A Grab Bag of My Favourite Music Quiz

Answer: Danse Macabre

I really enjoyed this piece when I was first introduced to it as a teenager. That may have been because of my spooky adolescence, but I'm thankful because it was the first piece of classical music that I was introduced to and really enjoyed. "Danse Macabre, Op. 40" started out as a vocal song by the French poet poet Henri Cazalis. In 1874, French composer Camille Saint-Saëns reworked the original into an orchestral piece where the voice was replaced by a violin. The work is based on old folklore that spoke about how the Devil arrived on the night before Halloween. He would play his fiddle for all of the souls in the graveyard and make them dance until sunup the next day.

"Danse Macabre" starts off with a harp plucking a single string twelve times to represent the arrival of midnight. After the arrival of midnight, the violin (the Devil's fiddle from folklore) plays music that the skeletons are expected to use to dance. Saint-Saëns used a lot of xylophone in the piece to represent the rattling of bones. The oboe eventually makes a significant appearance as it plays the part of the rooster crowing at dawn. The music is then supposed to represent the skeletons returning to their graves for another year.

Answer: Comfortably numb

Pink Floyd is definitely a favourite rock band of mine. They always seemed to have had very interesting and unique psychedelic rock music records being released from the time that they were formed in 1965. The song "Comfortably Numb" was released as a single in 1980.

The music was composed by group member David Gilmour and the lyrics were composed by group member Roger Waters. The song appears on the album "The Wall". According to author Mark Blake, the song was written about Waters' experiences when he was injected with a muscle relaxant before a show in order to combat the effects of hepatitis that he was experiencing. I love this song because it has one of the best guitar solos in rock and roll.

It is great for air guitar enthusiasts like myself to practice their skills.

Answer: "Up on the Roof" and "You've Got a Friend"

I love James Taylor. His peaceful melodies are perfect for relaxing on the porch with a cup of tea and a good book, or as sing-along tunes on a road trip. I was lucky enough to be able to attend a James Taylor concert in 2014. He talked about how important Carole King had been to his success when he sang "Up on the Roof" in the first half of the concert.

Then, in the second half of the concert, he introduced "You've Got a Friend" by saying that he had walked in on Carole King as she wrote the song in 1971, loved it, and has sung it every day of his life since. "How Sweet It Is" was written by the songwriting team Holland-Dozier-Holland. All other songs on the list were written by James Taylor.

Answer: Rush

The band Rush is another love of mine. This Canadian band was formed in 1968 by guitarist Alex Lifeson, drummer John Rutsey, and bass guitarist/vocalist Jeff Jones. Jones left the band immediately after they came together and was replaced by Geddy Lee.

In 1974, drummer/lyricist Neil Peart replaced Rutsey. Lifeson, Lee, and Peart stayed together until 2018 when it was announced that they would not continue. In January, 2020, Neil Peart passed away due to gioblastoma, a type of brain cancer. Rush is one of the few Canadian bands that had success beyond the borders of their home country.

They received 17 platinum albums in Canada and 14 in the US. They have been inducted into both the Canadian Music Hall of Fame (1994) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2013).

Answer: Priest

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was born in March, 1678 in Venice. It is thought that he was taught the violin by his father who was a master violinist. Vivaldi had his first violin performance in a concert with his father in 1696. He trained as a priest and was ordained in 1703.

He composed instrumental concertos for the violin and other instruments, as well as choral works and operas. My favourite Vivaldi works are his four violin concertos known as the "Four Seasons". These works were originally published in Amsterdam in 1725. Vivaldi died at the age of 63 in Vienna where he had moved in 1740.

He passed away a pauper at the age of 63 in July, 1741.

Answer: Axl Rose from Guns 'n' Roses

AC/DC was an Australian band that was formed in 1973 by founding members and brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. They had a variety of other band mates over the years until their lead singer Bon Scott died of acute alcohol poisoning in 1980. They replaced him with vocalist Brian Johnson and launched one of their most successful albums "Back in Black" with him at the helm. One of my favourite hard rock songs can be found on that album. In fact, I can often be heard singing along to "You Shook Me All Night Long" when that song comes up on my playlist.

The band continued to have success with Johnson as their vocalist until he had to leave during their 2016 tour to address some hearing issues that he had developed. The group contacted Axl Rose to see if he would like to help out for their remaining tour dates. Rose consulted his own band mates who supported him helping AC/DC out in their time of need, so he did just that. This was all done while Guns 'n' Roses were also on tour, but the dates worked out, and Axl Rose was able to perform with both.

Answer: Ladysmith Black Mambazo

I love Paul Simon. He has created some amazing music. After he split from Art Garfunkel in 1970, he went on to produce a number of solo albums. The third album after Simon & Garfunkel was "Graceland", released in 1986. It was inspired by South African township music.

The songs "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes", "You Can Call Me Al", and "Homeless" on the "Graceland" album featured vocals by Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a male choral group from South Africa. The group was founded in 1960, but rose to international fame when they collaborated with Simon in the mid-1980s.

In 1987, Paul Simon produced the first US album for Ladysmith Black Mambazo entitled "Shaka Zulu". It won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Recording in 1988.

Answer: Eagles

I love Eagles' music. This is another group that I can't stop myself from singing along to whenever one of their songs pops up on my playlist. Eagles were a band that was pulled together by Linda Ronstadt. The members have changed over the years, but have included Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, Vince Gill, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon, Randy Meisner, Don Felder, and Deacon Frey. They have had major successes in the US, Canada, and in other countries around the world with their smooth-rock sounds. Songs like "Witchy Woman", "Desperado", and "Take It Easy" are among my favourites. And of course, the one in the hint. It refers to one of their most famous songs, "Hotel California".

Over the years, Eagles won a number of Grammy Awards. They were also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001. In 1999, their album "Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)" was chosen as the Best Selling Album of the Century by the Recording Industry of America.

Answer: Senses

John Denver was a country-folk singer-songwriter who is one of my favourites. He wrote a number of famous songs that are easy to sing along to, including "Sunshine on My Shoulders", "Rocky Mountain High", and "Thank God I'm a Country Boy". In my mind, his most beautiful song is "Annie's Song".

It was written for his wife Annie. I remember him being interviewed on TV when I was younger about when he wrote the song. He reported that he wrote it while he was riding to the top of a mountain on a ski lift.

The song appeared on the album "Back Home Again" in 1974. It was ranked as the number 25 song for 1974 by Billboard in the US. Whenever this song comes on, I sing along, but also get a little melancholy knowing that John Denver's life was cut short when he died in a plane crash at the age of 53 years in 1997.

Answer: Stephen Stills' former girlfriend

Stephen Stills wrote this song about his former girlfriend, singer-songwriter Judy Collins. Crosby, Stills and Nash released the song on their first album in 1969. It was also released as a single that same year. "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" reached number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. Judy Collins and Stephen Stills had been involved with one another from 1968 through 1969. During a 2017 interview on National Public Radio, Stills revealed that he wrote the song in 1969 about their pending breakup.

Judy Collins is a fine musician in her own right. She won a Grammy award in 1969 for her rendition of "Both Sides Now". She is also famous for "Send in the Clowns" and a number of other songs. One of my favourites is her version of "Amazing Grace". Apparently, someone else agrees with my taste in music because in 2017, her performance of "Amazing Grace" was chosen to be placed in the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress because it was determined to be a significant piece of American music.