The Sound of Music (Part I)
Evelyn Glennie Listens to Sound without Hearing It (Author: Deborah Cowley)Answers prepared by Sri Rupjyoti Goswami PGT (English)
I.1. How old was Evelyn when she went to the Royal Academy of Music?
Ans:- Evelyn was seventeen years old when she went to the Royal Academy of Music.
2. When was her deafness first noticed? When was it confirmed?
Ans:-
Her deafness was first noticed when she was eight years old.She did not
respond to the calling of her name while she was waiting to play the
piano.
It was confirmed at the age of eleven when her academic progress began to worsen rapidly as a result of hearing impairment.
II. 1. Who helped her to continue with music? What did he do and say?
Ans:-
Percussionist Ron Forbes helped her to continue with music. He advised
her to sense sound some other way instead of listening through her ears.
He gave her an exercise by tuning two large drums to different notes.
Thus she was able to feel certain notes in different parts of her body.
2. Name the various places and causes for which Evelyn performs.
Ans:-
The places in which Evelyn performs are prisons and hospitals. Her
performances are guided by a desire to inspire deaf and handicapped
children and raise funds for them.
III. 1. How does Evelyn hear music?
Ans:-
Evelyn has learnt how to open her mind and body to sounds and
vibrations. She has developed an exceptional ability to listen to sounds
through different parts of her body. It causes a sensation in her body,
her cheekbones and even in her hair. When she plays the xylophone, she
can sense the sound passing up the stick into her fingertips. While she
leans against the drums, she can feel the echoes of sounds flowing into
her body. She performs barefooted on a wooden stage because it allows
vibrations to pass through her legs more freely.
Part II: The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan
III.1. Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the Pungi?
Ans:- Aurangzeb banned the playing of the pungi in his palace because it had a shrill unpleasant sound.
2. How is a shehnai different from a pungi?
Ans:-
A shehnai was made by using a pipe that was longer and broader than the
pungi. The sound of the shehnai was softer and more melodious than the
sound produced by the pungi.
3. Where was the shehnai played traditionally?How did Bismillah Khan change this?
Ans:- The shehnai was traditionally played in temples and North Indian weddings.
Bismillah Khan changed this by bringing the shehnai onto the classical stage for performance.
4. When and how did Bismillah Khan get his big break?
Ans:-
Bismillah Khan got his big break when the All India Radio Station was
opened in Lucknow in 1938. He began to play shehnai almost regularly on
radio.
5. Where d id Bismillah Khan play the shehnai on 15 August 1947? Why was the event historic?
Ans:-
On 15 August 1947, Bismillah Khan played the shehnai at the Red Fort.
The event was historic because he became the first Indian to greet the
nation with his shehnai. The occasion was also memorable for the famous
"Tryst with Destiny" speech delivered by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
6. Why did Bismillah Khan refuse 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 was so fond of Benaras and the holy Ganga that he did not want to
leave India.
7. Find at least two instances in the text which tell you that Bismillah Khan loves India and Benaras.
Ans:-
The following instances tell us that Bismillah Khan loves India and
Benaras. First, he refused to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A
because he did not want to leave India.
Secondly, it was surprising
that a devout Muslim like him could so naturally play shehnai every
morning in the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
Syllabus of Class ix English
1. The Fun They Had by Isaac Asimov
2. The Road not Taken by Robert Frost
3. The Sound of Music (Part-I & II) by Deborah Cowley
4. The Lake Isle of Innisfree by W. B. Yeats
5. A Legend of the Northland by Phoebe Cary
6. My Childhood by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
7. No Men are foreign by James Kirkup
8. The Bond of Love by Kenneth Anderson
9. A Slumber did my spirit seal by William Wordsworth
10. A visit to Kaziranga and Sivasagar by Dr. Srutimala Duara
Momemts Supplimentary Reader in Class IX English
11. The Adentures of Toto by Ruskin Bond
12. The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde
13. Weathering the storm in Ersama by Harsh Mander
14. A House is not a Home by Zan Gaudioso
Mr. Rupjyoti Goswami
Post Graduate Teacher (English)
Bhogeswar Hazarika Girls' Higher Secondary School, Bebejia, Nagaon, Assam.
Email: rupjyotigoswami983@gmail.com
Mobile: 9864425896.
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon