Evelyn Glennie Listens to Sound Without Hearing It.
The Sound of Music | Part-I | Summary
“Evelyn
Glennie Listens to Sound without Hearing It” throws light on the life of famous
Scottish multi-percussionist, Evelyn Glennie and the struggles she faced to
become a successful musician. She is a talented performer who knows how to play
several instruments perfectly. It is interesting to note that although she is
completely deaf, she has an extraordinary ability to sense music through her
body rather than her ears. Evelyn was not born deaf, but she lost her hearing
ability by the time she was eleven years old. Whilst she faced difficulty in
hearing, that did not bog down her determination to pursue music.
Evelyn
was keener to learn the xylophone at school when percussionist Ron Forbes
recognised her potential. He encouraged her to sense the music through her
body, instead of her ears. After that, there was no looking back! Evelyn
continued to scale newer heights ever since and when she auditioned at the
Royal Academy of Music; she scored one of the highest marks in the history of
the music academy. She received several laurels, accolades and awards for her
extraordinaire par excellence performances on the global platform. In 1991, the
Royal Philharmonic Society honoured her with the prestigious ‘Soloist of the
Year Award’. Ann Richlin of the Beethoven Fund for Deaf Children stated that
Evelyn is a beaming inspiration to the specially-abled people. Thus, Evelyn
Glennie continues to set an example by motivating everyone around her with her
determination and delights millions of people with her outstanding
performances.
Evelyn Glennie Listens to Sound without Hearing It- Question-Answers
Q.1.
How old was Evelyn when she went to the Royal Academy of Music?
Ans:-
When Evelyn went to the Royal Academic of Music, she was seventeen years old.
Q.2.
When was her deafness first noticed? When was it confirmed?
Ans:-
At the age of eight, her deafness was first noticed by her mother when while
waiting to play the piano, Evelyn did not respond to her name being called.
Evelyn’s
deafness was confirmed at the age of eleven years.
Q.3.
Who helped her to continue with music? What did he do and say?
Ans:-
Ron Forbes, a percussionist, noticed Evelyn’s talent and helped her continue
with music.
He
tuned two large drums to different notes and asked Evelyn to try and sense
their sound in some other way, rather than try to listen through her ears. He
thus made her realize that she could feel the higher drum from the waist up and
the lower one from the waist down, and also that she could sense different
notes in different parts of her body. Thus Ron Forbes taught her to feel sound
by her mind and body rather than by her ears.
Q.4.
Name the various places and causes for which Evelyn performs.
Ans:-
Evelyn performs at regular concerts and often goes on international tours,
having a very hectic schedule. She gives high priority to classes for young
musicians. Evelyn also gives free concerts in prisons and hospitals. Evelyn is
a shining inspiration for the handicapped that are charged with confidence by
her perseverance and success.
Q.5.
How does Evelyn hears music?
Ans:-
Evelyn hears music through the vibrations of each individual instrument, made
by it while producing different notes. Different parts of her body sense the
different notes and their vibrations. She says that she can feel the music
pouring in through every part of her body. It makes her skin, hair and even
cheekbones tingle.
Usually,
while giving performances and during playing, Evelyn stands barefoot on a
wooden platform, so that the vibrations can pass through her feet up her legs.
When she plays the xylophone, she can sense the sound passing up the stick into
her fingers. And by leaning against drums during playing them, Evelyn can feel
the resonances flowing into her body. Thus sensing the music through the
sensations created by the instruments helps Evelyn ‘hear’ music and play it
flawlessly.
The Sound of Music| Part-II
The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan | Summary
In
Part 2 of The Sound of Music chapter, we learn about Ustad Bismillah Khan, the
shehnai legend and how the musical instrument ‘Shehnai’ came into being. The
‘Shehnai’ was first played in the Mughal Emperor’s chamber by a barber of a
family of professional musicians. He chose a pipe with holes in it and played
it by closing and opening some of these holes, thereby creating melodious
sounds from the instrument. Legendary Indian shehnai player, Ustad Bismillah
Khan was the maestro who popularized this musical instrument and gave it a
global platform. He belonged to a renowned family of musicians and created new
tunes and raagas, which had not been explored before. From a young age, he was
deeply inspired by the flowing waters of the river Ganga and would play on its
banks at the temple of Balaji and Mangala Maiya. Bismillah Khan had a secular
upbringing as he loved Benares and would naturally play the shehnai every
morning at the Kashi Vishwanath temple on the banks of the holy river Ganga.
In
1938, Bismillah Khan got his big break with the inauguration of the All India
Radio in Lucknow. Later, when India became independent of the British Rule on
15th August 1947, Ustad Bismillah Khan was the first Indian invited to play the
shehnai as he greeted the nation with his stirring performance. Over the years,
he achieved infinite success and garnered immense praise from music lovers,
both nationally and internationally for his soulful renditions. He was bestowed
with several accolades and awards in India such as the Padma Vibhushan, the
Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri. He was also the recipient of the highest
civilian honour in India i.e. The Bharat Ratna.
Ustad
Bismillah Khan represented India on the global stage too. He was the first
Indian who was invited to perform at the distinguished Lincoln Centre Hall in
the USA. He also participated in the Cannes Art Festival, the World Exposition
in Montreal and the Osaka Trade Fair. He was so popular that an opera house in
Teheran was named after him i.e. Tahar Mosiquee Ustaad Bismillah Khan. Despite
having numerous opportunities far and wide, the music maestro was very fond of
India particularly, Benaras and his native town, Dumraon. On 21st August 2006,
Ustad Bismillah Khan breathed his last after a prolonged illness and left a
legacy of soulful music behind him.
The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan- Question-Answers
Q. Tick
the right answer.
1. The
(shehnai/pungi) was a ‘reeded noisemaker’.
Ans:- Pungi.
2. (Bismillah
Khan/ a barber/ Ali Bux) transformed the pungi into a shehnai.
Ans:- A barber.
3. Bismillah
Khan’s paternal ancestors were (barbers/ professional musicians).
Ans:- Professional Musicians.
4. Bismillah
Khan learnt to play the shehnai from (Ali Bux/ Paigambar Bux/ Ustad Faiyaaz
Khan).
Ans:- Ali Bux.
5. Bismillah
Khan’s firdt trip abroad was to (Afghanistan/ U.S.A./ Canada).
Ans:- Afghanistan.
Textual Question and Answers
1. Why
did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi?
Ans:- Aurangzeb had banned the playing
of the pungi because it had a shrill unpleasant sound.
2. How
is a shehnai different from a pungi?
Ans:- The shehnai is made from a broader
and longer pipe which had a natural hollow stem as compared to the pungi.
Moreover, it has a very pleasant sound as opposed to the pungi which produced a
shrill sound.
3. Where
was the shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan change this?
Ans:- Traditionally shehnai was played
in temples and at weddings.
Bismillah Khan changed this by bringing
the shehnai onto the classical stage.
4. When
and how did Bismillah Khan get his big break?
Ans:- Bismillah Khan got his first break
with the opening of the All India Radio in Lucknow in the year 1938. For he
started playing there regularly and soon became a well-known and often heard
shehnai player on radio.
5. Where did Bismillah Khan play the shehnai on 15th August 1947? Why was the event historic?
Ans:- Bismillah Khan played the shehnai from atop the Red Fort on 15th August.
The event was historic because this was the day when India gained independence and his recital was followed by Jawaharlal Nehru’s famous ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech.
6. Why did Bismillah Khan refused to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A.?
Ans:- Bismillah Khan refused to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A. because he could not bear the thought of being away from India and his beloved Ganga.
7. Find at least two instances in the text which tell you that Bismillah Khan loves India and Benaras.
Ans:- Two instances which tell us Bismillah Khan’s love for India and Benaras are-
Firstly, he refused an offer from one of his student to move to U.S.A. to open a shehnai school there because he could not bear to be far from his beloved Ganga.
Secondly, he is remembered to have said that whenever he is in a foreign country, he keeps yearning to see India.
