The Sound of Music

THE SOUND OF MUSIC (Evelyn Glennie - Part 1)
Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.

1. How old was Evelyn when she went to the Royal Academy of Music?
A. Evelyn was seventeen years old when she got admission in the Royal Academy of Music,
London. She was nervous as she boarded the train from Scotland as she lived on farms in the
countryside and was not exposed to the life in cities. Evelyn was excited as she was about to begin
her career in music which was her aim in life.
2. When was her deafness first noticed? When was it confirmed?
A. When Evelyn was eight years old, her mother, Isabelle Glennie noticed that Evelyn did not
respond to her name being called out at the piano class. Evelyn’s loss of hearing was gradual and
for some time she was able to hide her disability from her teachers and friends. By the time she
turned eleven, her marks deteriorated, and her parents took her to a doctor. Then, it was discovered
that Evelyn was profoundly deaf.
Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (30–40 words).

1. Who helped her to continue with music? What did he do and say?
A. Evelyn was discouraged by her teachers but master – percussionist Ron Forbes spotted her
talent and potential. He guided Evelyn to feel music some other way rather than hearing it. He got
two large drums and tuned them to different notes. When he played the drums, Evelyn reacted to the
distinct notes differently. She realized that she could feel the higher notes produced by one of the
drums through the upper part of her body, above the waist and the lower notes of the other drum
through the lower part of her body, below the waist. This worked well for Evelyn and gradually, she
found that she could sense different sounds and vibrations through different parts of her body.
2. Name the various places and causes for which Evelyn performs.
A. Evelyn made her first tour at the age of sixteen when she performed with a youth orchestra. She
toured the United Kingdom and after that tour she decided that she would make a career in music.
She has made her name in the field of music. Evelyn is a popular musician with a busy international
schedule. Apart from the regular concerts, she also does charity and performs for hospitals and
prisons. Evelyn also holds classes for young musicians.
Answer the question in two or three paragraphs (100–150 words).

1. How does Evelyn hear music?
A. Evelyn Glennie was passionate about music but unfortunately, she lost her sense of hearing by
the age of eleven. She wanted to learn playing the xylophone but was discouraged by her teachers.
They opined that as she could not hear, she could not learn music. Master percussionist Ron Forbes
spotted Evelyn’s potential. He guided her to feel music some other way than to hear it through her
ears. He trained her by tuning two large drums to different notes. Evelyn realized that she could
sense different sounds and vibrations through different parts of her body. She could feel the higher
notes produced by one of the drums through the upper part of her body, above the waist and the
lower notes of the other drum through the lower part of her body, below the waist. This experiment
worked well for Evelyn and she responded to the finer sounds of music too.
Evelyn can feel music penetrate her body through various parts – cheeks, hair, skin, etc. When she
plays the xylophone, she feels the sound move from the sticks into her fingertips. When the drums
are played, she can feel the echo of the drum beats through her body. Evelyn removes her footwear
as she performs on a wooden floor so that she can feel the vibrations produced by different
instruments pass through her feet up her legs. Thus, Evelyn has sensitized her body to music.
Part 2 The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan
Theme & Summary : The lesson is about Ustaad Bismillah Khan. He was a renowned shehnai
player in India. He is a legend because he did something which has historical significance. He
played the shehnai on the day India got independence i.e 15th August 1947. At the Red Fort,
before the Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru gave his speech. Before that
Bismillah Khan played the shehnai in order to signify something auspicious. Something
auspicious for the whole country was about to happen – India was about to get freedom. And
so, on that occasion, Bismillah Khan played the shehnai and so, he is a legend.
Answer these questions in 30–40 words.
1. Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi?

A. Aurangzeb disliked the sound produced by the pungi. It was considered to be a reeded
noisemaker as it was loud, shrill and unpleasant. So, he banned playing of pungi in his royal
court.
2. How is a shehnai different from a pungi?

A. Although the shehnai is also a reeded musical instrument like the pungi, it differs in shape,
size and the quality of sound produced by it. It was made with a hollow stem which was longer
and broader than the pungi and had seven holes on it. The sound produced by the shehnai was
soft and melodious in contrast to the shrill noise made by the pungi.
3. Where was the shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan change this?
A. Traditionally, the shehnai was played at the royal court as part of the traditional collection of
musical instruments called ‘naubat’, in the temples and at weddings. Bismillah Khan invented
new ragas with the shehnai and thus, brought it on the stage among other classical musical
instruments.
4. When and how did Bismillah Khan get his big break?
A. Bismillah Khan got his big break when in 1938 the All India Radio opened its Radio Station at
Lucknow. He played shehnai from the radio station regularly and his music became popular
through it.
5. Where did Bismillah Khan play the shehnai on 15 August 1947? Why was the event
historic?
A. On 15th August 1947, Bismillah Khan played the shehnai from the Red Fort and greeted the
entire country. The event was historic as it was the day when India gained independence from
the British rule. Bismillah’s performance was followed by the historic speech – ‘Tryst with
Destiny’ given by India’s first Prime Minister – Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
6. Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A.?
A. Bismillah Khan was attached to the temples of Benaras and the river Ganga. He could not
leave them and so, refused to set up a shehnai school in the USA.
7. Find at least two instances in the text which tell you that Bismillah Khan loves India
and Benaras.
A. Bismillah’s love for India and Benaras are shown by the fact that he refused to set up a
shehnai school in USA as he could not leave Benaras and river Ganga. Secondly, when he was
honoured with the Bharat Ratna, he declared that Indian Classical music was India’s richest
heritage.

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THE SOUND OF MUSIC (Evelyn Glennie - Part 1)

Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.

Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (30–40 words).

Answer the question in two or three paragraphs (100–150 words).

1. Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi?

2. How is a shehnai different from a pungi?

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