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The trombone is part of which musical family: percussion or brass?
Brass. The trombone developed out of an instrument called the sackbut almost 600 years ago. The sackbut was essentially a slide trumpet. The brass family of instruments is the loudest in an orchestra.
What is the United States’ national anthem: “Born in the U.S.A.” or “The Star-Spangled Banner”?
“The Star-Spangled Banner.” The song was based on a poem written by Francis Scott Key in 1814. Fun fact: Before 1931, the U.S. national anthem was “My Country ’Tis of Thee.”
A sequence of notes played in ascending or descending order is called what: a coda or a scale?
A scale. Certain scales tend to be used repeatedly within a particular culture or musical tradition. However, in theory, the different ways to use scales are almost unlimited.
Which 1958 musical film stars Leslie Caron and Maurice Chevalier, with the latter singing “Thank Heaven for Little Girls”: The Sound of Music or Gigi?
Gigi. The film won nine Oscars, including Best Scoring of a Musical Picture and Best Original Song.
Which is the term for the type of singing that rapidly alternates between low chest notes and high falsetto: lyric or yodel?
Yodel. Yodeling is often associated with mountainous regions like the Alpine people of Switzerland because, at one time, it was used as a way to communicate across moderate distances there.
How many strings does a cello have: eight or four?
How many strings does a cello have: eight or four?
Who sang “Shake it Off” :Miley Cyrus or Taylor Swift?
Taylor Swift
Which modern-day instrument has 47 strings: the cello or the harp?
The harp. The modern harp also has seven pedals to change the pitch of those strings.
Which song did Roy Rogers and his wife Dale Evans famously sing together: “The Tennessee Waltz” or “Happy Trails”?
“Happy Trails.” They sang it as a farewell song at the end of their 1950s television program, The Roy Rogers Show
In which country will you find the famous opera house La Scala: China or Italy?
Italy. The theater opened in Milan, Italy, in 1778 and was designed by Giuseppe Piermarini
Today, bagpipes are generally associated with which country: Brazil or Scotland?
Scotland. While Scotland does have a strong bagpiping tradition, the instrument can be traced back to Egypt around 400 BC
What child star famously sang “On the Good Ship Lollipop” and “Animal Crackers in My Soup”: Brooke Shields or Shirley Temple?
Shirley Temple. She sang “On the Good Ship Lollipop” in the movie Bright Eyes and “Animal Crackers in My Soup” in the film Curly Top.
Which instrument was Liberace (lib-er-AH-chee) famous for playing: the trumpet or the piano?
The piano. Liberace was known for playing popular tunes on ornate grand pianos while wearing elaborate costumes.
Which is the highest female singing voice: alto or soprano?
Soprano. The vocal range extends from around middle C to the second A above it.
Which instrument has keys or buttons on one side, is referred to as a squeezebox, and was famously played by Lawrence Welk: a harmonica or an accordion?
An accordion. Just who invented the accordion is still debated by historians and researchers, but it seems to have come about in the 1820s.
Steinway & Sons famously produce which musical instrument: guitars or pianos?
Pianos. German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg, aka Henry E. Steinway, founded the company in 1853.
Finish the popular song lyric: “Say it’s only a paper moon sailing over a cardboard sea, but it wouldn’t be make-believe if you believed in _________.”
“Me.” Considered a jazz standard, “It’s Only a Paper Moon” was originally titled “If You Believed in Me.” While not an immediate hit, over time, the song gained more and more appeal as musicians like Nat “King” Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, and Benny Goodman released their own renditions of the tune.
What was Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers’ first single and biggest hit: “Jailhouse Rock” or “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?”
“Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” The Teenagers originally called themselves the Premieres, and Lymon was just a backup singer. He was also only 13 when the song went to No. 6 on the U.S. charts.
If someone says, “Your singing is a little flat,” does that mean you’re singing is in tune or out of tune?
Out of tune. In this case, flat implies the performer is singing notes lower than they should be sung.
Is the trumpet player in “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” playing music in the air force or the army?
The army. The song is about a trumpeter who is drafted during WWII. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song in the 1941 film Buck Privates. However, “The Last Time I Saw Paris” from Lady Be Good won instead.
In which language is the title of the classic song “La Vie en rose”: Spanish or French?
French. La Vie en rose translates to “Life in pink” in English. The song is about seeing the world through rose-colored glasses because the singer is in love.
Which occupation did Brahms, Beethoven, Chopin, and Vivaldi all share—violinist or composer?
Composer. Among them, the Italian composer Vivaldi did play the violin; however, the rest were notable pianists.
Despite saxophones generally being made of brass today, to which musical family do they belong: strings or woodwinds?
Despite saxophones generally being made of brass today, to which musical family do they belong: strings or woodwinds?
What famous musical writing duo worked together on Oklahoma!, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music: George and Ira Gershwin or Rodgers and Hammerstein?
Rodgers and Hammerstein. Together, composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II created 11 musicals and earned 35 Tonys, 15 Oscars, and many, many more accolades.
Finish the popular song title: “When the Swallows Come Back to _________.”
“Capistrano.” Leon René, who wrote the song, worked roughly 50 miles away from San Juan Capistrano, where a large flock of swallows famously returns to a mission church each March.
Duke Ellington, Artie Shaw, and Glenn Miller were big band leaders known for which genre of music: country or swing?
Swing. The swing era, aka the big band era, was most popular in the 1930s and ’40s. Swing helped make jazz music more rhythmic and therefore easier to dance to.
Were the Temptations an all-female or all-male singing group?
An all-male singing group. The Temptations primarily recorded under the Motown record label and were known for their smooth harmonies. Their most popular songs include “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.”
What group took “All I Have to Do Is Dream” to No. 1 in both the U.S. and the U.K. in 1958: the Bee Gees or the Everly Brothers?
The Everly Brothers. The song was written by the famous husband-and-wife songwriting team Boudleaux and Felice Bryant. The pair had also written many other hits, like “Bye, Bye Love” and “Wake Up Little Susie.”
What instrument did Ringo Starr play in the Beatles: the guitar or the drums?
The drums. Starr replaced the band’s original drummer, Pete Best, in 1962.
In the Peanuts comic strip, which character played the piano often: Charlie Brown or Schroeder?
Schroeder. He was typically hunched over his toy piano, playing classical music by composers like Beethoven.