The Sound of Music NCERT Solutions, Summary & Word Meanings Class 9 PDF
Subject: English (Beehive) | Chapter: 2 | Topics: Evelyn Glennie & Bismillah Khan
📥 Download Notes PDF 📢 Join Telegram🔤 Important Word Meanings
- Profoundly (adv): Extremely; deeply (Evelyn was profoundly deaf).
- Jostle (v): Push roughly in a crowd.
- Daunting (adj): Frightening; scary.
- Auspicious (adj): Promising success; favorable (e.g., an auspicious occasion).
- Maestro (n): A distinguished musician or conductor.
- Indispensable (adj): Absolutely necessary; crucial.
- Pungi (n): A traditional musical instrument with a shrill, unpleasant sound.
📖 Chapter Summary: The Sound of Music
Part I: Evelyn Glennie Listens to Sound without Hearing It
This inspirational biographical feature is about Evelyn Glennie, a Scottish multi-percussionist who can play thousands of instruments to perfection. Evelyn lost her hearing completely by the age of eleven due to gradual nerve damage. However, she did not give up on her dream of music. Percussionist Ron Forbes spotted her potential and taught her to feel music through different parts of her body rather than her ears. She learned to open her mind and body to sounds and vibrations. Her sheer determination and hard work made her one of the most sought-after musicians globally.
Part II: The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan
This part traces the origin of the Shehnai and the life of the legendary Shehnai player, Ustad Bismillah Khan. Emperor Aurangzeb had banned the playing of a musical instrument called the pungi because of its shrill noise. A barber modified it into a sweeter-sounding instrument, which was named the "Shehnai" (played in the Shah's chambers by a Nai/barber). Bismillah Khan brought this traditional instrument onto the classical stage. He played the Shehnai from the Red Fort on 15th August 1947, greeting the newly independent India. Despite global fame, he remained deeply attached to Benaras and the river Ganga, proving himself a true symbol of India's rich, composite culture.
📚 Part 1: NCERT Solutions (Textbook Questions)
Q1: How old was Evelyn when she went to the Royal Academy of Music?
Ans: Evelyn was just seventeen years old when she went to the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London.
Q2: Who helped her to continue with music? What did he do and say?
Ans: Percussionist Ron Forbes helped Evelyn to continue with music. He tuned two large drums to different notes and told her, "Don’t listen through your ears, try to sense it some other way." Evelyn realized she could feel the higher drum from the waist up and the lower drum from the waist down.
Q3: Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi?
Ans: Emperor Aurangzeb banned the playing of the pungi in the royal residence because it had a very shrill and unpleasant sound. It became a generic name for reeded noisemakers.
Q4: How is a shehnai different from a pungi?
Ans: A shehnai is a pipe with a natural hollow stem that is longer and broader than the pungi. It has seven holes on the body of the pipe. Unlike the pungi’s harsh sound, the shehnai produces a soft and melodious sound.
⚡ Part 2: Extra Practice Questions
Q5: How does Evelyn hear music?
Ans: Evelyn hears music by feeling its vibrations through her body. When she plays the xylophone, she can sense the sound passing up the stick into her fingertips. By leaning against the drums, she feels the resonances flowing into her body. On a wooden platform, she removes her shoes so the vibrations pass through her bare feet and up her legs.
Q6: Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A.?
Ans: He refused his student's offer to head a shehnai school in the U.S.A. because of his immense love for India, specifically Benaras and the river Ganga. He asked his student if he could transport the river Ganga as well, proving that his soul belonged to his homeland.
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Q: On August 15, 1947, Ustad Bismillah Khan became the first Indian to greet the nation with his shehnai. Where did he play it?
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