Boom Bang-A-Bang Trivia Quiz

Answer: Grofe

Ferde Grofe played jazz piano with Paul Whitman, and also acted as his arranger. His most notable arrangement was Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue", which he orchestrated from a composition for two pianos to the magnificent piece recorded by Paul Whitman. He was also a serious composer. "Cloudburst" comes from his best known work, "Grand Canyon Suite" which he wrote in 1931.

Answer: The Tempest

The Piano Sonata No. 17, composed in 1801/02, is usually referred to as "The Tempest". This comes from a claim by Anton Schindler that the sonata was inspired by Shakespeare's play. There is no evidence to support this theory, and Beethoven himself never referred to the piece as "The Tempest".

The sonata itself consists of three movements and takes around twenty five minutes to perform.

Answer: Johann Strauss II

The Strauss family included many prolific composers, but it was Johann Strauss II, who was known as "The Waltz King", who was responsible for well-loved pieces such as "The Blue Danube" and the opera "Die Fledermaus, which became the most famous. The "Thunder and Lightning" polka was composed in 1868.

His father, Johann Strauss I, did not want him to become a musician. He wanted him to be a banker, not for any fear that his son would eclipse him, but because he did not want him to live the sometimes uncertain financial life of a musician.

Answer: Die Walkure

The four operas that comprise Wagner's Ring Cycle were written between 1848 and 1874. The stories are loosely based on Norse sagas. Wagner did not work exclusively on these operas during that period, at one stage he laid them aside for twelve years while he did other work.

They were always intended to be performed as a whole, not individually, and the first performance of the complete cycle took place in Bayreuth in 1876. There is an annual Wagner festival in Bayreuth in a specially constructed theatre, but the Ring is not performed every year.

The demand for tickets to the festival is such that the waiting list can be between five and ten years long.

Answer: The Flying Dutchman

"The Flying Dutchman" premiered in 1843 with Wagner himself conducting the orchestra. He wrote it to be performed without an intermission, but it is usually performed as a three act opera. The storyline is based on a legend of a sea captain doomed to roam the seas for all eternity, being allowed ashore only once every seven years (some versions say ten years), unless he can find a wife who will be true to him. Wagner's original draft of the opera set it in Scotland, but by the time it premiered the setting had been changed to Norway.

Answer: William Tell Overture

The "William Tell Overture" is best known for the finale which was used as the theme for "The Lone Ranger". Written by Rossini in 1829, "William Tell" was the last of his 39 operas. Based on the tale of the Swiss folk hero it is approximately four hours in length, which could explain why it is rarely staged.

The second movement of the overture is "Storm" and is intended to depict a storm in the mountains.

Answer: Winter

"Winter" is one of the Vivaldi "Four Seasons" suite. Each season is a separate violin concerto and can be played as a standalone piece. Composed in 1723 and first published in 1725, it is probably Vivaldi's best known work. Each concerto consists of three movements, two fast and one slow, and depicts the weather for each season.

Interestingly "Summer" would also have fitted into this quiz as there is a thunderstorm depicted towards the end of it.

Answer: Song to the Moon

"Song To the Moon" comes from the opera "Rusalka", which was first performed in 1901, and is based on Slavic mythology. The song featured in the film "Driving Miss Daisy". Dvorak is best known for his "New World Symphony", especially in the United Kingdom where part of it was used in an advertisement for Hovis bread.

He was, however, a prolific composer of chamber music as well as operas and symphonies. He also spent three years as the Director of the National Conservancy of Music in New York.

Answer: Royal Hunt and Storm

Berlioz thought big when it came to music. As a conductor he often performed concerts with orchestras of 1000 players, and as a composer he specified huge orchestras for some of his pieces. He also wrote the highly influential
"Treatise on Instrumentation" which helped shape the modern orchestra. "Les Troyens" was his biggest and most ambitious work. Based on "The Aeneid" it is a five act opera. Berlioz himself never saw it performed in its entirety as most opera houses considered it too long and too expensive to stage.

Answer: Leroy Anderson

"Sleigh Ride" was written as a light orchestral piece during a heat-wave in July 1946. Lyrics by Mitchell Parish were added in 1950. The first orchestral recording of the piece came from the Boston Pops Orchestra in 1949, and it has become a firm public favourite usually associated with Christmas. Numerous singers have recorded the vocal version including Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald.