Verirrt in der Uebersetzung Trivia Quiz

Answer: Papageno

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) composed music for 23 theatrical works, including two that were a collaboration with other composers: "Die Schuldigkeit des Ersten Gebots" (1767, a sacred Singspiel with music by Mozart, Michael Haydn and Anton Adigasser) and "Der Stein der Weisen" (1790, a pasticcio with music by Mozart, Johann Henneberg, Franz Xaver Gerl, Benedikt Schack and Emmanuel Schikaneder).
Six of the theatrical works composed by Mozart alone had a libretto in German, one was with a Latin text, and the others were in Italian.
The lines I translated were the opening verses of "Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja", an aria from Mozart's last Singspiel, "Die Zauberflöte" ("The Magic Flute", 1791). In this merry melody Papageno introduces himself as a bird catcher, and wishes he had a net to catch girlies (instead of birdies). He would then choose the sweetest and marry her, and let her sleep at his side. In another ditty in the same Singspiel he sings his name: "Papa - papa - papa - Papageno".
Experts on Mozart operas will probably recognise the name of Belmonte as the protagonist in "Die Entführung aus dem Serail" ("The Abduction from the Seraglio", 1782). Belmonte is a Spanish nobleman visiting the palace of a Turkish noble, where he discovers that his fiancée Konstanze was sold to the pasha to serve in his harem.
Monsieur Vogelsang is a supporting character in the 1786 Singspiel "Der Impresario". The title character is Frank, and Vogelsang is one of the singers in Frank's opera company.
Sethos is the only named character (a high priest) in the rarely performed theatre play "Thamos, König in Ägypten" ("Thamos, King of Egypt", first performed in 1774).

Answer: Johann Sebastian Bach

It was Bach who composed "Jesu bleibet meine Freude // Meines Herzens Trost und Saft // Jesus wehret allem Leide // Er ist meine Lebens Kraft." There is an English version of the lyrics available on internet, but it is not really a translation: the German lyrics are merely replaced with a text in English that fits the rhyme and rhythm, but does not convey the same message. To illustrate here are the same four lines in the English version by Robert Bridges: "Jesu, joy of man's desiring // Holy wisdom, love most bright // Drawn by Thee, our souls aspiring // Soar to uncreated light."
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was a prolific composer, who left us over a thousand works - including more than 200 cantatas, four Passions, and hundreds of works for organ and clavichord.
The French composer Poulenc, the English composer Britten and the Greek Theodorakis all have written music for some cantatas, but not with German lyrics. They all used lyrics in their native language or in Latin.

Answer: Lohengrin

The German lyrics are quite different: "Treulich geführt ziehet dahin // wo euch der Segen der Liebe bewahr." Literally this would account for "Driven faithfully, pull hither // to where love's victory keeps you." So let's refrain from literal translations - this one is exemplary nonsense.
In some regions in Flanders elder people sing the mock text "Daar komt de bruid // daar glijdt ze uit". It is this Dutch text I've translated into English in the question, however I replaced the literal translation "glides" by "strides". After all, we don't want people throwing banana peels in the aisle when the bride makes her entry.
"Lohengrin" was an 1850 opera by Wagner (1813-1883). The female protagonist is Elsa of Brabant, a noblewoman accused of having murdered her brother Gottfried. She prays that a knight in shining armour will come to her rescue and defeat the plaintiff Telramund in single combat (trial by ordeal). And indeed a knight comes to her rescue, on a boat pulled by a swan. This mysterious knight will defend Elsa and will even marry her if he wins, on one condition: that she never asks any question about his past.
But at the end Elsa does pop the forbidden question. Her husband then explains he is Lohengrin, a cursed wandering knight, and sails away. Lohengrin has only one surprise: he reveals that the swan is in fact Gottfried, who was bewitched by Telramund's wife Ortrud. As Ortrud dies confessing her crime, Gottfried is restored to his human form and reinstated as the true Duke of Brabant.
The other options are also by Wagner, but they don't contain a marriage. In "Das Liebesverbot" (1836), the king of Sicily has prohibited all manifestations of love. Tristan and Isolde, the protagonists in the 1865 opera named after them, fall in love but die before they can marry. And in "Das Rheingold" (1869) Alberich the dwarf steals the Rhine gold and procures himself the Ring with great power, but to do so he has to renounce love altogether.

Answer: Franz Lehar

Lehar (1870-1948) left us more than twenty operettas, including "Die Lustige Witwe" ("The Merry Widow", 1905) and "Der Zarewitsj" ("The Czarevich", 1927).
The "Wolgalied" from "Der Zarewitsj" is a solo where the title character, enlisted in the Russian army and standing guard near the Wolga, prays to know the joy of loving and being loved. The original lyrics are "Du hast im Himmel viel' Engel bei dir // Schick' doch einen davon auch zu mir." (These lines are then repeated). This song was originally performed by the famous tenor Richard Tauber in this operetta composed to fit his voice. But those of you who are not familiar with classical music, may have heard the pop versions by Ivan Rebroff or Rudolf Schock.
The three alternative answers I've provided have also composed one or more operettas each, but not with German lyrics. De Koven (1859-1920) was American and used English lyrics. Samaras (1861-1917) composed on lyrics in his mother tongue, Greek. And the French composer Messager (1853-1929) composed music to French libretti.

Answer: Gretel

This is a song and dance performed in the first act of Engelbert Humperdinck's opera "Hansel und Gretel". Here is the original text: "Brüderchen komm tanz mit mir // Beide Hände reich' ich dir // Einmal hier, einmal her // Rundherum, das ist nicht schwer." My English translation is an effort to maintain the rhyme and rhythm: literally the last line is "Around, it is not hard."
When their mother arrives and see the children have neglected their chores, she reprimands them and sends them to the forest to pick strawberries. After all, the family is so poor they can't really go shopping. Alas, when the children are in the forest they forget the time, and night falls. They have to sleep in the woods. And the next morning, they find a gingerbread house - belonging to an evil witch. The witch captures the children and wants to cook them in the oven...
Humperdinck (1854-1921) has composed half a dozen of musical stage works. One of his other compositions is "Dornröschen" ("Sleeping Beauty").
Elektra and her brother Orestes are from Richard Strauss' opera "Elektra". Siegmund and Sieglinde are the incestuous siblings in Wagner's "Die Walküre", parents to the hero Siegfried.
The Leonora I've mentioned here, and her brother Don Carlo, are the protagonists in Verdi's opera "Don Carlo". There is also a Leonore in Beethoven's opera "Fidelio", but this Leonore does not have any siblings. 

Answer: Johann Strauss

The lyrics are "Donau so blau, // so schön und blau // Durch Tal und Au // wogst ruhig du hin // Dich grüsst unser Wien // dein silbernen Band // knüpft Land am Land // und fröhliche Herzen schlagen // an deinem schönen Strand."
An authorized translation can be found on Wikipedia: "Danube so blue // so bright and blue // through vale and field // you flow so calm // our Vienna greets you // your silver stream // through all the lands // you merry the heart // with your beautiful shores." The first two verses would make the answer very obvious, so I've left them out of the question.
Johann Strauss II (1825-1899) was a prolific Viennese composer, best known for his waltzes and polkas. "The Blue Danube" (1866) is one of his master pieces, and still performed regularly. No Viennese New Year's concerto would be complete without this waltz.
The other composers have also written music to some European rivers: Smetana composed the symphonic poem "Vltava" ("The Moldau") as part of his cycle "Ma Vlast" ("My Fatherland"). Clara Schumann provided music to Heine's poem "Die Lorelei", a mythical woman on the shores of the Rhine. And Peter Benoit left us the oratorio "De Schelde" ("The Scheldt").

Answer: French

"Schenk ein! Schenk ein!
Nun fülle bis zum Rand die blanken Becher,
Bier oder Wein, das gilt uns alles gleich.
Gott Bacchus winket euch, ihr frohen Zecher,
Bis morgen früh währt sein lustig Reich."
This is the German text to the "Student's Choir" from "Hoffmann's Erzahlungen", an opera by Jacques Offenbach originally performed in French (with a libretto by Jules Barbier), but also frequently performed with a German libretto. Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880) was a prolific composer born in Cologne but working in Paris. "Hoffmann's Erzählungen" or "Les Contes d'Hoffmann" was his last composition: Offenbach died a few months before the premiere, and some music was added posthumously.
The story is about the poet Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, and some of his (fictive) amorous adventures: Olympia (a mechanical doll) in Paris, Antonia (a young girl) in Munich, and Giulietta (a courtesan) in Venice. In the prologue, Hoffmann and a group of students sit down in a famous pub in Berlin, and they enjoy themselves with this song and lots of drinks. A similar choir is also sung in the epilogue, when Hoffmann deplores his romantic adventures.
Offenbach is best known for his about 100 operettas, most of which include some version of the French can-can - a notorious dance he first introduced in "Orphée aux Enfers" ("Orpheus in Hell").
There are many drinking songs in Italian, among others the "Libiamo" from Verdi's "La Traviata" and the "Quel vino e generoso" from Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rusticana". Purcell wrote at least one drinking song in English ("Cake and Ale", a ditty which was not included in a larger work). For the Latin drinking song, I refer to "In taberna" from Orff's "Carmina Burana".
By the way, there is also another opera performed in various languages: Francis Poulenc insisted that his opera "Le dialogue des Carmélites" would be performed in the local vernacular, where ever the opera would play.

Answer: Franz Xaver Gruber

Gruber (1787-1863) was an Austrian school teacher and organist in the small village of Arnsdorf. When in 1818 the local priest Joseph Mohr (1792-1848) was preparing the Christmas mass, he found that the organ was defective. Fortunately Gruber took his guitar and accompanied Mohr's poem "Stille Nacht".
Here are the lyrics to the first stanza in German: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht // Alles schlaft, einsam wacht // Nur das traute hochheilige Paar // Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar // Schlaf im himmlischen Rüh // Schlaf im himmlischen Rüh." The official translation into English is "Silent night, holy night // All is calm, all is bright // Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child // Holy infant, so tender and mild // Sleep in heavenly peace // Sleep in heavenly peace."
The literal translation would be "Silent night, holy night // All sleep, lonely awaits // only the faithful divine couple // next to a blonde child with curly hair // Sleep in heavenly peace // Sleep in heavenly peace." As you can see, the official translation fits far better to the rhyme and rhythm.
Händel composed in 1747 a melody that evolved to the Christmas carol "Tochter Zion, freue dich" ("Daughter Zion, Rejoice"). The present lyrics were only written in 1826 by Friedrich Ranke.
Luther is credited with the 1524 Christmas hymn "Gelobest sei du, Jesu Christ" (¨Praise to You, Jesus Christ").
And "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" has a quite peculiar history. The original lyrics were written by Charles Wesley in 1739, and a bit updated by George Whitefield in 1758. But in 1855 William Cummings discarded the original melody and replaced it with the music to the patriotic hymn "Festgesang" composed in 1840 by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. And it is the 1855 version that is frequently performed nowadays.

Answer: Hunters

The translation I found on the internet is a literal translation, but it does not render the rhyme and rhythm of the original refrain : "Ist fürstliche Freude, ist männlich Verlangen // Erstarket die Glieder, würzet das Mahl // Wenn Wälder und Felsen uns hallend umfangen // Tönt freier und freud'ger der volle Pokal. // Joho! Tralalalala!"
I'll try here a translation fitting to rhyme and rhythm: "It's joy to a king, it is desire of man // It strengthens limbs and spices the meal // when woods and rocks are all about one // a full goblet is the divine deal."
It is the refrain of the hunters chorus from "Der Freischütz" by Carl Maria von Weber. In this opera two men compete for the love of Agathe, the daughter of the head forester Kuno, by way of a marksmanship contest. The competitors are both assistant foresters: Max and Kaspar. Kaspar has sold his soul to the devil Samiel to obtain magic bullets, and he persuades Max to use magic bullets as well. But Samiel's plan that Max' magical bullet would kill Agathe, is thwarted by the white roses a hermit has given to Agathe. Samiel then claims Kaspar, and Agathe pleads to forgive Max. After a year in exile Max may return, marry Agathe and inherit the position of head forester.
Mozart included a chorus of priests in "Die Zauberflöte" ("The Magic Flute"). The sailors' choir is from Wagner's opera "Der fliegende Holländer" ("The Flying Dutchman"). And Beethoven's opera "Fidelio" contains a prisoners' choir.

Answer: Ludwig von Beethoven

Although all these composers have composed multiple symphonies, only Beethoven's Ninth ends with a choral and thus disposes of lyrics.
Mahler (1860-1911) completed his Ninth in 1909. Bruckner (1824-1896) composed eleven symphonies but did not finish his Ninth. (He created four symphonies in Linz, out of which he numbered only one. Then in Vienna he continued with his Second to Ninth Symphony). Haydn (1732-1809) left us 104 numbered symphonies, and at least two other symphonies without number are ascribed to him. Beethoven (1770-1827) completed nine symphonies.
Here are the original lyrics to Beethoven's Ninth,
"Freude, schöner Götterfunken // Tochter aus Elysium // Wir betreten feuertrunken // Himmlische, dein Heiligtum." It continues with the part I left out in the question but which I find very hopeful:
"Deine Zauber binden wieder // Was die Mode streng geteilt // Alle Menschen werden Brüder // Wo dein Sanfter Flügel weilt." The official translation of this bit is "Thy magic binds again // What custom strictly divided // All people become brothers // where thy gentle wing abides".