The Sound of Music Class 9 English, Beehive – Summary, Explanation, Word Meanings

Evelyn joined a youth orchestra and toured the United Kingdom with them. When she was sixteen, she decided to make music her life. She auditioned for the Royal Academy of Music and scored one of the highest marks in the history of the academy. She gradually left the orchestral work and started giving solo performances. At the end of her three year course, she had received most of the top awards. She became the world’s most famous multi-percussionist with a mastery over some thousand instruments. She speaks Scottish flawlessly and also learnt French and Japanese. In 1991, she was honoured with the Royal Philharmonic society’s prestigious Soloist of the year Award.

(1) How did Evelyn become able to sense different notes?

(2) What did Evelyn say about sensing the music?

(3) When was Evelyn deafness first noticed? When and how was it confirmed?

(4) How did percussionist Ron Forbes help Evelyn  in her career?

(5) What did Evelyn do after the advice of percussionist Ron Forbes?

(6) What was so ‘magical’ about Evelyn  getting to the top?

(7) What was Evelyn attitude toward the music?

(8) How did Evelyn feel or sense music despite her deafness?

(9) How is Evelyn an inspiration for the specially abled people in the world?

(10) What lies behind Evelyn’s success? How does she acknowledge it ?

(11) “Evelyn confesses that she is something of a workaholic” Explain the statement ?

(12) What special achievement did Evelyn  have in the history of Royal Academy?

(13) Why did Evelyn  use to remove her shoes on a wooden platform?

(14)  How does Evelyn’s life become a source of inspiration for the handicapped?

Emperor Aurangzeb banned the playing of the pungi (a musical instrument) in the royal palace. The reason was that it had a sharp and unpleasant sound. A barber who belonged to a family of professional musicians decided to improve the tonal quality of the pungi. He took a pipe with a natural hollow Stem. It was longer and broader than the pungi. He made seven holes on its body. When it was played by closing and opening some of these holes, soft and melodious sounds were produced. Everyone was impressed when he played the instrument in the palace.

As the instrument was first played in the Shah’s (King’s) chambers and was played by a nai (a barber), it was named as the ‘shehnai. The sound of the shehnai gradually became popular and it started to be considered auspicious with time. It is still played in temples and at weddings in North India. In the past, the shehnai was part of the naubat or the traditional group of nine instruments found at Royal Courts.

As a five year old Bismillah Khan played gilli-danda near a pond in Dumraon in Bihar.He would go to the nearby Bihariji temple. There he would sing the Bhojpuri chaita. Bismillah Khan was born on 21st March, 1916 in a well-known family of musicians in Dumraon, Bihar. His grandfather, Rasool Bux Khan, was the shehnai-nawaz of the Bhojpur king’s Court. His father, Paigambar Bux and other ancestors were great shehnai players.

Bismillah got interested in music at a small age. His mother took him to maternal uncle’s house in Benaras (now Varanasi) when he was three years old. He was fascinated by watching his uncle, Ali Bux playing the shehnai. Soon, he started accompanying his uncle to the Vishnu temple of Benaras where he was employed to play shehnai. Gradually, he started getting lessons on playing the shehnai. He practised playing it in the temples of Balaji and Mangala Maiya and at the banks of the river Ganja. The flowing waters of the Ganga inspired him to invent new raagas. He accompanied his uncle to the Allahabad Music Conference at the age of fourteen. Ustad Faiyaz Khan was impressed by his performance and encouraged him to work hard to achieve his goal.

Bismillah Khan got the first big break with the opening of the All India Radio in Lucknow in 1938. Soon he became a popular shehnai player on the radio. Bismillah became the first Indian to greet the nation with his shehnai on 15th August, 1947 when India gained independence. He played Shehnai from the Red Fort in front of an audience including Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. He gave many memorable performances in India and abroad. His first trip to abroad was to Afghanistan where King Zahir Khan became impressed by his performance and gifted him his priceless Persian carpets and other things.

Film director Vijay Bhatt named a film ‘Goonj Uthi Shehnai’ after he was fascinated on hearing Bismillah playing the shehnai at a festival. One of Bismillah Khan’s compositions in the film ‘Dil Ka Khilona Hai Toot Gaya’ became a national chartbuster.

Bismillah only gave music in two films-Goonj Uthi Shehnai and a Kannada film Sanadhi Apanna. This was because he did not like the artificiality and glamour of the film world. Ustad Bismillah Khan was the first Indian to be invited to perform at the prestigious Lincoln Centre Hall in the USA. He also took part in The World Exposition in Montreal, Cannes Art Festival and the Osaka Trade Fair. He became so popular internationally that an auditorium in Tehran was named after him.

Bismillah received the National awards like the Padma Shri, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan. In 2001, he was awarded the India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna. He recommended Indians to teach the music to their children as it is Hindustan’s richest tradition. Bismillah Khan travelled to many countries, but he was extremely fond of Benaras and Dumraon. These remained the most wonderful towns of the world for him. He also refused one of his student’s offer to head a Shehnai school in the USA by saying that he could not find the Ganga there. His life is a perfect example of the rich, cultural heritage and secularity of India.

Extra Questions – (II) The Shehnai Of Bismillah Khan