Answer: Ebony
In the classical days, ebony, a hardwood found primarily in West Africa, was used to make the black keys on pianos. In modern times however, plastic is mostly used to make piano keys, both black and white.

Answer: Mason Bates
Mason Bates first opera piece, "The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs" based on the life of the titular businessman, earned him the 2019 Grammy for Best Opera Recording.

Answer: William Grant Still
In 1931, William Grant Still's "Afro-African Symphony" was played by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, marking the first time a symphony composed by an African-American was played by a major orchestra. Five years later, Still would make history again by being the first African-American to conduct a major American orchestra (Los Angeles Philharmonic) during the 1936 Hollywood Bowl.

Answer: Opus Number
Opus numbers are the numbers you usually find attached to the name of a classical work, such as 'Symphony No. 4', etc. These indicate the order in which the artist produced these works.

Answer: "A Life for the Tsar"
Originally entitled "Ivan Susanin", Mikhail Glinka renamed the first of his two most-famous operas to "A Life for the Tsar" (1836) as a show of favor to Emperor Nicholas I who monitored the work while it was in progress and is said to have actually suggested the name change.

Answer: Comedy
"Opera buffa" translates from Italian - with Italy being the region the genre was born - as "comic opera".

Answer: 639
The organ version of "As Slow as Possible" began at St. Burckhardt's church in Germany during 2001 and is scheduled to conclude in 2640, thus making it 639 years in duration.

Answer: Mozart
A study published by the respected scientific journal "Nature" in 1999 suggested that listening to certain tunes by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart slightly increased student IQ scores, albeit briefly. This theorized phenomenon has come to be known as the "Mozart effect".

Answer: Franz Liszt
In 1870, Richard Wagner married Cosima, daughter of Franz Liszt, whom Franz fathered with Countess Mari d'Agoult, the wife of another man. Cosima also gave birth to her first child with Wagner while wed to music conductor Hans von Bülow, but she later divorced him and officially married Wagner.

Answer: Argentina
Classical concert pianist Martha Argerich was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on June 5, 1941. Martha is often referred to as one of the finest pianists of her generation. At the young age of 8, Martha had already began professionally playing concertos by Beethoven and Mozart.