The Singer from Valhalla - James Morris Quiz

Answer: Bass baritone

The basic vocal ranges are soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto, tenor, baritone and bass. There are other 'labels' which are commonly used for those who don't quite fit the exact definitions of range for the major categories. These include bass baritone (running the bulk of both ranges), basso profundo (lower than bass), and countertenor (a male voice singing in a range higher than tenor).

In Renaissance times young boys with excellent voices were sometimes, well, castrated in order to preserve them from the vicissitudes of puberty. These men were known as castrati, and held a high position in society.

Answer: Baltimore MD

James Peppler Morris grew up in the suburbs of Baltimore, the son of the vice president and general sales manager of the Koontz Creamery. As a young man he didn't plan on becoming an opera star, but preferred rock and roll. However, someone heard him sing and he was soon studying voice under a teacher associated with the Peabody Conservatory.

Answer: University of Maryland

Nicola Moscona was born in Athens in 1907 and made his operatic debut there in 1931. In 1937 he moved to the USA and the Metropolitan Opera, where he sang in 485 performances as well as performing internationally. He began teaching at the Philadelphia Academy of Vocal Arts upon retirement from the operatic stage.

Answer: Metropolitan Opera

Morris was the youngest male singer to be accepted into the Metropolitan Opera. Four years after joining he was singing the title role in Mozart's Don Giovanni.

Rosa Ponselle, born in 1897, started singing in vaudeville but after being heard by the great Enrico Caruso, she was whisked away to the Metropolitan Opera, where she debuted in 1918. She retired from the stage in 1937 after receiving popular acclaim but terrible reviews of her performance. She took on coaching and training singers, including Placido Domingo and Beverly Sills. She died in 1981 at her home in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Answer: Wotan

It's Wotan. The brooding head god of the Anglo-Saxon pantheon of gods seems to have been reincarnated in the person of James Morris.

Wotan was the god whose name is commemorated in the day Wednesday (Wotan's-Day). His Norse counterpart was Odin and he is also associated with Mercury (the god, not the planet or mineral).

Siegfried was the son of Siegmund, with Siegmund being the offspring of Wotan and an unnamed human woman. Fafner was a giant, who later turned into a dragon.

Don't ask me, it was just written that way...

Answer: true

Based on the play by Eugene O'Neill, Edward Thomas (born in 1924) and Joe Masteroff wrote the libretto for the opera, which was first performed in 1978. The opera is about the basic love triangle, with overtones of treachery, murder and adultery. Morris sings the role of Eban Cabot, the young son who conspires to gain title to the family farm, only to find his widowed father has found a new, young wife. Eban and the new wife fall in love and have a child... I'd hate to spoil this for you, so either read the book or listen to the opera for the conclusion of the story!

Answer: 3

On 14 October 2002 Deutsche Grammophon released a recording of the "Ring Cycle". Besides Morris, the production starred Siegfried Jerusalem, Hildegard Behrens, Heinz Zednik and Birgitta Svenden. The label had recorded the Cycle with Morris back in 1987, where he sang with Hildegard Behrens, Siegfried Jerusalem, Jessye Norman, Gary Lakes and Christa Ludwig. On both occasions the Metropolitan Opera was conducted by James Levine.

In 1988 Bernard Haitink with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks recorded the Ring Cycle for EMI, with soloists James Morris, Eva Marton, Siegfried Jerusalem, Cheryl Studer, Reiner Goldberg and Waltraud Meier.

Answer: Wagner

Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig, Germany, on 22 May 1813. His inspiration for "Der Fliegend Hollander" was the journey he and his wife made to England when escaping Russian creditors. His operas were distinguished by his use of the leifmotif, the assignment of a 'tune' to a character or theme. The opera premiered in Dresden in 1843.

Answer: Tosca

Puccini's Tosca was first performed in January 1900 at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome. Essentially, it's a love triangle. Tosca loves Mario, and Scarpia loves Tosca (or at least, he wants to possess her). It's a bit more complicated than that, though, and it ends up with Scarpia dead and Tosca - well, you'll have to see the opera to find out her fate! It's worth it for the beautiful music alone.

Answer: Broadway songs

Morris also has performed Broadway hits in his concerts. He has also taped the songs of Richard Rogers for television programmes.