The Great American Songbook

Question 1

What year was Alexander’s Ragtime Band?

Answer 1

1911

Question 2

Who wrote Alexander’s Ragtime Band?

Answer 2

Irving Berlin

Question 3

What year was Till the Clouds Roll By?

Answer 3

1917

Question 4

Who wrote Till the Clouds Roll By?

Answer 4

Jerome Kern/Bolton/Wodehouse

Question 5

What year was A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody?

Answer 5

1919

Question 6

Who wrote A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody?

Answer 6

Irving Berlin

Question 7

Where was A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody used?

Answer 7

It was the theme song for the Ziegfeld Follies.

Question 8

What year was Swanee?

Answer 8

1919

Question 9

Who wrote Swanee?

Answer 9

George Gershwin

Question 10

What year was Fascinating Rhythm?

Answer 10

1924

Question 11

Who wrote Fascinating Rhythm?

Answer 11

George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin

Question 12

What and when was the first movie with sound and music?

Answer 12

The Jazz Singer - 1927

Question 13

What was the song used in The Jazz Singer?

Answer 13

Blue Skies

Question 14

Who wrote Blue Skies?

Answer 14

Irving Berlin

Question 15

What and when was that which was considered to be the first great musical?

Answer 15

Showboat - 1927

Question 16

What are the songs we studied from showboat?

Answer 16

Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man and Ol’ Man River

Question 17

Who wrote Showboat?

Answer 17

Jerome Kern with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein

Question 18

What year was Mack the Knife?

Answer 18

1928

Question 19

Who wrote Mack the Knife?

Answer 19

Kurt Weill - an immigrant from the Weimar Republic

Question 20

What year was Ain’t misbehavin’?

Answer 20

1929

Question 21

Who wrote Ain’t misbehavin’?

Answer 21

Fats Waller - Harlem Stride Pianist

Question 22

What year was It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing?

Answer 22

1931

Question 23

Who wrote It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing?

Answer 23

Duke Ellington - legendary big band leader

Question 24

What year was Brother Can You Spare a Dime?

Answer 24

1930

Question 25

What was Brother Can You Spare a Dime about?

Answer 25

The Great Depression - Wall Street Crash of 1929

Question 26

Who wrote Brother Can You Spare a Dime?

Answer 26

Jay Gorney with lyrics by 'Yip' Harburg

Question 27

What year was As Time Goes By?

Answer 27

1931

Question 28

Who wrote As Time Goes By?

Answer 28

Herman Hupfield

Question 29

What movie was As Time Goes By used for?

Answer 29

Casablanca

Question 30

What year was Night and Day?

Answer 30

1932

Question 31

Who wrote Night and Day?

Answer 31

Cole Porter

Question 32

What year was We're in the Money?

Answer 32

1933

Question 33

Who wrote We're in the Money?

Answer 33

Harry Warren with lyrics by Al Dubin

Question 34

What year was Anything Goes?

Answer 34

1934

Question 35

Who wrote Anything Goes?

Answer 35

Cole Porter

Question 36

When was Anything Goes turned into a movie?

Answer 36

1936

Question 37

What year was Let's face the music and dance?

Answer 37

1936

Question 38

What movie was Let's face the music and dance written for?

Answer 38

Follow the Fleet with Fred and Ginger

Question 39

What year was Smile?

Answer 39

1936, although the words were only added in 1954

Question 40

Who wrote Smile?

Answer 40

Charlie Chaplin with lyrics by Turner and Parsons

Question 41

What year was Let's Call the Whole Thing Off?

Answer 41

1937

Question 42

Who wrote Let's Call the Whole Thing Off?

Answer 42

George and Ira Gershwin

Question 43

What film was Let's Call the Whole Thing Off written for?

Answer 43

Shall we dance

Question 44

What year was Somewhere Over the Rainbow?

Answer 44

1938/39

Question 45

Who wrote Somewhere Over the Rainbow?

Answer 45

Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg

Question 46

What musical was Lonely Room from?

Answer 46

Oklahoma!

Question 47

What year was Oklahoma!

Answer 47

1943 (film in 1945)

Question 48

Who wrote Oklahoma!

Answer 48

Rodgers and Hammerstein

Question 49

What year was The Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy?

Answer 49

1941

Question 50

Who wrote The Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy?

Answer 50

Don Raye and Highie Prince

Question 51

What year was Ev'ry time we say goodbye?

Answer 51

1944

Question 52

Who wrote Ev'ry time we say goodbye?

Answer 52

Cole Porter

Question 53

What musical was Some Enchanted Evening from?

Answer 53

South Pacific

Question 54

What year was South Pacific?

Answer 54

1949 - movie in 1958

Question 55

Who wrote South Pacific?

Answer 55

Rodgers and Hammerstein

Question 56

What style was Some Enchanted Evening influenced by?

Answer 56

Operetta

Question 57

What was the first rock n' roll record to get to number one and when did it hit number one?

Answer 57

Rock around the clock - 1954

Question 58

Who wrote Rock around the clock and who performed it?

Answer 58

Freedman and Myers were the writers - The performers were Bill Haley and his Comets.

Question 59

What year was Rock around the clock written?

Answer 59

1952

Question 60

What year was West Side Story?

Answer 60

1957

Question 61

Who wrote West Side Story?

Answer 61

Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Question 62

What styles of music influenced the writing of West Side Story?

Answer 62

It blended jazz, Latin music and modern Classical styles.

Question 63

Who wrote The Sound of Music?

Answer 63

Rodgers and Hammerstein

Question 64

What year was The Sound of Music?

Answer 64

1959 - movie in 1965

Question 65

Why was The Sound of Music and unexpected success?

Answer 65

It was thought that it would not do very well as it was very old-fashioned and based on the operetta tradition.

Question 66

What film was Moon River written for?

Answer 66

Breakfast at Tiffany's starring Audrey Hepburn

Question 67

What year was Breakfast at Tiffany's?

Answer 67

1961

Question 68

Who wrote Moon River?

Answer 68

Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer.

Question 69

What year was porgy and bess?

Answer 69

1934