Date: SOUND OF MUSIC
Theme:
- Strong determination and sincere hard work with honesty leads to success.
- A problem is only as big as we make it. No problem is so great that it cannot be overcome.
Message:
- Aim for your goal and try to reach your goal with full determination and concentration.
- There is always a teacher to bring out the latent potential of a pupil.
PART -I
Evelyn Glennie listens to sound without hearing it
Summary:
Evelyn Glennie is a multi-percussionist. She can play about 1000 instruments with perfection. She listens to sound without hearing it. Evelyn fought against a physical disability and became a source of inspiration, for thousands of disabled persons. She was profoundly deaf. She was 11 years old, when it was discovered that she had the hearing disability.
She wanted to pursue her career in music but her teachers discouraged her. It was Ron Forbes who recognized her potential and supported her in achieving her goal. He advised her not to listen through her ears but try to sense and feel it in some other way. Soon she was excited. She felt the vibrations of higher drum from the waist above and the lower drum from the waist down. Later, she realized that she could feel the vibrations in every part of her body.
These tingled in her skin, her cheekbones and even in hair. She had learnt to open her body and mind to the sounds and vibrations. After that, she never looked back.
Evelyn joined the prestigious Royal Academy of Music and scored one of the highest marks in the history of the academy. She worked hard with strong determination. She got right to the top. In 1991, she was presented with the Royal Philharmonic Society’s prestigious soloist of the year award. Apart from the regular concerts, Evelyn gives free concerts in prisons and hospitals. She is a shining inspiration for deaf children. She has accomplished more than most people, twice her age. She has earned a name in orchestra. She has inspired those who are handicapped, made them believe that if Evelyn could do that, why not they?
A. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
1. ‘But this aspiring musician faced a bigger challenge than most.’
i. Identify the musician? What was her origin?
ii. Why was learning music a great challenge for the teenager?
iii. What had made Isabel suspect Evelyn's hearing ability?
iv. Choose the synonym of ‘dare’ from the above line.
B. Answer the questions briefly:
i. Who helped Evelyn to pursue her interest in music? How did he do it?
ii. What message does Evelyn’s achievement give us?
C. Answer in about 100 to 150 words:
i. In spite of her towering success, Evelyn doesn’t accept any hint of heroic achievement. Explain.
PART -II
The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan
SUMMARY
This lesson is an effort to understand Indian classical musicians and instruments, especially the origin of Shehnai and Shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan. Shehnai replaced pungi which had an unpleasant sound. Pungi’s tonal quality was improved by a nai (barbar) of Shah (Emperor Aurnangeb); hence it was named as Shehnai. The lesson beautifully deals with the early life of Bismillah khan in Dumraon in Bihar.
His grandfather was a Shehnai-nawaz of the Bhojpur king’s court. Bismillah khan took to music early in life when he was 3 years old, in the company of his maternal uncle. His life is a source of simplicity and communal harmony, from the very beginning, when he used to sing ‘Chiata’ in Bihariji temple and practicing Shehnai in Vishnu temple and Mangala Maiya temple of Varanasi.
Bismillah khan got his big break with the opening of All India Radio in Lucknow in 1938. He also played shehnai on 15 August, 1947 from Red Fort in the presence of Pandit Nehru. Bismillah khan gave many memorable performances both in India and abroad, where he was honoured with so many awards. He also gave music in two movies ‘Gunj Uthi shehnai’ and ‘Sanadhi Apanna’.
He was so fond of his motherland India, Benaras and the Holy Ganga, that he refused an offer to be the Head of Shehnai School in USA. In 2001, Ustad Bismillah khan was awarded India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna.
In the end, his life is a perfect example of the rich, cultural heritage of India, one that effortlessly accepts that a devout Muslim like him can very naturally play the shehnai at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, thus breaking the myth that it’s capable of creating independent pages, with this instrument alone.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
A. ‘He used to spend most of his time practicing on the banks of the River Ganges.’
i. Who is ‘he’ in the above lines? What did he practice?
ii. How did the surroundings affect his music?
iii. Under whose guidance was he trained?
B. Answer the questions briefly:
1. Why did emperor Aurangazeb ban the playing of Pungi in the royal residence?
2. What is the difference between a Pungi and a Shehnai?
C. Answer in about 100 to 150 words:
1. Give an account of the awards, accolades and recognition that Bismillah Khan earned as a talented musician.
Please click on below link to download CBSE Class 9 English Sound of Music Worksheet Set B
