Operatic History in the Twentieth Century Quiz

Answer: Thomas Mann

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) was one of the most influential classical composers in the United Kingdom during the twentieth century. Britten composed at least twelve operas. His legacy also includes the "War Requiem": a funeral mass in Latin intermingled with poems by Wilfred Owen (1893-1918).
All the authors I've mentioned are successful German novelists.
Günther Grass was born in 1927. His masterpiece is "Die Blechtrommel" ("The Tin Drum"), about a boy who doesn't want to grow up during Nazi time.
Heinrich Böll (1917-1985) obtained world fame with the following novels: "Billiard um halb Zehn" ("Billiards at Half-Past Nine") and "Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum" ("The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum"). In this last novel, the title character had a one night stand with a criminal. She loses her nerve when constantly chased by a newspaper journalist and kills him.
Günther Wallraff (born 1942) acts frequently as an investigate journalist. His best known work is "Ganz Unten" ("Lowest of the Low"), for which he posed several months as an illiterate Turkish labourer. His novel describes how these people are discriminated against on the shopfloor.
It was Thomas Mann (1875-1955) who published "Tod in Venedig" in 1911. (The other novelists I've mentioned weren't born yet). In this novel, Mann describes the life and times of Gustav von Aschenbach, a fictitious character which might be based on the German poet August von Platen (1796-1835) or the Austrian composer Gustav Mahler (1860-1911). However, the novel is not intended as a biography, but as a mythical allegory.

Answer: The Great War

Benatzky (1884-1957) was an Austrian composer who left us over ninety operettas and other compositions for musical theater. His Singspiel "Im Weissen Rössl" ("The White Horse Inn") is still regularly performed all over the world.
At the start of the First World War (August 1st, 1914), most people thought the war wouldn't last for more than a few months. To quote a popular phrase of that time: "It'll all be over for Christmas". Well, it wasn't. The war ended November 11th, 1918, and only after this date one could define this war as a "Four Years' War".
The "War on Terror" is a phrase coined by the American government under George W. Bush. After the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, George W. Bush decided to bomb and invade Afghanistan in search for Al Qaeda, the group which claimed the responsibility. At the same moment, Bush stigmatized some countries as "the axis of evil": Iraq, Iran, and North-Korea.
I have invented the phrase "War for Democracy", which could probably better be used for the Second World War. In the Second World War, the Allied fought some tyrannies, which was not primarily the case during the First World War.
From 1914 until about 1940, almost every one referred to the years 1914-1918 as "The Great War". It was a war with unprecedented impact in many regards: the number of countries participating, the amount of material damage, and (last but not least) the number of casualties - both in the military as in the civilian population. The British tombstones erected for unidentified military casualties mention "A soldier of the Great War - known unto God".

Answer: Mata Hari

Garcia Abril (born in 1933) is a Spanish composer. He created one opera, a musical comedy, ballet music and theatre music.
Margaretha Zelle was born in 1876. She married a Dutch officer stationed in Indonesia, but left him and started performing exotic (and sometimes erotic) dances in Paris. In 1917, the French accused her of espionage for the German army and had her shot.

Answer: Chanel number 5

Schröder (alternate spelling Schroeder) was born in 1910. This German composer died in 1972. He left us at least seven operettas.
L'Air du Temps is a perfume marketed by Nina Ricci (1883-1970) in 1948.
Anais Anais is distributed by Cacharel since 1979. This company was established in 1962
J'Adore was created for the couture company Christian Dior in 1999. Dior himself (1903-1957) didn't witness the creation of this successful make of perfume.
Chanel n° 5 was developed by the French couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel (1883-1971).

Answer: Vladimir Ilyitch Ulyanov

Miroglio (born 1924) is a French composer, specialised in movie scores. However, he completed two operas: "Il faut rêver, dit Lénine" and "Inferno in Gelo" (based upon Dante's "Divina Commedia").
Bronstein (1879-1940) is better known as Leon Trotsky. He supported the October Revolution in 1917 and became People's Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, later People's Commissioner for Defense. Trotsky was exiled in 1929 and finally was murdered in Mexico in 1940 by Ramon Mercader with the aid of an ice pick.
Josip Broz (1892-1980) adopted the pseudonym Josip Tito. He commanded a group of Yugoslavian partisans during the Second World War, and was installed as Prime Minister of Yugoslavia in 1945. In 1954, he was promoted President of Yugoslavia, a function he held until 1963. Tito started his career as member of the communist party, but chose his own way (something between capitalism and communism) in 1948. He was one of the founding fathers of the "Non-Aligned Movement".
Dzhugashvili is the official name of Joseph Stalin (1879-1953). He adopted the alias "Stalin" ("Man of Steel") in 1913. After Lenin's death, Stalin seized power and organised some major purges both in the military and in the civilian hierarchy. As many victims of these purges were executed, you could say Stalin's pseudonym was quite accurate.
Lenin was born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov in 1870. He changed his name in 1901. In March 1917, he ignited the "February Revolution". (Note for those who don't immediately see why I used the word "ignite": Lenin was one of the founders of the communist journal "Iskra", which translates as "The Spark"). After a few months, a new Revolution (the October Revolution) installed the communist regime in Russia, with Lenin as factual head of state. Lenin "invented" the notorious "five year's plans", which aimed at a formidable increase of production. Lenin died in 1924.

Answer: Lizzie Borden

Beeson (born 1921) is an American composer. He created at least nine operas.
Thomas Albert (born 1948) is another American composer.
Countess Erszebeth Bathory (1560-1614) was member of a prominent Hungarian family. Rumours spread that she was involved in abduction, torture and murder on dozens of young women. (Estimates range from about 40 to over 600 victims). In 1610, Erszebeth was arrested and imprisoned. However, as at that time Hungarian aristocrats were immune from prosecution for most crimes, she was never tried and convicted. Some sources state that she was the innocent victim of a conspiracy.
Maria Swanenburg (1839-1915) was a Dutch woman convicted as a serial killer. In 1885, she was arrested for multiple murders and attempted murders. She was convicted of having killed 27 people, while 45 of her victims survived but sustained chronic health problems. Swanenburg's modus operandi was arsenic poisoning.
Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller (1890-1976) is better known under her married name. She married Colonel Archibald Christie in 1914 and continued to use his surname throughout her life. After a divorce in 1928, she remarried Sir Max Mallowan, an archaeologist. By now, you should have concluded Agatha Miller was the maiden name of Agatha Christie - the "Queen of Crime". Her novels and short stories contain a vast number of suspicious deaths, although she herself never committed murder in real life.
Lizzie Borden (1860-1927) and her sister Emma lived with their father and stepmother until 1892. On August 4th of that year, Lizzie found her father and stepmother murdered with blows from a hatchet. Lizzie was accused with these murders. Although she was acquitted, the murderer was never identified and popular culture still holds Lizzie responsible.

Answer: To co-ordinate the mass extermination of the Jews

Van Keulen (born in 1943) is a Dutch clarinettist. According to www.operone.de, he has created one single opera - the one I refer to in this question.
The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour on December 7th, 1941 - a "day that will live on in infamy", to quote President Roosevelt. This was well before the Wannsee Conference.
The "Manhattan Project" (development of the atomic bomb) started in 1942, although various American researchers had already begun preparing for this development. The American army produced three atomic bombs before the end of the Second World War, tested one of them and used the other two on Japanese cities. It is still debated if the use of the atomic bomb on Japanese cities was ethically justified.
The leaders of the three most important Allied countries (the United States, the United Kingdom and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) agreed to the foundation of the "United Nations" at the conference in Yalta (1945, February 4th - 11th). The UN would be a supranational organisation with as main task the peaceful negotiations between countries with conflicting interests. Unlike the League of Nations, the major powers would take up their seats.
The Wannsee Conference was concerned with the implementation of the "Endlösung" ("Final Solution") for what the Nazis called the "Jewish question". The Nazis had used the Jews as a scapegoat for all German problems. Now they decided how to co-ordinate the extermination of all Jews they could find.

Answer: Richard Sorge

Mejtus (1903-1997) was a Russian composer. He left us at least nine operas.
In 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy (1908-1957) started implicating many people with communist sympathies. Two of the victims of McCarthy's campaign were Julius Rosenberg (born in 1918) and his wife Ethel (born in 1915). The Rosenbergs were arrested in 1950 and charged with espionage. They were executed in 1953. However, many people still believe the Rosenbergs were innocent.
Gary Powers (1929-1977) was an American pilot. On a secret reconnaissance mission over the USSR in 1960, his spy plane was shot down. Powers was convicted of espionage and sentenced to three years imprisonment. After serving twenty-one months, he was exchanged for a Russian colonel convicted of espionage. Thanks to player blakey for poinitng out the name of this Russian colonel: it was Colonel Abel.
Quisling (1887-1945) was a Norwegian politician. He collaborated with Nazi Germany and acted as Prime Minister from April 10th, 1940. After World War II, Quisling was convicted of treason and executed.
Sorge (1895-1944) spied for the USSR posing as a journalist. He was initially stationed in Germany (1920-1924), later in China (1930-1933) and finally in Japan (1933-1941). The Japanese arrested him in 1941. Sorge was executed in 1944.

Answer: The bombing of Dresden

Von Bose (born in 1953) is a German composer. He created four operas and some other compositions for musical theatre.
Surely you didn't pick Normandy. Everyone should know that the allied forces invaded Normandy in June 1944, not in February.
Claus Von Stauffenberg (1907-1944) planted a bomb in Hitler's headquarters on July 20th, 1944. The attempt to murder the Fuehrer failed and Stauffenberg was arrested and executed.
The Battle at Kursk was the largest tank battle during the Second World War. About 2,700 German "panzers" confronted about 3,600 Russian tanks. The battle started in July 1943, and resulted in a severe defeat for the Germans. According to some sources, the Germans lost about 900 tanks and perhaps 500,000 soldiers (out of 800,000 troops participating).
As a POW, Vonnegut (born 1922) was confined to the Dresden area in February 1945. Allied air forces dropped incendiary bombs on Dresden's city centre, thus causing the loss of at least 25,000 (mostly civilians). During these bombardments, Vonnegut found refuge in the basement of a slaughterhouse - hence the title of his novel. The debates on the military justification for this bombardment are still going on: several historians conclude the action was necessary ("You can't bake an omelette without breaking eggs"), while several others condemn this bombing as a war crime.

Answer: Nagasaki

Penderecki (born 1933) is a Polish composer and conductor. His "Threnody" created in 1960 made him world famous. Besides this threnody, Penderecki left us also three operas.
Steadman (born 1965) is a British composer. He created the "Hibakusha Songs" in 2005. The title of this composition is derived from the Japanese word for victims of the atomic bombs: the word "Hibakusha" literally means "people afflicted by an explosion", but is only used in relation to the atomic bombs.
The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945. Over 100.000 civilians died as a result (some estimates wager a death toll of 250.000). Three days later, a plane of the American Air Force released another atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. An exact figure of the death toll is not available, but historians agree that this one bomb killed myriads of people. One estimate I've found is at least 40.000 dead bodies.

Answer: Einstein

Glass (born 1937) is an American composer. He achieved world fame with his opera "Einstein on the Beach", the opera to which I refer here. Besides the opera to which I refer here, Glass created another fifteen operas and several pieces for dance theatre.
Albert Einstein was born in 1879 in Ulm (Germany). His general theory of relativity and his specific theory of relativity astonished the scientific world. I won't bother to try and explain one of these theories, for it is not my cup of tea.
In 1933, Einstein had to flee Germany because of the anti-Semitic persecution. He stayed a few months in Belgium on the North Sea shore, before travelling to the United States. There he became professor at Princeton University.

Answer: Malcolm X

Davis (born in 1951) is an American composer and jazz pianist. He completed at least four operas.
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) was a Baptist minister. He advocated black emancipation by non-violent means. Most of you will remember his speech in August 1963: "I have a dream".
Rosa Parks would never have thought she would gain immortal fame. But on December 1st, 1955, she was tired. Refusing to give up her seat in the bus became a historic act of civil disobedience.
Louis Farrakhan (born 1933) joined the Black Muslims in 1955. He organised the "Million Men March" in October 1995.
Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little) was born in 1925. He joined the Black Muslims in 1952.

Answer: Aristoteles Onassis

Daugherty (born 1954) is an American composer specialised in rather short classical compositions. His only opera is "Jackie O".
Ronnie O'Sullivan (born 1975) is an English snooker player. He became World Champion in 2001 and 2004.
John Michael Osbourne ("Ozzy") was born in 1948. He was the lead singer of Black Sabbath and started a solo career in 1979.
There are several famous people named Michael O'Leary. When writing this question, I had in mind the Chief Executive Officer of Ryanair. This Irish citizen was born in 1961. He joined Ryanair in 1987 and was promoted CEO in 1994.
Aristoteles Socrates Homeros Onassis (1906-1975) was a Greek ship-owner. He married Jacqueline Bouvier (1929-1994) in 1968.
Jacqueline Bouvier's first marriage was to John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-1963) in 1953.

Answer: Richard Milhous Nixon

Adams (born in 1947) is an American composer. "Nixon in China", the opera at which I hint in this question, was his first major success.
Eisenhower (1890-1969) started his career in the military. One will certainly remember him as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe in 1944. Eisenhower was elected US President in 1952, and held this function for two terms (1953-1960). At the start of his presidency, relations between the USA and China were severely troubled by the Korean War.
Kennedy (1917-1963) defeated Nixon in the 1960 elections and assumed the Presidency in 1961. He was killed in Dallas on November 22nd, 1963. Regarding foreign policy, the focus of Kennedy's administration was on the relation with the USSR, whilst China was not a major issue. The Cuba crisis (1962) was one of the gravest situations during the cold war.
Lyndon Johnson (1908-1973) succeeded Kennedy and won the 1964 elections. In 1968, he decided not to run for a second term as US President. During Johnson's presidency, the relation between the US and China was overshadowed by the Vietnam War.
Nixon (1913-1994) acted as Vice-President under Eisenhower. He won the presidential election in 1968 and abdicated in 1974 (as a result of the Watergate scandal). He advocated a thaw in the international relations with communist countries. Nixon was the first US President to pay a state visit to both the USSR and the People's Republic of China (both in 1972).

Answer: Achille Lauro

Adams (born in 1947) is an American composer. Up till 2005, he composed at least four operas. Some of his work is closely linked to actuality, for example the musical reflection "On the Transmigration of Souls" (inspired by the tragedy of September 11th, 2001 and first performed on November 19th, 2001).
The Amerigo Vespucci is a sailing vessel that competes yearly in the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race. It is named after the Florentine navigator (1451-1512) who gathered sufficient evidence that the regions discovered by Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) in 1492 were no part of Asia, but belonged to a continent in its own right.
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was an Italian priest and composer. He is especially known for his string concerti "The Four Seasons". As far as I know, there has not been an ocean-going vessel named after this composer. However, there has been a crew "Vivaldi" on the Atlantic Ocean: the Vivaldi Atlantic 4 crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a rowboat.
Andrea Doria (1466-1560) was a Genoese admiral. The ship named after him, encountered some misfortunes. The Italian ocean liner Andrea Doria was launched in 1951. On its maiden trip, it severely listed when hit by a large wave near Nantucket (Canada). The Andrea Doria sank after a collision with the SS Stockholm in 1956.
The Achille Lauro was originally a Dutch passenger liner, named the Willem Ruys. It had its maiden trip in 1947. The cruise firm Star Lauro (nowadays known as MSC Cruises) based in Naples bought this ship in 1964 and renamed it after a former Neapolitan mayor. In 1985, four members of the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) hijacked the ship. When they didn't obtain permission to dock at Tartus (Syria), they killed Leon Klinghoffer (1916-1985), a retired appliance manufacturer.
The Achille Lauro eventually burnt out in 1994 off the coast of Somalia.

Sources for this quiz include "World History" by Carl Grimberg, "7000 Years of World History" edited by Christoph Columbus Verlag AG, "Verschueren Groot Encyclopedisch Woordenboek", "Phaëton's Great Opera Book", "Le Petit Larousse", the Encarta Encyclopaedia on CD-ROM, www.operone.de, and Wikipedia (http:/en.wikipedia.org).