The Sound of Music Class 9 | Summary and Notes | NCERT Solutions |

The Sound of Music Class 9 | Summary and Notes | NCERT Solutions | Questions Answers |

Summary

 Part 1: Evelyn Glennie Listens to Sound without Hearing It

Evelyn Glennie Listens to Sound without Hearing It revolves around the story of Evelyn Glennie, a famous Scottish multi-percussionist who overcame many struggles to become successful. Even though she is deaf, she has an amazing ability to feel music through her body. Evelyn was not born deaf, but she lost her hearing when she was eleven years old. This did not stop her from pursuing music.

Evelyn liked learning the xylophone more when a percussionist (Ron Forbes) at her school told her to learn it without her ears. He encouraged Evelyn to feel music in her body instead of hearing it. After that, Evelyn continued to get better and she auditioned at the Royal Academy of Music and scored one of the highest marks in history. Evelyn Glennie has received a lot of awards for her performances. In 1991, the Royal Philharmonic Society gave her the award for being a soloist of the year. Ann Richlin from Beethoven Fund for Deaf Children said that Evelyn is an example to other people who are specially-abled because she is determined and gives everyone around her joy with her outstanding performances.

Part 2: The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan

In Part 2 of The Sound of Music chapter, We get to learn about Ustad Bismillah Khan, the shehnai legend. He was the first person to play the shehnai in the Mughal Emperor’s chamber. He did this by closing and opening some of the holes in the pipe, which made melodious sounds. The Indian shehnai player, Ustad Bismillah Khan, made this musical instrument popular and gave it a global platform and a place among others instruments. Bismillah Khan was a famous musician. He played new tunes that had not been seen before. When he was young, he loved the Ganga river and would play at Balaji Temple and Mangala Maiya temple. Bismillah Khan’s family was secular so he also played at Kashi Vishwanath Temple on the Ganga River every morning.

In 1938, Bismillah Khan got a big break. He played the shehnai at an opening ceremony for a radio station in Lucknow. Later, when India became free from British rule on 15th August 1947, he was the first person to play the instrument as he welcomed India to its new life. Over the years, he achieved success and won lots of praise from music lovers for his soulful music. He received many awards in India such as Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. He was also honoured with the highest civilian honour in India i.e. The Bharat Ratna.

Ustad Bismillah Khan was a famous Indian musician who represented India at global level too. He was the first Indian to be invited to perform at the 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. Even though he had opportunities all over the world, he loved India, particularly Benaras and his hometown of Dumraon. Ustad Bismillah Khan breathed his last on August 21, 2006 after a long illness. He was known for his soulful music.

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NCERT Solutions of The Sound of Music Class 9

Thinking about the Text

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

Question 1. How old was Evelyn when she went to the Royal Academy of Music?

Answer: Evelyn was 16 year old when she went to the Royal Academy of Music.

Question 2. When was her deafness first noticed? When was it confirmed?

Answer: Her deafness was first noticed when she was 8 year old. It was confirmed when she was 11.

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

Question 1. Who helped her to continue with music? What did he do and say?

Answer: A percussionist named Ron Forbes helped her to continue with music. He asked Evelyn not to listen to the music with her ears, but to try to sense it some other way.

Question 2. Name the various places and causes for which Evelyn performs.

Answer: Apart from the concerts, Evelyn performs in hospitals and prisons. She also teaches other musicians.

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

Question 1. How does Evelyn hear music?

Answer: Ron Forbes asked Evelyn to hear music in a different way, not through her ears. She tried to sense the music by using her body. He tuned two drums to different notes and she felt it in different parts of her body.

Evelyn realized that she could feel the higher and lower drums differently. Forbes kept repeating the same exercise and then Evelyn realized that she can sense certain notes in different parts of her body. For example, when she plays the xylophone, she can feel the music pass up the stick into her fingertips. When she leans against the drums, she can sense the resonances flowing into her body. When she performs on a wooden platform, she removes her footwear so that the vibrations pass through her bare feet and up her legs.

NCERT Solutions of The Sound of Music Class 9

I. Tick the right answer.

1. The (shehnai, pungi ) was a ‘reeded noisemaker.’

2. (Bismillah Khan, A barber, Ali Bux) transformed the pungi into a shehnai.

3. Bismillah Khan’s paternal ancestors were (barbers, professional musicians).

4. Bismillah Khan learnt to play the shehnai from (Ali Bux, Paigambar Bux, Ustad Faiyaaz Khan).

5. Bismillah Khan’s first trip abroad was to (Afghanistan, U.S.A., Canada).

Answer:

1. The pungi was a ‘reeded noisemaker.’

2. A barber transformed the pungi into a shehnai.

3. Bismillah Khan’s paternal ancestors were professional musicians.

4. Bismillah Khan learnt to play the shehnai from Ali Bux.

5. Bismillah Khan’s first trip abroad was to Afghanistan.

III. Answer these questions in 30–40 words.

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

Answer: Aurangzeb banned the playing of the pungi because it made a very shrill and unpleasant noise.

Question 2. How is a shehnai different from a pungi?

Answer: A shehnai is a musical instrument. It has a hollow body and holes in it. A pungi does not have these things.

Question 3. Where was the shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan change this?

Answer: Shehnai is a traditional instrument that was once played at royal courts. It is now also played in temples and at weddings. Bismillah Khan helped make it popular on the classical stage and took it at global stage too.

Question 4. When and how did Bismillah Khan get his big break?

Answer: Bismillah Khan got his start in 1938 when All India Radio opened was set up in Lucknow. He became a famous shehnai player who was often heard on the radio.

Question 5. Where did Bismillah Khan play the shehnai on 15 August 1947? Why was the event historic?

Answer: Bismillah Khan played the shehnai on 15th August 1947. He was the first Indian to greet India on their independence day. Today, Bismillah Khan is an important person in history because of his musical performance.

Question 6. Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A.?

Answer: Bismillah Khan did not want to leave his country. He felt an unbreakable connection to his home in Dumraon and Benaras, and with River Ganga. Therefore he refused to start a shehnai school in the USA.

Question 7. Find at least two instances in the text which tell you that Bismillah Khan loves India and Benaras.

Answer: Given below are the two instances which tell us that Bismillah Khan loves India and Benaras are:

• He says that he keeps yearning to see Hindustan whenever he is in a foreign country,
• He also adds that he thinks of only Benaras and the holy Ganga when he is in Mumbai,

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