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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why is it almost never cost effective to play classical music live in modern times, according to George Martin?
(a) Most people prefer to buy recordings rather than attend live performances.
(b) Audiences will not pay high ticket prices.
(c) The sheer number of musicians needed to form an orchestra.
(d) Finding enough talented musicians to form an orchestra is difficult.

2. As explained in Chapter 7, why was George Martin first skeptical about the Beatles?
(a) He doubted they could succeed, given their lack of musical training.
(b) He was skeptical about their longish hair.
(c) He was not sure a major talent could come out of any of the provinces.
(d) He did not like their name.

3. What was the scandal at EMI, involving sopranos Kirsten Flagstad and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf?
(a) The two had a secret affair.
(b) Flagstad had throat trouble during a recording session, and Schwarzkopf was secretly brought in to dub in the high C note for her.
(c) Schwarzkopf had throat trouble during a recording session, and Flagstad was secretly brought in to dub in the high C note for her.
(d) Flagstad recorded songs that were released under the Schwarzkopf name.

4. George Martin had trouble plugging "Love Me Do" for what reason, as explained in Chapter 7?
(a) The industry was expecting a comedy record from him.
(b) The industry did not approve of the Beatles' longish hair.
(c) The song title seemed trite.
(d) The Beatles were from Liverpool, not London.

5. The composer Bach trudged hundreds of miles in a failed attempt to meet which other musician, according to George Martin in Chapter 2?
(a) Debussy.
(b) Beethoven.
(c) Handel.
(d) Chopin.

Short Answer Questions

1. By the end of Chapter 3, what was George Martin's job at Parlophone?

2. During the Beatles' first recording session, George Martin wanted to replace which Beatle with a studio musician?

3. During their first meeting with George Martin, who was the most talkative Beatle?

4. In what year did the Beatles first reach number one in America?

5. What was George Martin's day job at the BBC Music Library, after he finished music school?

Short Essay Questions

1. Early in Chapter 1, why were the Beatles in Paris?

2. What was George Martin's opinion of the Beatles talent and potential, upon listening to the demo tapes brought to him by Brian Epstein?

3. Why was George Martin gradually disenchanted with EMI by the end of Chapter 3, and what happened when he announced his plan to accept a position elsewhere?

4. What was George Martin's first job at Parlophone, as described in Chapter 3, and what were his primary duties?

5. Briefly describe George Martin's first meeting with the Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, in 1962.

6. How does George Martin compare the nature of singer/songwriters in the 1950s, when he started at Parlophone, with the situation in 1979, when "All You Need Is Ears" was published?

7. How did George Martin come to record "At the Drop of a Hat" with Donald Swann and Michael Flanders, and what was unusual about the recording method he used?

8. What were George Martin's early life experiences with the piano and performing in general?

9. Briefly summarize George Martin's experience at the Guildhall School of Music.

10. Whom does George Martin consider to be his fairy godfather, and how did the two meet?

(see the answer keys)

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