Musical Milestones

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. In 1984 Bob Geldof from the group "Boomtown Rats" and Midge Ure from "Ultravox" spearheaded a musical first. Aware of the desperation in Ethiopia, they co-authored a song to raise money for famine relief in that country. Apart from themselves, they recruited many willing artists including Bono, Sting, Phil Collins, Simon Le Bon, David Bowie and Paul McCartney to form the group Band Aid. What was the name of the song they sang? It's Christmas Christmas is Here Do They Know It's Christmas? Christmas is for Everyone

2. Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. What was the first recording to have the distinction of being #1 on the "charts" of the day? Semper Fidelis - The U.S. Marine Band O Sole Mio - Enrico Caruso Casey At The Bat - Russell Hunting Rhapsody In Blue - Paul Whiteman's Orchestra with George Gershwin

3. In 1913, Igor Stravinsky's monumental ballet "Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring)", choreographed by Vladimir Nijinsky, premiered in Paris. Since then, it has gone on to garner accolades as one of the cornerstone pieces of modern music and dance, challenging all previous conventions of both disciplines and upsetting the mannered decorum that characterized its predecessors. What was the initial public reaction to this work? Over 30 minutes of sustained applause after the final curtain from a packed house Almost none; the premiere was not well-attended, and the piece would not achieve broad notice until after World War I Disinterest and tepid reviews A full-scale riot between those who liked and did not like the piece

4. In 1938 Benny Goodman scored a major success, bringing jazz to the upper crust with a breakthrough concert at Carnegie Hall. The highlight of the show was a drum solo by legendary drummer Gene Krupa to the tune "Sing Sing Sing". The song was not, in fact, a Goodman tune, but was written by what other famous jazz legend? Duke Ellington Louis Prima Harry James Glenn Miller

5. Which revolutionary song was written by Eugène Pottier, a Parisian transport worker, in 1871 and set to music by Pierre Degeyter, a woodworker from Lille, in 1888? The Carmagnole The Red Flag The Internationale The Marseillaise

6. When England is taking part in an event in which national teams from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are also competing, what anthem is played for an English victory? God Save the Queen Land of Hope and Glory Jerusalem Rule Britannia

7. Many people credit The Who with creating the first rock opera, the famous and classic "Tommy." Actually, another group had released a full-blown opera called "Mass in F Minor" a full year before "Tommy" hit the record stores. Who were these true innovators of rock? Emerson, Lake and Palmer The Electric Prunes The Moody Blues Moby Grape

8. The Gregorian chant "Ut queant laxis" for the feast of St. John the Baptist was used by the 11th century Benedictine monk Guido d'Arezzo to teach which of the following? The notes of the scale Singing in two-part harmony The difference between major and minor keys The use of accidentals (sharps and flats)

9. In 1961, session guitarist Grady Martin performed a guitar solo on Marty Robbins' song "Don't Worry". The distorted sound of Martin's guitar became known as "fuzz-tone". Hardware devices now produce this sound on demand. How did Grady Martin produce fuzz-tone in his 1961 recording session? He crouched in front of his amplifier to enhance feedback. He produced it unintentionally because of a blown amplifier tube. He used a home made "sine wave clipping" circuit. He overdubbed his solo track with a kazoo.

10. "Southern trees bear strange fruit Blood on the leaves and blood at the roots Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze Strange fruit hangin' from the poplar trees". Leonard Feather called "Strange Fruit", "the first significant protest in words and music, the first unmuted cry against racism." With which singer is the song most associated? Dinah Washington Billie Holiday Louis Armstrong Ella Fitzgerald