Think Different #142: New Quiz Maker, Classical Questions
1. NO, NOT THE SPORTING GOODS STORE - 61 possibilities
The designation may be outdated, but classical buffs can still name the "Big Five" US orchestras:
- New York Philharmonic
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
Cleveland Orchestra
Name someone who has had the title "Music Director" for one of those ensembles.
- The principal conductor is almost always the Music Director. If you just pick a conductor you associate with one of those orchestras, you'll be fine. Probably. Almost definitely. Don't worry about it.
- Last name only is fine
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BONUS: I'll knock 2 points off your total if you name a conductor who has been the Music Director of more than one of them, 6 points for someone who's done three.
2. BROADS, BUICKS, AND BUCKLEY? - 37 possibilities
Conductor Hans von Bülow popularized "The Three Bs" as an expression referring to three composers whose last names start with that letter. But there are many more B composers.
Name a composer whose last name starts with B (even one of the three, if you like).
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BONUS: I'll knock 3 points off your score if you name a composer whose first AND last names begin with B.
- In all other cases, composers with the same last name will be scored together. E.g. Suppose three players give the hypothetically correct answers Paul Bignose, Herman Bignose, and Brenda Bignose. No one else uses a Bignose as their answer. Two players will receive a score of +2 for answering "Bignose." But the player who voted for Brenda Bignose will score a singleton (+1) from which 3 points will be deducted for a score of -2.
3. HE'S GOT A FEVER, AND THE ONLY PRESCRIPTION IS ... A BIGGER ORCHESTRA - 34 possibilities
Gustav Mahler famously said, "The symphony must be like the world. It must embrace everything." He pursued that idea in part by writing symphonies for large orchestras, often including unusual instruments.
Name one of the instruments that Mahler called for in at least one of his finished symphony scores.
- I will borrow MFalk's rule for a similar question in TD 22: "Instruments with the same name but different tuning (for instance, soprano kazoo and alto kazoo) are considered one instrument. Also, multiple parts for the same instrument--first kazoo and second kazoo--are considered one instrument."
4. THE PLURAL OF OPUS - 52 possibilities
Plenty of composers wrote an opera or two, but let's set them aside. Others were more prolific, but only a handful of their operas--5 or fewer--have remained in the basic repertoire. Let's rule them out as well. And let's also rule out Baroque operas, which seem like a different animal. That leaves perhaps 3 heavy hitters with more than 5 operas in the basic repertoire--
Wagner, Verdi, and Puccini. Name an opera by one of them.
- I want composer AND opera name, please
- English translations of the opera name are acceptable
- The opera needs to have been completed by the composer. Wagner, for example, abandoned some early works without completing them.
5. SCHWARZENEGGER SAID HE'D MAKE THIS LIST SOMEDAY - more than 17 possibilities
If you say "Who is Bach?" to Alex, he'll probably tell you "Be More Specific". So be more specific. This time, first and even middle names matter. Or at least initials do.
Name someone in the Bach Family, by blood or marriage, real or otherwise, who had a musical career. All Bachs with the same name will be lumped together.
6. WELL! THERE IT IS! - 27 possibilities on my short list. Many more on IMDB
Hollywood loves a biopic… but not if the subject is a classical composer. Of the few films about classical composers that have been made, only one has been particularly successful. You know which one I mean. It starred
F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce. Name a movie that has been released in which at least one of those two has acted.
7. THE SHINING EXAMPLE - 30 possibilities
Hollywood hasn't been good to classical composers, but classical composers been barry barry good to Hollywod. There must be more than 2001 movies with classical music in their soundtracks. It shows up like clockwork (and orange you glad it does?) You'd have to keep your eyes (and ears) wide shut not to notice.
Director Stanley Kubrick used classical music in many of his films. Name the composer of one such piece. And may you follow paths of glory to a singleton.
- I only need the composer's last name UNLESS there is the possibility of confusion. Give me first name too, if you're not sure.
- I don't need the name of the movie it was used in.
- I don't need the name of the piece
8. WITHOUT OUR TRADITIONS... - at least 18 possibilities
"The violin has always been a Jewish instrument," remarked one of the correct answers to this question. "I hope I'm not perceived as chauvinistic, but it's a fact of life: The greatest violinists who ever lived were Jewish."
Name a famous Jewish classical violin virtuoso.
- Pay attention to the adjectives. Don't try to get cute in your search for a singleton. Aaron Weinstein is a fine violinist--a
jazz violinist. Larry Fine, one of the six Three Stooges, was a good violinist, but no virtuoso. Ditto for Werner Klemperer. (But non-ditto for Colonel Klink, his best known character, who was atrocious.)
- 17 answers I will definitely accept can be found on the short list at JInfo.org. Here's the link, but remember; don't click on it until after you've sent your answers to me.
http://www.jinfo.org/Violinists.html
- The JInfo list includes famous violinists whose mother and/or father was Jewish, so don't worry about losing on a technicality.
- In my sole discretion, I will accept other answers if research proves they fit the question.
9. PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
Identify one of the composers pictured.
- Last name only is fine
- Don't forget to tell me which one you're identifying
10. ADVENTURES IN GOOD MUSIC
Follow the link to a video with numbered clips from 13 classical pieces.
Give me the name of one of these pieces:
http://vimeo.com/31623266
- Don't forget to tell me which one you're identifying
- Don't worry about full, formal titles. If I can tell what piece you're going for and your answer is less vague than "You know, that thing they always play in movie trailers where everybody's singing really loud", I'll give you credit. However, if you choose to identify the first clip, I need the key.
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HINT: None of these pieces is by a composer pictured in the previous question.
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BONUS: I'll knock 5 points off your score if you tell me the relationship between the composer of clip #5 and the piece being played in clip #3. No penalty for guessing.
NOTE: I tried to put the video on Youtube, but the copyright bots blocked it. I filled out Youtube's dispute form, explaining that the video falls squarely within the definition of "fair use". The video is not for profit. The clips are of insubstantial length relative to the works they excerpt. And my use of the material has zero chance of negatively affecting the market for these audio recordings. (Indeed, there's a non-zero if admittedly quite small chance of a positive effect on the market.) Youtube said they'd check with Universal and Warner and get back to me. That's the last I've heard. I'm starting to think they don't care.
Anyway, Vimeo let me upload the video and it should work. I hope. If you have trouble playing it, you have a few options: 1) You can download the video
in MP4 format or
in AVI format and play it with your own software. 2) You can
download a zip file of 13 numbered MP3s and listen to the clips. 3) You can PM me and ask me to email you the video or the audio clips converted to a format that you specify. I may be able to accommodate you. 4) You can PM me and ask for my phone number. Then you can call me and I will hum the clips to you.
11. THIS QUIZ GOES TO 11
Each question title contains an allusion or a pun or a pop-culture reference or a bit of erudition or something along those lines. Pick one of the question numbers and tell me what the title is referring to. You don't have to go into a lot of detail. (Sometimes there isn't a lot of detail to go into.) You just have to convince me that you didn't laugh because it wasn't funny, not because you didn't get it. If I feel your answer is missing something crucial, I'll solicit more information.
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