The Operettas of Lehar Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Merry Widow

"The Merry Widow," first performed in Vienna in 1905, is by far Léhar's best-known operetta. Count Danilo is averse to marriage, but he loves the rich widow Hanna, though he won't admit it. His government's pressure on him initially makes him less inclined to marry her. The other titles are also Léhar operettas.

Answer: The Land of Smiles

Romantic mismatches are a frequent theme with Léhar. In this 1929 operetta, Prince Sou Chong tries his best to do well for Lisa, but he's been thoroughly trained to regard women as property, and his outbursts ruin any chance for a successful marriage.

The song "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz" (Yours is my Whole Heart) is one of Léhar's best-known arias. An earlier version of the opera, premiered in 1923, was called "The Yellow Jacket."

Answer: The Count of Luxemburg

In "The Count of Luxemburg," which premiered in 1909, Prince Basil Basilowitsch wants to marry the singer Angčle. To satisfy the rules of royalty, he offers the handsome, financially strapped Count of Luxemburg a large sum of money to marry her temporarily - on the condition that they never meet. Even at the wedding, they're hidden from each other's sight. You can probably guess what follows.

"The Bartered Bride" is by Smetana, and "The Marriage of Figaro" is by Mozart.

Answer: Adolf Hitler

Hitler was a fanatical lover of "The Merry Widow." This helped Franz Léhar not only to get performances, but to let him live unmolested in spite of his Jewish wife (who also survived) and many Jewish associates (some of whom didn't). Léhar died in 1948, his reputation only slightly damaged by association with the Nazis.

Answer: Gypsy Love

"Gypsy" was the usual name in 1910 for the people now called Roma. (The original German title is "Zigeunerliebe.") The operetta portrays them as fickle. An English-language version of the operetta was premiered in London in 1912, with huge changes to the story and the music. "A Night in Venice" and "Indigo and the Forty Thieves" are by Johann Strauss II.

Answer: Hungary

Operetta composer Franz Léhar was born in 1870 in Komárom, which was then in Hungary. Today the town is in Slovakia. He lived most of his life in Austria.

Answer: The Czarevich

Alexey, the Czar's son or "Czarevich," doesn't like female company. (Read whatever subtext you want into this.) His father knows this is bad for the royal line, so he contrives to have a young woman, disguised as a male soldier, become the Czarevich's close companion.

He quickly sees through the disguise and eventually falls in love with her in spite of her low social rank. Things don't work out well. The operetta was premiered in Berlin in 1927.

Answer: Waltz

The Viennese loved waltzes, and like Johann Strauss II, Franz Léhar put at least one into most of his operettas. The "Merry Widow" waltz, which draws on several different numbers in the operetta, is a well-known concert adaptation. The "Gold and Silver" waltz, also popular in the concert hall, was a separate composition.

Answer: Giuditta

"Giuditta" was first performed in 1934, and the premiere was broadcast live on radio. It didn't receive lasting success, though. The Nazi takeover of Austria just a few years later didn't help; the librettist died in Auschwitz.

Answer: Paganini

Niccolň Paganini was a real-life celebrity violinist in the nineteenth century. The operetta, which was first performed in 1925, has little resemblance to any events in his life. "The Magic Flute" is by Mozart, and "The Troubadour" is the English-language title for the Verdi opera "Il Trovatore." "The Tango Queen" is a real operetta by Léhar, but it has a different story.