On November 21, 1877, Thomas Alva Edison announced his latest invention — the phonograph, and the world of music changed forever. A music quiz to remember the day.

1.The musical Carousel was a huge hit for the song-writing team of Rodgers and Hammerstein way back in 1945. However, a song featured in the production is still regularly performed. Which is the track?

2. Which poet and lyricist fled to India in 1949 after the Pakistan government issued an arrest warrant against him for his writings in the publication Savera and other journals?

3.After which music director was an award instituted in 1995 to recognise new musical talent in the film industry? Who was the first winner?

4. Unaware that it was a villain in the Lewis Carroll poem, which character did the Beatles use as an inspiration for a character in one of their songs?

5. Which music director composed the background music of Conrad Rooks’s Siddhartha in the ’70s?

6. Dolly Parton released a song, dedicated to her partner Porter Wagoner, which was a moderate hit in June 1973. She re-released the song in 1982 and it became a No.1 hit. But the 1982 hit paled in comparison to the success of a cover version in 1992, which ended up as one of the biggest-selling songs of all time. Which is the song, and who is the cover artiste?

7. When he started his alternative career in 1971, he had already earned a Bachelor’s degree in math and science at Imperial College London, and was beginning work on his doctorate, for which he studied the mysterious properties of interstellar dust. In 2008, he was awarded a PhD in astrophysics. Which musical luminary are we talking about?

8. Since the cinema industry was considered a lowly profession in the ’40s, which music director was introduced by his parents to his future bride as a tailor? Ironically, the music that played in his baraat was from one of his films.

9. The Doll Domination by The Pussycat Dolls was a reasonable hit, reaching the top of the charts in more than 10 countries. Which track from that album featured in an Oscar ceremony?

10. Who has been, so far, the youngest recipient of the Filmfare award for best female playback singer?

Answer

1. ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone,’ adopted by the supporters of the Liverpool Football Club as their anthem

2. Sahir Ludhianvi

3. RD Burman; the first winner was AR Rahman

4. The walrus from the song ‘I am the Walrus’, inspired from Carroll’s ‘The Walrus and the Carpenter.’ John Lennon was quite upset when he realised that the walrus was the villain

5. Hemant Kumar

6. ‘I Will Always Love You,’ covered by Whitney Houston. It also featured on the soundtrack of the film The Bodyguard

7. Queen guitarist Brian May

8. Naushad, and the songs played were composed by him for the film Rattan

9. ‘Jai Ho,’ written by AR Rahman for the film Slumdog Millionaire and covered on their album

10. Nazia Hassan for ‘Disco Deewane’ in 1981. She was 15 when she recorded the track. She was the first Pakistani to win the award

Joy Bhattacharjya is a quizmaster and Project Director, FIFA U-17 World Cup

Follow Joy on Twitter @joybhattacharj

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