Arts & Books Mixed Bag 9 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Horatio

If you answered 'well', you are not alone in thinking that this is the correct quotation. The quote comes from Act 5 of 'Hamlet', when the gravedigger exhumes the skull of Yorick, the former court jester. Hamlet's monologue on the effects of death begins:

"Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio;
a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy;
he hath borne me on his back a thousand times;
and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is!..."

Answer: The Gondoliers

'The Gondoliers', which premiered in 1889, was the twelfth operetta produced by the pairing of Sir William Schwenck Gilbert and Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan. It was also their last successful production as a partnership. (Their last two collaborations, 'Utopia Unlimited' and 'The Grand Duke' were both critical and commercial failures.) It was the first of their works to be honored with a command performance for Queen Victoria and the royal family -- this took place at Windsor Castle in 1891. The setting for this operetta is divided between Venice and a kingdom ruled by a pair of gondoliers named Giuseppe and Marco Palmieri. Don Alhambra Del Bolero is the 'Grand Inquisitor'.

Other main characters include the Duke and Duchess of Plaza-Toro, the Duke's attendant, Luis, and numerous contadina including Tessa and Gianettta.

Answer: Nicolaus Copernicus

Nicholaus Copernicus was born in Poland in 1473. In his book, "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium" ('On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres') he laid out the scientific theory of heliocentrism (ie. that the planets revolved around the Sun). He thus became the first astronomer to take the small but vital step of removing the Earth from the centre of the Universe. Now known as 'The Copernicus Revolution', this was effectively the beginning of the science of astronomy as we know it today. Copernicus completed his work on this book only shortly before his death at the age of 70.

Indeed, by the time the first copies were printed, he was already in a stroke-induced coma. Legend holds that the first copy was placed in his hands the day he died.

Answer: Pilgrim's Progress

John Bunyan was born near Bedford in 1628. His Christian allegory, first published in 1678, is widely regarded as one of English literature's most significant works. Its full title is "The Pilgrim's Progress from this World to that Which is to Come."
Strangely, most of it was written while Bunyan was imprisoned. His offense? Holding illegal religious services -- in those days, religion was only allowed if organized and sanctioned by the established Church of England. Can't allow the peasants to give their collection money to any Tom, Dick or John, I guess.

Answer: Victor Hugo

Born in Besancon, France in 1802, novelist, dramatist, poet and statesman Victor-Marie Hugo is best remembered for 'Les Misérables' and 'Notre-Dame de Paris' (known as 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' in English).
Houses where he lived in Paris, Luxembourg and Guernsey have all been preserved as museums. His funeral procession was not the first great show of public respect from the people of Paris -- it took marchers in a parade organized to celebrate his 79th birthday more than six hours to troop past his house, where he sat in the window waving.
Hugo is buried at the Panthéon, sharing a crypt with Alexandre Dumas and Emile Zola.
Of the alternatives, Dumas was the same age as Hugo but died earlier, in 1870. Zola was not born until 1840 and survived into the 20th Century, dying in 1902. Chopin lived much of his life in Paris but died young, living only from 1810 until 1849.

Answer: Symphony No. 9 in E Minor 'From the New World'

Written in 1893 during the composer's three-year visit to the United States, Dvoøák' Symphony No. 9 in E Minor 'From the New World' is also known as 'New World Symphony'.
It is a rearrangement for brass of the slow movement of the symphony that is heard during the Hovis 'Boy on a Bike' commercial. Made in 1973 and directed by Ridley Scott, this has been voted Britain's most popular TV advertisement of all time ('The Independent' 2006).

Answer: Man Ray

Although he spent most of his life in France, Man Ray was actually American. As a painter, he was a modernist and an important member of both the Dada and the Surrealist schools. He was perhaps better known as an avant-garde photographer, specializing in both portraits and fashion, although he considered himself a painter first and a photographer second. The alternatives were three more American painters born in the same general time period as Ray: O'Keefe in 1887, Hopper in 1892 and Rockwell in 1894. Hopper was born in Nyack NY and Rockwell in New York City. O'Keefe was from Sun Prairie WI and was also a woman so, whilst it is not impossible that she was named Emmanuel at birth, it is perhaps unlikely.

Answer: St. Petersburg

Founded by Peter the Great in 1710, the Alexander Nevsky Monastery stands at the eastern end of Nevsky Prospect, St. Petersburg's main thoroughfare. The complex houses two baroque churches and an impressive Neoclassical cathedral. The two cemeteries within the grounds contain the tombs of Dostoevsky and Tchaikovsky as well as numerous other prominent figures from Russian history. Others here include composer Modest Mussorgsky, architect Carlo Rossi, and one of history's only undefeated generals, Alexander Suvorov.

Answer: 37

Robert Burns, or Rabbie Burns as the Scots call him, was born on January 25, 1759. Although Scotland's official national day is November 30, to commemorate their patron saint, Saint Andrew, many more Scots celebrate Burns Night on the date of the poet's birth. Indeed, only Hogmanay (New Year) is a bigger celebration in Scotland.
Burns' best known work outside of Scotland is the poem and song, 'Auld Lang Syne'. His patriotic Gaelic song 'Scots Wha Hae' was for many years Scotland's unofficial national anthem. In recent years, 'Scotland the Brave' and 'Flower of Scotland' have become more popular rallying cries.
Although already in poor health, Burns' early demise was hastened by an infection that he contracted while having a tooth removed. He died on July 21, 1796 at the age of just 37. His funeral was held four days later -- the same day on which his son Maxwell was born.

Answer: The Nutcracker

A two-act fairytale ballet, 'The Nutcracker' was composed in 1891-92 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky based on a story by Alexandre Dumas père. It is at the beginning of Act II that Clara and The Prince arrive in 'The Land of Sweets'. The Sugar Plum Fairy, who is 'Sovereign of the Sweets', and her subjects dance for Clara and the Prince. The dances include the 'Waltz of Flowers', the famous 'Trepak' (or 'Russian Dance') which is most often performed by the Candy Canes and, of course, the 'Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy'. There are numerous other dances by particular groups of 'sweets', but the precise details of these vary from one production to another.

This is my fiftieth quiz on funtrivia.com and I hope you enjoyed the challenge and picked up some trivia from the information provided with the answers.