The Sound Of Music Summary

The Sound Of Music Summary

Part I - Evelyn Glennie Listens To Sound With Hearing It:-

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 & 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 & supported her in achieving her goal. He advised her not to listen through her ears but try to sense & feel it in some other way. Soon she was excited. She felt the vibrations of the higher drum from the waist above & the lower drum from the waist down. Later she realized that she could feel the vibrations in every part of her body. These tingle in her skin, her cheekbones and even in hair. She had learned to open her body & mind to the sounds and vibrations. After that, she never looked back.

Evelyn joined the prestigious royal academy of music & 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 & 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 the orchestra. She has inspired those who are handicapped made them believe that if Evelyn could do that, why not they.

Part II - The Shehnai Of Bismillah Khan:-

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 sah (emperor Aurangzeb); 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 presence of Pandit Nehru. 

Bismillah khan gave many memorable performances both in India and abroad where he was honored 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 the 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.

Summary Part 1 Source:- Nvseng9

Summary Part 2 Source:- Nvseng9