in him.

Answer: Vietnam War

As the lyrics indicate:
"A very Merry Xmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
War is over, if you want it
War is over now"

The Vietnam War lasted from 1955 to 1975. North Vietnam (and communist allies) and South Vietnam (and non communist allies) fought a bloody war, however, the north and south areas were merged after the war ended. Other than the song, John Lennon and Yoko Ono also peacefully protested the Vietnam war, and used their 1969 marriage to help promote peace. They have also sung other peace related songs, such as "Give Peace A Chance" and "Imagine".

Answer: Joseph Mohr

The melody was composed by Franz Xaver Gruber, who worked with Joseph Mohr in the town of Obendorf dei Salzburg (near Salzburg). There are some romantic tales about how the concept for the song originally came to life - one popular theory is that the church organ broke near Christmas and wouldn't be repaired in time, and so Gruber and Mohr worked on a song playable with guitar accompaniment.

The English translation we generally sing today was written by John Freeman Young in 1859. The song has remained well known, and has been covered by many modern artists as well as likely being one of the carols sung in the 1914 Christmas ceasefire in the First World War, due to its global popularity.

Answer: I'll give it to someone special

Despite the relatively upbeat arrangement, the lyrics for the song are somewhat sombre, depicting someone who had their heart broken on Christmas. Technically, the song is not really about Christmas, but about the heartbreak which happened to occur on Christmas, although many would consider it a Christmas song.

Wham! were formed in 1981 by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, and split in 1986. They were a British pop band and were particularly popular with the teenage audience. Their most well known single was probably "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" (1984), topping many countries' charts and secured their first UK number 1 hit. "Last Christmas" has also been covered by artists such as Ashley Tisdale, Cascada, and Arctic Monkeys, although there are many, many more.

Answer: With Wondering Awe

"We Three Kings of Orient Are" is about the wise men's journey and the gifts they bring to their new King (ie Jesus). "The First Noel" is similar in concept, but throws in the word 'Noel' several times. "What Child Is This?" begins with some rhetoric asking who the child on Mary's lap is (amongst other things) and then answers its own questions. It is another song of praise for the 'new King', although this one doesn't directly mention the wise men, just their gifts.

"With Wondering Awe" is another song depicting the birth of Jesus, and the growth of the world following, but the wise mens' gifts aren't mentioned within its lyrics.

For those curious about what frankincense and myrrh actually are; they are both derived from tree sap. Frankincense is extracted from the Boswellia genus of trees, which grows in the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa and India. Myrrh is from the Commiphora genus of trees, and comes from Northeast Africa and the closer areas of the Arabian Peninsula.
The trees' bark is slashed in order to coerce the sap to the surface, which is collected later after it solidifies.

Historically, both were used thousands of years ago. For example, Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt was recorded to have a mural of sacks of frankincense on the walls of her temple, back in 15th century BC. They were used for rituals, their fragrances, and medicinal purposes. Myrrh was also one of the ingredients involved in embalming mummies, and Frankincense was (and is) used in cosmetics. Both were traded regularly in the Middle East, notably around the time Jesus was said to be born, so it is not surprising they were both considered as gifts for him.

Answer: Mariah Carey

In somewhat of a direct contrast to Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby", Mariah doesn't want all the flashy materialistic objects (well, in the lyrics, anyway...) but her lover. Mariah Carey, born in 1970, is an American pop singer who incorporates R&B into some of her songs. She has been described as a 'diva' (as all of the given options have, to some extent) largely due to her success and large vocal range. Similarly to Whitney Houston, she often uses vocal theatrics within songs to showcase her talents.

Whilst her singing career was generally successful, her film "Glitter" (2001) which features her as a main character, was largely panned, and this caused her to be dropped from Virgin Records.

She obtained a new contract with Island Records, but her father dying and her next album "Charmbracelet" receiving critical reviews were further downers. However, in 2005, she returned to prominence with her album "The Emancipation of Mimi", which goes to show that you win some and you lose some.