This and That...and Engelbert Trivia Quiz

Answer: Baritone

Engelbert took saxophone lessons as a youngster. When he was seventeen, though, he realized that his true instrument was his voice. He is a baritone with a three-and-a-half octave range. He sometimes says he has notes the Bank of England can't cash. It is incorrect to class him as a crooner, since crooners such as Bing Crosby and Perry Como typically have narrower ranges. Engelbert is more properly classed as a balladeer or, as he himself says, a contemporary singer.

Answer: Fishing

Engelbert included "Up, Up and Away," Jimmy Web's song about a romantic balloon ride, on the album "A Man without Love," 1968. He recorded Les Reed and Barry Mason's "Les Bicyclettes de Belsize" on his 1969 album "Engelbert," and released the song as the single from the album. Jimmy Kennedy and Hugh Williams' "Red Sails in the Sunset" appears on his 1985 album "A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening." But, to the best of my knowledge, he has not recorded any songs about fishing.

The genre of fishing songs is a small one. Your humble quiz creator can only think of two such songs: "Gone Fishin'," written by Nick and Charles Kenny and laid down in an iconic 1951 recording by Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong, and "Shrimp Boats Is A'Comin'," written by Paul Mason Howard and Paul Weston and recorded by Jo Stafford with Paul Weston and His Orchestra, also in 1951.

Answer: Emerald

According to Galleries.com, the birthstones for the twelve months are as follows:

January: Garnet and Rose Quartz
February: Amethyst and Onyx
March: Aquamarine and Bloodstone
April: Diamond and Rock Crystal/Quartz
May: Emerald and Chrysoprase
June: Alexandrite, Moonstone and Pearl
July: Ruby and Carnelian
August: Peridot and Sardonyx
September: Sapphire and Lapis
October: Opal and Tourmaline
November: Topaz and Citrine
December: Tanzanite, Zircon and Turquoise

So, Engelbert's birthstone is Emerald, or possibly Chrysoprase. Both these gemstones are green. Perhaps coincidentally, Engelbert's eyes are green.

To summarize the description of Emerald at Gemology Online:
Emerald is a hexagonal crystal, a variety of beryl, beryllium aluminum silicate. It has a density of 2.72, a hardness of 7.5-8.0 and a refractive index of 1.746-1.755. The vibrant green coloring of the stone comes from a trace amount of chromium. Emeralds are found in Colombia, Brazil, India, Pakistan and East Africa.

To summarize the description of Chrysoprase at Gemology Online:
Chrysoprase is a Microcrystalline Quartz (SiO2 [Silicon Dioxide]) colored with nickel. It has a density of 2.65, a hardness of 7.0 and a refractive index of 1.564-1.660. Displaying a vibrant, pastel green color, Chrysoprase is semi-transparent to translucent. It occurs in Nickel rich clay and is now chiefly mined in Australia.

Answer: Berkeley Square

"A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square was written in 1939 by Eric Maschwitz and Manning Sherwin. Engelbert included it on his 2007 album "The Winding Road". Note that here Berkeley is pronounced "Barkley" and is spelled that way on American recordings.

In London's West End, Berkeley Square was built as a residential square between 1738 and 1745. A few of the original houses remain and the Plane trees are among the oldest in London, having been planted in 1789. Lansdowne House, on the south side of the square, was designed by the renowned architect Robert Adam ca. 1762 and the statue cum fountain, a lovely Carrara marble nymph, was created in 1858 by Pre-Raphaelite sculptor Alexander Munro.

Though still a desirable address, today the square is mostly commercial, if very swanky. Jack Barclay, the world's oldest and largest Bentley dealership, is located here, as are Rolls-Royce London and Benares, a highly regarded Indian restaurant, to name but three establishments that call the square home. Other distinguished institutional residents include Morton's Club at 28 Berkeley Square and the Lansdowne Club occupying Lansdowne House.

La Place de la Concorde is the largest and perhaps best Known Square in Paris. A statue of King Louis XV was erected on this site in 1763, the square itself being created in 1772. In 1792 the statue was replace with one called Liberté (Liberty) and the square renamed La Place de la Révolution. The Guillotine (about which the less said the better!) was located here. The square underwent many name changes between the end of the Revolution and 1830 before the current name was finally settled upon. In 1836 the 3200 year-old, 75 ft, 230 ton pink granite obelisk from the temple of Ramses II at Thebes was installed at the center of the Place de la Concorde. Inaccurately known as Cleopatra's Needle, the obelisk is almost as recognizable as the Eiffel Tower. Several landmarks can be seen from la Place de la Concorde: looking west, l'Arc de Triomphe; north, the Madeleine; east, the Tuileries; and south, across the Seine, the Palais Bourbon, which is now the Assemblée Nationale.

Opened in 1843, Tivoli Gardens is the second oldest amusement park in the world, after Dyrehavsbakken in nearby Klampenborg. Including roller coasters, carousels, boat rides, a pantomime theater, a concert hall, Friday Rock concerts during the summer and even an aquarium, to name but a few of the many attractions, Tivoli Gardens is a delightful destination for all ages.

In the heart of Manhattan, New York's Central Park was opened in 1857, later expanding from its initial 778 acres to the present 843 acres. An address on Central Park is highly prized, while the park itself is a beloved oasis of peace amid Manhattan's legendary rush and bustle. It has also long been a popular venue for theatrical and musical performances - Simon & Garfunkel's September, 1981 concert, before an audience in excess of 500,000 and broadcast live around the world doubtlessly being the most famous. The Strawberry Fields memorial to John Lennon is located between 71st and 74th Streets in Central Park West, near Lennon's home, the Dakota apartment building.

Answer: German

The English lyrics are by Barry Mason, with whom Engelbert has had a long and fruitful working relationship.

Out of the languages listed, only German (which is related to English and the Scandinavian languages) comes from central Europe. While Welsh and Spanish are European languages, Welsh is spoken in Wales, part of the United Kingdom. It is one of the Celtic languages, which belong to the British Isles (and Ireland) and Brittany in northwestern France, while Spanish, a Romance language (descended from Latin) originates from Spain in southern Europe. Arabic is not a European but a Semitic language native to Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

Answer: The Pink Palace

In 1957, Actress Jayne Mansfield bought 10010 Sunset Blvd. Beverly Hills, California. The house, built in 1929, had been designed by architect GC McAllister. Before Miss Mansfield, its most famous owner was singer and heartthrob Rudy Vallée, who bought it in 1932. She painted the three story, Mediterranean-style mansion pink and decorated it entirely in pink as well, including a pink, heart-shaped swimming pool.

After her death in 1967, the house changed hands several times till Engelbert bought it in 1976. He and his family lived there until ever rising costs of upkeep forced him to sell it in 2002, but only with the proviso that the house, which he loved, would be conserved. The buyer reneged on that promise and, to Engelbert's distress, demolished the Pink Palace in November of 2002.

Answer: Bring Kent lumped cheer

"Bring scented plum reek" has an extra S and is missing an H. "Ken crumbled the grin" is missing both a P and an E. "Nel Perry checked bumping" also has an extra P and C.

Thanks to player daBomb619 for help with this question.

Answer: Richard III

Edward III (reigned 1327 to 1377) was succeeded by his grandson, Richard II (reigned 1377 to 1399), the child of his eldest son Edward, the Black Prince.

Edward IV (reigned March 4, 1461 to October 3, 1470, and April 11, 1471 until his death on April 9, 1483) was known as the Sun King. His reign was interrupted by the brief reinstatement of Henry VI. He was succeeded by his brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who ruled, first as regent and then as king until his defeat by Owen Tudor at Bosworth Field on August 22, 1485.

Richard's devoted admirers all over the world, known as Ricardians, strive to counter the image of him as a hunchbacked monster popularized by Shakespeare. The discovery of the king's remains bolsters such efforts. The skeleton shows scoliosis (curvature of the spine) perhaps sufficient to make one shoulder somewhat higher than the other but by no means severe enough to make him a cripple or hunchback. The historical record also shows that Richard was a just ruler and a faithful Catholic, not the amoral opportunist of Shakespeare's portrayal.

We must remember that, for all his immortal genius, the Bard worked for the Tudors. Thus for all their considerable literary merit his historical plays, especially "The Tragedy of King Richard III," are part of a public relations campaign by winners of the Wars of the Roses whose claim to the English throne was less than ironclad. No doubt the Tudors' smear campaign against Richard would have been less effective if their chief PR man hadn't been the greatest poet and playwright in the English language.

Even in death Richard has stirred controversy, with a vocal minority insisting he ought to have been re-interred in York. Speaking to Radio Leicester's Tony Wadsorth in 2013, Engelbert expressed the popular view that the king should remain in Leicester. It was eventually decided that Leicester Cathedral would be his final resting place. A stark yet beautiful tomb was constructed in front of the altar and, on March 26, 2015 the last Plantagenet to rule England and the last English king to lead his troops and to fall in battle was laid to rest in state and honor.

Answer: David Suchet

Accomplished English actor and producer David Suchet was born in London in 1946. Recipient of several awards, he is best loved for his portrayal of Agatha Christie's idiosyncratic detective Hercule Poirot, whom he played from 1989 to 2014.

Vernon Castle (1887 to 1918) was an English-American dancer. With his wife Irene, he popularized ballroom dancing.

Henry Hall (1898 to 1989) was a musician and radio personality. For many years he led the BBC Dance Band. His 1934 recording of "Teddy Bears' Picnic" was used by sound engineers at the BBC for more than thirty years to calibrate their equipment because of its unusually fine quality and tonal range.

Though Lesley Gore (1946 to 2015) continued to write and perform until her untimely death from lung cancer, she is best known for her Pop hits in the 1960s, which included "It's My Party," "You Don't Own Me" and "Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows." She was active in the field of Civil Rights, especially Gay Rights and Marriage Equality. Sadly, she died only weeks before the U.S. Supreme Court handed down it's landmark decision legalizing same sex marriage.

Answer: Nicholas and Alexandra

Richard Rodney Bennett and Paul Francis Webster wrote "Too Beautiful to Last". Engelbert included it on his 1972 album "In Time." The incorrect choices are all selections from the film's soundtrack.

"Nicholas and Alexandra" was based on the 1967 book by the Pulitzer Prizewinning American historian Robert K. Massie.