"G" Whiz, it's the G Quiz!

Answer: Don Carlo Gesualdo

Don Carlo Gesualdo was also known as Gesualdo da Venosa. He was of Venosa and Count of Conza, probably born in 1566. He was a master of the lute and also played harpsichord and guitar. While he wrote madrigals, music both sacred and profane, his place in history was sealed when he discovered his wife and her lover in, shall we say, a compromising position, and he proceeded to very brutally murder both of them. He then also murdered his son and possibly also his father-in-law. As a nobleman he could not be prosecuted. He died in 1613.

Francesco Geminiani was born in December 1687 in Lucca, Italy. He studied violin under such luminaries as A. Scarlatti and Corelli, and later authored the (apparently) definitive book on Baroque violin technique, "Art of Playing the Violin" (pub. London 1751). He is also known for his Concerti Grossi. He died in 1762. If he was famed for something other than his compositions and his instrumental skill, it remains unknown to me!

Johann Gottlieb Goldberg was born in Danzig in 1727. His instruments were the harpsichord and organ. He studied under both JS and WF Bach. His compositions include cantatas, sonatas, concertos, polonaises and chorale preludes. But probably his greatest claim to fame is that he is the Goldberg after whom Bach's "Goldberg Variations" were named - he was the harpsichordist who was talented enough to play them for Count Keyserlingk, who wanted something to help him overcome his insomnia!

Orlando Gibbons was born sometime in 1583 in Oxford, England. As a youth he sang in the choir of Kings College, Cambridge, then took his degree in music and became organist for the Chapel Royal and Westminster Abbey. He also wrote works for voice and keyboard, including anthems, madrigals and fantasias. He died in 1625 of apoplexy, while in Canterbury, and a monument was erected to him in Canterbury Cathedral.

Answer: Gumshoe

Sue Grafton didn't let us down. Kinsey is trying to solve a mystery without becoming a murder victim in the process. Does she succeed? Well, yes, there is an "H" book, so clearly the contract out on her wasn't successful, but I'm not telling what happened to the old lady... You'll just have to read it yourself!

Answer: Gentle Giant

Gentle Giant was formed by the Shulman brothers (Derek, Ray and Phil), Gary Green, Kerry Minnear and Martin Smith. Malcolm Mortimore, and then John Weathers, replaced Smith on drums; otherwise the personnel remained stable throughout the band's 10-year history. They incorporated medieval instrumentation and their songs sometimes recall medieval times (I highly recommend "Raconteur Troubadour" off their "Octopus" album of 1972.) Members of the band played 30 instruments between themselves, including the Shulberry, a sort of electric cross between a flat lute and a badly shrunken guitar, invented for the brothers Shulman by the band members.

In the beginning there was Genesis, and in their beginning (1967) they were Peter Gabriel, Anthony Phillips, Mike Rutherford and Chris Stewart. Phil Collins joined in 1970. Peter Gabriel left the band in 1975.

Gryphon was formed by Richard Harvey and Brian Gulland, with Graeme Taylor and David Oberle. Their music incorporated folk, Renaissance and medieval influences, and included instruments not normally found in a band at that time.

Gobbledygook is defined as "language characterized by circumlocution and jargon, usually hard to understand" (www.dictionary.com). If there is a band by that name, sorry, I've never heard of you. It just seemed like a good name to fill in that fourth blank line!

Answer: Gadolinium

Gadolinium, atomic number 64, is used to make the garnets used in microwaves, colour television tubes, compact discs and computer memory chips. It is also found in the IV fluid used during MRIs, in X-ray film (as far as I can tell from the technical descriptions!), in iron and chromium and in nuclear reactors. One would think it would be a household word by now!

Germanium, atomic number 32, is similar to tin and is used primarily in semiconductors and transistors, spectroscopes, wide-angle camera lenses and microscopes. Germanium transistors were used to produce the "fuzz" effects in early rock and roll records. It may turn out to have future use in oncology, as it may have chemotherapeutic properties.

Gallium will melt in your hand, unlike your average M&Ms. It is most often found in LEDs,used as a semiconductor, and is found in solder. It was used as a stabilising agent in the first atomic bomb.

Geranium is a flower, not a metal. The many varieties and colours add charm to many a garden.

Answer: Chateau Gaillard

Chateau Gaillard cost approximately 8000 pounds to build in Normandy, France. Richard died before it was finished, and his brother King John took over, with two changes to the plan: an extra window and an extra toilet (a hole with a chute, in those days) in the chapel. The latter proved to be the downfall of the castle - the only way the French King's men could find to sneak into the castle and ambush the guards was to climb up the chute. (I hope they received hazardous duty pay!) The design of the bailey wall enabled good defense without towers, and the keep was cylindrical rather than the more common square of those days.

Guadamur is found in Toledo Province in Spain and was built in the latter fifteenth century by Don Pedro Lopez de Ayala. According to www.castles.org it "is distinctive for its elegant stepped profile. Four progressively elevated elements create this happy result: a low outer barrier, the main body with its towers, a second body with projecting turrets, and the principal tower (on one corner) with its typical turrets projecting on decorated arches similar to the Alcazar de Segovia." It appears to have been enlarged at one point, but due to spacial constraints the expansion was upward.

Glamis Castle in Scotland (remember, at this time Scotland was not part of a British union) is particularly famous for having been the childhood home of our late, beloved Queen Mum, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyons. It may have been the castle of Macbeth and the site of the murder of Duncan, but as the current building seems to date from the 1400s one must treat that part of its alleged history with a large grain of salt. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful place to visit.

Di Gorizia is a 14th century castle in a town on the border of Italy and Slovenia. Once again, I will let www.castles.org tell the story (far better than I could): "The name Gorizia derives from a topographical feature of the place (in Slovene "gorica" names "small mountain"). The name therefore refers to the castle hill on which a prehistoric Castelliere was built and where later a Roman lookout tower was added. The earliest traces of the existence of this terraced settlement surrounding the castle date from the 10th century..." And I am informed it has oubliettes and dungeons, and lots of windows overlooking the countryside.

Answer: Gresi

Gresi, also called Glesi, Gresik or Klesi, is found (according to http://www.ethnologue.com, my source for all unusual language information) "West of Lake Sentani, southeast of Genyem, in villages of Hawa, Bring, Tabangkwari, Yansu, Ibub, Sunna, Klaysu". As the number of speakers noted was estimated in 1987, the language may now be near extinction.

Galambu is a language of Nigeria, spoken within an ethnic group of less than 22000 people - and most of those in the group do not speak it.

Gilyak is spoken by about 1000 people in Russia. It is a language which is spoken largely by older people in their homes, and as such is very likely to face extinction in the near future.

Gayo is a language found in Sumatra in Indonesia, spoken by about 180000 people.

Answer: Gerome

Jean-Leon Gerome was born in France in 1824 and lived to 1907. He was both painter and sculptor, and no doubt the latter contributed to the "believability" of his two Pygmalion paintings. If you have not seen the one in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I highly recommend finding a picture of it. One can spend a great deal of time discovering different things "happening" in the painting, and matching the symbolism to the Pygmalion story.

Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson was a painter of the Romantic school. He was born in France in 1767 and died in 1824.

Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriel was a Dutch painter, born in Amsterdam in 1828. He died in 1903.

Francois Gerard was a French painter born in Rome in 1770 (his mother was Italian). He is most noted for his portraits, which are exquisite. He died in 1837.

Answer: Grossularite

Grossularite, also known as Grossular, comes in a range of colours from clear to red, green, gray and black. It is used as a gemstone and as an abrasive.

Gadolinite is usually green or black, composed of yttrium and beryllium. It is found in Scandinavia, Russia, China, the US, Austria and Switzerland.

Goshenite is a variety of beryl, and is colourless. It is used primarily as a gemstone and as a source of beryllium.

Gyrolite is hydrated calcium silicate hydroxide. It can be clear, white, green or brown. It is found in California, India and Northern Ireland.

Answer: Gordon Setter

To quote the American Kennel Club, "The Gordon hails from Scotland, and his ancient lineage traces back to the early 17th century. Popular among hunters of Scotland, the black-and-tan Setter came into prominence in the kennels of the fourth Duke of Gordon in the early 19th century.... Notable for their beauty as well as their bird sense, Gordons were imported to America by George Blunt in 1842....
As field-trials became more popular, the Gordon's popularity waned in favor of Pointers and other flashy, fast breeds, but the breed remained unparalleled as a one-man shooting dog."

Another good bird dog, the German Shorthaired Pointer has a liver and white coat. The AKC says "The origin of the German Shorthaired Pointer, as with most breeds, is not clear, but the source of basic foundation stock seems to have been the German Bird Dog, related to the old Spanish Pointer, and various crossings with local German scent hounds and track and trail dogs (Schweisshunde). When the Germans finally introduced the fine English Pointers to lend elegance to the German Shorthaired Pointer prototype, the result was a magnificent utility dog that combined sporting virtue with clean lines, good looks, sound temperament and longevity."

The Glen of Imaal is a terrier so wouldn't be particularly interested in hunting birds. A smaller dog than the others, it originated in Ireland, where English soldiers, having dealt with more of the "troubles" in the late 1500s, let their dogs interbreed with the local curs, and eventually this little fellow, looking a bit like a white Cairn, became a recognised breed.

The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog is a big fellow, tricoloured with a dense short coat. He is likely descended from Roman Mastiffs, and was one of the breeds used to develop the Rottweiler and the St Bernard. He's mostly a herding dog, not a hunter.

Answer: Gentle Ben

My initial feeling is that there is nothing "gentle" about Ben at all - one or two, and I'd not-very-gently hit the floor...

The Gila Monster is even worse: 1/2 oz each vodka, gin, rum, triple sec and Midori melon liqueur, plus 2 oz sour mix, topped off with orange juice. One of those and I'd be seeing Gila Monsters... climbing up the walls...

The Gladiator sounds a bit more like my type of drink. Mix 2 oz each 7-Up and orange juice; in a separate glass mix 1/2 oz each Amaretto and Southern Comfort, then drop this into the glass with the 7-Up.

The Gorilla is easiest of all to make - just mix 1 shot each of 151-proof rum and Jagermeister.

Hope you enjoyed the quiz - if so, please rate it. If not, please let me know why and I'll try to make it better!