Music quiz questions.

Thirty music questions from the free bank, easiest first, answers folded away so you can read them out. The bank has 199 in this category.

Run a music round Build a whole night

Which band released the album Abbey Road in 1969?
Answer
The Beatles
The cover photo was taken on a zebra crossing outside EMI's studios on Abbey Road in London. Source
Freddie Mercury was the lead singer of which band?
Answer
Queen
Queen's line-up of Mercury, May, Taylor and Deacon stayed the same from 1971 until 1991. Source
Which Swedish group won Eurovision in 1974 with Waterloo?
Answer
ABBA
The 1974 contest was held in Brighton, England. Source
Which rapper's real name is Marshall Mathers?
Answer
Eminem
His stage name comes from his initials, M and M. Source
Which musical features the song Memory?
Answer
Cats
Cats is based on T. S. Eliot's poetry book Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. Source
Which Lin-Manuel Miranda musical tells the story of a US Founding Father?
Answer
Hamilton
Hamilton was inspired by Ron Chernow's 2004 biography of Alexander Hamilton. Source
Which band recorded Hotel California in 1976?
Answer
Eagles
The Eagles formed in Los Angeles in 1971 as Linda Ronstadt's backing band. Source
Which band was fronted by Axl Rose?
Answer
Guns N' Roses
Their 1987 debut, Appetite for Destruction, is one of the best-selling debut albums ever. Source
What does it mean to sing a cappella?Without instruments / In Latin / Very slowly / With a full orchestra
Answer
Without instruments
A cappella is Italian for 'in the manner of the chapel'. Source
What is the highest standard female singing voice?Alto / Mezzo-soprano / Contralto / Soprano
Answer
Soprano
The word soprano comes from the Italian sopra, meaning above. Source
Which music genre is Bob Marley most associated with?Ska / Calypso / Reggae / Soca
Answer
Reggae
Reggae was added to UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage in 2018. Source
Which Italian composer wrote The Four Seasons?
Answer
Antonio Vivaldi
Vivaldi was a Catholic priest, nicknamed 'the Red Priest' for his red hair. Source
In what year did Pink Floyd release The Dark Side of the Moon?
Answer
1973
The album spent over 900 weeks on the US Billboard 200 chart. Source
What was the name of David Bowie's rock star alter ego from space, introduced in 1972?
Answer
Ziggy Stardust
Bowie retired the character on stage at London's Hammersmith Odeon in July 1973. Source
In what year did Fleetwood Mac release the album Rumours?
Answer
1977
Rumours was recorded while both couples in the band were breaking up. Source
Which Russian composer wrote the ballet Swan Lake?
Answer
Tchaikovsky
Tchaikovsky also wrote The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty ballets. Source
Which musical features the song Defying Gravity?
Answer
Wicked
Wicked tells the untold story of the witches of Oz. Source
Which instrument family does the saxophone belong to, even though it is made of brass?Brass / Percussion / Woodwind / Strings
Answer
Woodwind
It counts as woodwind because it makes sound with a reed. Source
Who wrote I Will Always Love You, a huge 1992 hit for Whitney Houston?Carole King / Dolly Parton / Diane Warren / Barbra Streisand
Answer
Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton first released the song in 1974. Source
Which music genre grew out of block parties in the Bronx in the 1970s?Disco / Hip hop / Funk / Punk
Answer
Hip hop
DJ Kool Herc's 1973 party in the Bronx is often cited as hip hop's birthplace. Source
What was Elton John's name at birth?
Answer
Reginald Dwight
He legally changed his name to Elton Hercules John in 1972. Source
Which jazz saxophonist was nicknamed 'Bird'?
Answer
Charlie Parker
Parker was a pioneer of bebop, a fast and complex jazz style of the 1940s. Source
What is Lady Gaga's real first name?
Answer
Stefani
Her full birth name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. Source
Which Norwegian composer wrote In the Hall of the Mountain King?
Answer
Edvard Grieg
It was written for Ibsen's play Peer Gynt, first staged in 1876. Source
What is Sting's real name?
Answer
Gordon Sumner
He got the nickname Sting from a black and yellow striped jumper he wore. Source
Which Austrian composer, called the Waltz King, wrote The Blue Danube?
Answer
Johann Strauss II
The Blue Danube famously accompanies spaceships in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Source
Who won Eurovision 2014 for Austria with Rise Like a Phoenix?Lena / Netta / Conchita Wurst / Loreen
Answer
Conchita Wurst
The 2014 contest was held in Copenhagen. Source
Which singer won Eurovision for Sweden in both 2012 and 2023?Carola / Mans Zelmerlow / Robyn / Loreen
Answer
Loreen
Loreen won with Euphoria in 2012 and Tattoo in 2023, the first woman to win twice. Source
Which orchestral instrument usually has 47 strings and seven pedals?Harpsichord / Harp / Piano / Celesta
Answer
Harp
The pedals change the pitch of strings so the harp can play in different keys. Source
The aria Nessun dorma comes from which Puccini opera?
Answer
Turandot
Luciano Pavarotti's recording became famous as the BBC's theme for the 1990 World Cup. Source

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