How’s Your Musical IQ?

Happy New Year! I hope it will be a great year for all Alive East Bay readers.

I thought I’d deviate from my usual article this month and test your knowledge of music and musicians. Have fun!
(Find answers below)

1. What Beatles hits were on the first single recorded by the ‘Fab Four’ on their Apple label?
2. Who was the first person ever awarded a gold record?
   a. Glenn Miller
   b. Tommy Dorsey
   c. Harry James
3. What are the three most frequently sung songs in the English language, according to the Guinness Book of World Records?
4. For what famous entertainer was the Broadway musical “Hello Dolly” written?
5. Bing Crosby’s recording of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” is the best selling pop record of all time. What Rock’n’Roll single is in second place?
6. What distinctive California vanity license plates did band leader Lawrence Welk have?
7. Who wrote Yale’s “Bulldog” song?
   a. Irving Berlin
   b. Cole Porter
   c. George Gershwin
8. What stringed instrument was the first to have a keyboard?
   a. Clavichord
   b. Harpsichord
   c. Pianoforte
9. Who was the first performer to win Grammy Awards for Jazz and Classical recordings in the same year?
   a. George Gershwin
   b. Wynton Marsalis
   c. Little Richard
10. The English horn is a member of what instrument family?
    a. Brass
    b. Percussion
    c. Woodwind
11. In music, the term dynamics refers to:
    a. Tempo
    b. Pitch
    c. Volume
12. What are the names of the two gangs in the musical “West Side Story?
13. What are the names of the two most commonly used clefs in music?
14. What instrument is used the most by lead rock musicians?
    a. Drums
    b. Keyboard
    c. Guitar
15. Who invented the Saxophone?
    a. C.G. Conn
    b. J.P. Sousa
    c. Adolphe Sax
16. What are the “double reed” instruments?
17. What is the difference between a band and an orchestra?
18. What modern musical instrument is based on the medieval Sackbut?
19. What famous American composer had two of his songs adopted as official state anthems?
    a. Aaron Copland
    b. Stephen Foster
    c. Leonard Bernstein
20. What male singer was known as “Old Blue Eyes”?
21. What is the correct name of the theme music from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey? Who was the composer?
22. How many marches did John Philip Sousa write?
    a. 53
    b. 89
    c. 13
23. The Danville Community Band musicians are all volunteers.
    a. True
    b. False
24. How many children did Johann Sebastian Bach have?
    a. 5
    b. 20
    c. 12
25. The music for the American National Anthem was an old English drinking song?
    a. True
    b. False

    Check your score:
    25 correct – Musical genius
    20 correct – Top of the class
    15 correct – Average Joe
    10 correct – Needs more study
    5 correct – Flunked out! (sorry)

    We are very fortunate that here in the Tri-Valley Area there are many musical events planned for the year 2011. Remember, whether you’re a musician or a listener, music is an art that enriches the mind and the soul and can be enjoyed by all.

    The Danville Community Band’s next performance is March 6, 2011, 2:00 p.m. at the Blackhawk Museum in Danville.

    Answers:
    1.“Hey Jude” & “Revolution” 2. Glenn Miller 3. Happy Birthday, For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow, Auld Lang Syne 4. Ethel Merman 5. Rock Around the Clock 6. A 1 ANA 2 7. Cole Porter 8. Clavichord 9. Wynton Marsalis 10. Woodwind 11.Volume 12. Jets & Sharks 13.Treble & Bass 14.Guitar 15. Adolphe Sax 16. Oboe & Bassoon 17.Strings 18.Trombone 19.Stephen Foster 20. Frank Sinatra 21. Also sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss 22.136 23.True 24.20 25.True

    Some questions from 5087 Trivia by Kranes,Worth and Tamerius

    Please submit your questions and comments to banddirector01@comcast.net
    Visit our website at www.danvilleband.org for up-to-date information about the Danville Community Band.