Operatic Medieval History: I Trivia Quiz

Answer: Belisarius

Donizetti (1797-1848) composed over 70 operas. His masterpieces include "Lucia di Lammermoor" and "L'Elisir d'Amore".
Johannes Klimakos (579-649) was Abbot of the Sinaï convent. He had great influence on later Russian monastic life.
Petrus Sabbatius was the real name of Emperor Justinianus I (482-565, Emperor from 527 until his death).
Maxim Stroganov (1550-1623) was a Russian painter of icons.
Belisarius (born in 504) had his greatest triumphs in his early years, between 532 and 539. His last campaign was against the Bulgars in 559.

Answer: Roland

Auguste Mermet (1810-1889) was a French composer, of whom only 2 operas are registered at www.operone.de. The opera composed by Mermet in 1864 is entitled "Roland à Roncevaux" ("Roland at Roncevalles").
Roland's song was quite popular during the Dark Ages. The first version was probably written down about 1150. Its story emphasises on the bravery of the Christian soldiers against the Muslim army. As it was written during the "Reconquista" period, when the Iberian peninsula was reconquered, there was no praise for the Muslim soldiers.

Answer: Charlemagne

Manfredini (1737-1799) was an Italian composer. He left us seven operas, two intermezzi, three cantatas and two masses.
Haroen al-Rasjid (766-809) was an Abbasidian caliph. His nickname "al-Rasjid" means "the righteous".
Egbert (died 839) was king of Wessex. In 802, Northumbria and Mercia recognised him as "King of All England" (at least nominally).
Eric the Red was a Viking adventurer, who discovered Vinland (Canada) in 1002. Charlemagne (768-814) was a Frankish king. Pope Leo III has crowned him Emperor. Later generations have misinterpreted this title and gave Charlemagne the title of "Holy Roman Holy Empire" - but this Empire only evolved long after Charlemagne's death.

Answer: 1033

Albert Grisar (1808-1869) was a Belgian composer who completed 19 operas.
Medieval people were not frightened by the approach of the year 1066 -this year became only famous after the facts. The English will certainly know what I mean.
1013 is not a very plausible year: the number 1013 is just the addition of the "unlucky" number 13 with a round figure. Wikipedia does not mention any shocking news for that year, except for the invasion of England by the Danish king Swein I.
999 could be a plausible date to frighten medieval people: it is one and a half times "the number of the beast" as described in the Book of Revelations. However, this is not the year we're looking for.
The reason why some medieval people were scared of the approach of the year 1033, is that this year would be the one thousandth after Jesus' death. The Book of Revelation mentions a Reign of thousand years before Judgment Day, but gives no indication of the start of this Reign. The Catholic Encyclopaedia (www.newadvent.org/cathen) states that the millenarianism was quite uncommon in the Middle Ages, whereas the "Kroniek van België" ("Belgian Chronicle") explicitly mentions the fear arisen from the year 1033.

Answer: Canossa

Malipiero (1882-1973) was an Italian composer who left us ten operas.
All the places I've mentioned are in the Italian province of Reggio Emilia.
The city Reggio nell'Emilia is the capital of the province and has known a turbulent history. For more details, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggio_Emilia.
Novellara is a small town in which you can visit the summer residences of the Gonzaga family, rulers of Mantua from 1328 till 1708.
Correggio is the birthplace of the Renaissance painter Antonio Allegri (1489-1534), better known as "Il Correggio".
The Investiture Controversy was a conflict between the German Emperor and the Pope as to who had the right to appoint the German bishops. This was a quite important issue, because the German bishops owned quite large pieces of land and also had a say in choosing the German Emperor.
The meeting place for Henry IV and Gregory VII was Canossa, owned by the Tuscan Countess Mathilda. Gregory VII agreed upon this city as a meeting-place, as it was quite safe for an attack by Henry's army. Henry would have waited three days dressed as a penitent before being admitted. Pope Gregory pardoned Henry. Later, in the 19th century, German Protestants used the slogan "Nach Canossa gehen wir nicht!" Though a plain, literal translation - "We shall not go to Canossa" - is easy enough, the sentence is often used to illustrate the frequent difficulty of conveying meaning without a knowledge of the background.
For people not familiar with medieval history, something like "We shall never surrender" conveys much more!

Answer: Lady Godiva

Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945) was an Italian composer best known for his opera "Cavalleria Rusticana" (1890). His total output amounts to about eighteen operas.
"Lady Charlatan" (by Adolf Müller, Junior, 1894), "Lady Fanny" (operetta by Theo Mackeben, 1934) and "Lady Melvil" (an opera by Albert Grisar and Friedrich von Flotow, 1838) are three pieces of theatre music you can find on the vast site of www.operone.de .
Mascagni's opera is not the only one remembering the story of Lady Godiva: Samuel Arnold (1740-1802) named his 1784 pastiche "Peeping Tom of Coventry".
Lady Godiva is a real historic person who lived from 990 to 1067. She was married to Leofric of Mercia (968-1057). Legend tells that Lady Godiva protested against Leofric's taxation by riding naked on horseback across the market place at Coventry. By the way, a famous brand of Belgian chocolates was also named after Lady Godiva. The packaging of these Belgian chocolates is decorated with a silhouette of Lady Godiva's ride.

Answer: Lombards

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) is the most influential Italian opera composer of the 19th Century, and perhaps of all centuries. He is particularly well known for his choral arias. He left us twenty-six operas (not counting any revised versions).
Verdi's opera "I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata" ("The Lombards at the First Crusade") was an instant success. The chorale "Gerusalemme" will certainly sound familiar.
The First Crusade (1096-1099) was the only one to achieve its goal of liberating Jerusalem from the Muslims. During this Crusade, many people did send some Crusaders. The most important sovereigns of Western Europe however (Philip I of France, William II of England and Henry IV of the Holy Roman Empire) did not contribute.

Answer: El Cid

Jules Massenet (1842-1912) was a French composer. Www.operone.de lists 41 operas of his. Classical music amateurs will certainly recognise "Manon" (1884), "Werther" (1891) and "Thais" (1898). By the way, Massenet wasn't the only one to name an opera after El Cid. Other operas bearing the same title (in different languages) were composed by Peter Cornelius (1824-1874), Leonardo Leo (1694-1744), Giovanni Pacini (1796-1867) and Giuseppe Farinelli (1769-1836).
El Cid is the Moorish-Spanish equivalent of "Lord". It was at that time complemented by the word "Campeador" ("champion", with the connotation of having won duels against select adversaries).
Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, better known as El Cid, was born around 1040 and died in 1099. He became world famous for his battles against the Moors. Even during his lifetime, chroniclers wrote poems about him that later formed the basis of his legendary status.

Answer: Aragon

Bochsa (1786 -1856) was a French harpist and composer. He left us over 150 compositions, one of which is the work I've hinted at: "Alphonse de Aragon" ("Alfonso of Aragon").
The first king of Navarre recorded in history was Sancho I, who ascended the throne in 905. He was one of the fervent champions of Christianity against the Moors. It was united with Aragon between 1076 and 1134.
Castile emerged during the 9th Century. Together with Leon, it would grow into one of the leading monarchies in Spain. Around 1100, it was ruled by King Alfonso VI.
Andalusia derives its name from the tribe of the Vandals, who settled there in the 5th century. In 711 the Moors defeated the local resistance. They turned Andalusia into the Caliphate of Cordoba in 756. Around 1100, Andalusia was divided in three separate Moorish monarchies.
Alfonso I of Aragon came to power in 1104. During his thirty-year reign, he conquered some neighbouring territories from the Moors.

Answer: Abelard and Heloise

Henry Litolff (1818-1891) named his opera "Héloise et Abélard". He composed at least 13 operas.
"Tristan and Isolde" is the title of an opera by Richard Wagner (1813-1883), based entirely upon a medieval epic.
Baldwin and Judith refers to Baldwin I "Iron Arm" of Flanders. He was appointed count of Flanders in 862. When he met the daughter of his feudal lord, Charles the Bald, he fell in love with her and eloped with her. Baldwin married Judith without Charles' consent, but with special permission from Pope Nicholas I. After the marriage took place, Charles came finally round and granted Baldwin the city of Ghent.
Stephen of Blois (1096-1154) was King of England from 1135 till his death. He and his wife Matilda of Boulogne (1105-1152) conducted a succession war against his cousin Empress Matilda (1101-1167), daughter of Henry I of England (1068-1135) and Edith (sometimes called Matilda or Maud) of Scotland (1080-1118). Empress Matilda, widow of the Emperor Henry V (1081-1125) won this succession war and placed her son Henry II (1133-1189) on the English throne. Quite confusing, this genealogy filled with Henrys and Matildas.
Pierre Abélard (1079-1142) was a prolific theologian, but will be remembered by most people only for his love affair with Héloïse (1101-1164) and the punishment Héloïse's uncle Fulbert inflicted.

Answer: Vikings

Jean-Claude Gillier (1667-1737) composed over 100 operas. However, almost all are very rarely performed these days. The opera I refer to is "Roger de Sicile".
Roger II of Sicily was born in 1095 and died in 1154. His ancestors belonged to the Norman branch of the Vikings.
The French did control Sicily only for a while. Charles of Anjou became king of Naples and Sicily in 1266 and was expelled in 1282.
Spanish rule of Sicily and Campania lasted a very long time. Peter III of Aragon became King of Sicily in 1282, while the continental territories (Campania and Apulia) remained French. The Spanish stayed in Sicily until the start of the Italian reunification in 1860.

Answer: Thomas Becket

Ildebrando Pizzetti (1880-1968) was an Italian composer. Www.operone.de lists sixteen compositions of his for theater music.
You would by now have guessed the victim of the murder was a certain Thomas. But which one of those four was it?
Thomas a Kempis (1379-1471) was a mystic author, who would have written the "Imitation of Christ". Thomas was fascinated by the mystery of Redemption and by Jesus' love for mankind even during the Passion.
Thomas of Celano (1200-1255) is probably the most obscure of this quartet. He was an Italian Friar Minor and a close friend of Saint Francis of Assisi. Thomas of Celano wrote some books on Saint Francis' life.
Saint Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274) was an Italian Dominican. His masterpiece is the "Summa Theologiae" (This masterpiece has no English title. I would translate it as "Summary of Theology"). He is the patron saint of Catholic education. His feast is celebrated on January 28th.
Saint Thomas Becket was born in 1118. He was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162 at the instigation of King Henry II of England. As Henry tried to meddle with ecclesiastical affairs, the friendship between Thomas and Henry cooled off, up till the point where Thomas had to flee to France. After a few years, they were reconciled - or so it appeared. In 1170, Henry II exclaimed something like "Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest". Soon after, four knights went to Canterbury and killed Thomas in the Cathedral. He is the patron saint of secular clergy and is celebrated on December 29th, the date of his death.

Answer: Legnano

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) is one of the most important Italian opera composers. His operas include "Nabucco" (1842), "Rigoletto" (1851) , "Il Trovatore" (1853), "La Traviata" (1853) and "Aida" (1871) - to mention only the best known.
Magenta is an Italian city in the province of Milan, and was the site of a battle in 1859 between opposing the French and the Austrians. The color magenta was named after this site.
Solferino is another Lombard city, in the province of Mantua. Near this city, the French and Austrian troops battled once again in 1859. Henry Dunant (1828-1910), who witnessed the battle, resolved to found an organization for aiding the wounded - an organization we now know as "The Red Cross".
Gorgonzola is a place in the province of Milan. It has not given its name to any battle, but to a cheese that originated there in 879. (By the way, the year is probably only conjecture).
Legnano is a place in the province of Milan and was the battlefield we're looking for. In 1176, a Lombard coalition defeated the German army of Frederick I Barbarossa (1122-1190). After this defeat, Frederick had to temper his ambition to add Italy as a whole to the Holy Roman Empire.

Answer: Louis VI the Fat

Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) composed at least eight operas, of which the most famous is "Der Freischuetz" (1821).
The main characters in Euryanthe are Adolar, Lysiart and Euryanthe, and further more Eglantine of Puiset, the knight Rudolph, Bertha and finally the person whom we were looking for: King Louis VI the Fat.
All the options I gave were at one time French Kings.
Charles III the Simple (879-959) was King of France from 898 until his death. His kingdom was called West Francia and comprised about the same territory as twenty-first century France. During his reign, the Vikings occupied Normandy.
Robert II the Pious (972-1031) ascended the throne in 996. At that time, France did not include Aquitaine, Normandy or Burgundy.
Louis VI the Fat (1081-1137) became King in 1108. He fought many times against Normandy.
Philip IV the Fair (1268-1314) is perhaps the most famous of these four kings. He succeeded his father Philip III in 1285. He is best known for his conflict with the Knights Templar, and was solemnly cursed by their Grand Master, Jacques de Molay (1244-1314).

Answer: Richard I Lion Heart

Grétry (1741-1813) was a Belgian composer who left us about fifty operas.
The Kings I've mentioned were all kings of England at one time or another.
William II Rufus (1056-1100) succeeded his father William the Conqueror in 1087. He was killed during a hunting expedition, in suspicious circumstances. The official version was that he was killed in a hunting accident, but murder was never ruled out.
Richard I Lion Heart (1157-1199) was King of England from 1189 onwards. The Third Crusade started in 1191 and was attended by the most prominent sovereigns of Western Europe: Richard I of England, Philip II August of France (1165-1223) and the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI (1165-1197).
Edward III (1312-1377) ascended the throne in 1327. He started what later became known as the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) as he claimed the French throne on the grounds that he had inherited it through his grandfather King Philip IV the Fair of France (1268-1314). After all, Philip's daughter Isabella was the mother of the only male descendents of Philip.
Henry IV (1367-1413) ruled England from 1399 until his death. His life inspired a play in two parts by William Shakespeare (1564-1616).

For several questions in this quiz, I've consulted the following sources: "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 Encyclopedia on CD-ROM, www.operone.de, www.karadar.com, www.naxos.com, the Catholic Encyclopedia (www.newadvent.org/cathen) and of course Wikipedia (http:/en.wikipedia.org).