The Sound of Music — Study Notes

1. Introduction

"The Sound of Music" is a two-part biographical chapter from the Beehive textbook that celebrates the power of music and human determination. The first part, written by Deborah Cowley, tells the inspiring story of Evelyn Glennie, a Scottish girl who lost her hearing but went on to become one of the most famous percussionists in the world. The second part, "The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan", narrates the life of Ustad Bismillah Khan, the great shehnai player of India who made the instrument world-famous and played it at the Red Fort on the eve of Independence Day in 1947.

The chapter brings together two extraordinary musicians from two different parts of the world. Evelyn Glennie conquered deafness to feel music through her body, while Bismillah Khan kept the tradition of the shehnai alive and took the purest music of India to the world stage. Both of them show that talent, hard work and passion can overcome any obstacle, whether it is a physical disability or the lack of opportunities.

The lesson teaches us valuable life lessons about dedication, humility and the purity of art. It also shows how the very first notes of the shehnai emerged from the pungi and were refined by Bismillah Khan's family, making the instrument an inseparable part of Indian weddings and temple ceremonies. Through both lives, the chapter asserts that music is a language that crosses all barriers of geography, class and even disability.

2. Author

Part I of the chapter, "Evelyn Glennie Listens to Sound without Hearing It", is written by Deborah Cowley, a writer who has documented the achievements of extraordinary individuals. Part II, "The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan", is a biographical account of the legendary musician compiled for the textbook. Both parts are from the book that celebrates musicians of India and the world, showing how the two artists, though different in background, share a total devotion to music.

3. Summary

Part I: Evelyn Glennie

Evelyn Glennie, born in Scotland, lost her hearing gradually; by the age of eleven she was profoundly deaf. Instead of giving up her love for music, she decided to feel music through her body. She was discouraged by some but her percussion teacher Ron Forbes believed in her. He began tuning two large drums to different notes and asked her not to listen through her ears but to feel the vibrations through her body. Evelyn realised she could sense the higher drum from the waist up and the lower drum from the waist down. From that day she learnt to open her mind and body to sound.

Evelyn achieved what no one thought possible. She won the top soloist prize at the Royal Academy of Music and later performed with world-renowned orchestras. She gives about a hundred concerts a year, sometimes performing even for audiences of soldiers. She learnt to sense sound through different parts of her body - the higher notes near her ears, lower notes down to her bare feet. She plays the xylophone, marimba and many other percussion instruments, and even her "hurry-up" movements on the bus are rhythmical. She explains that deafness is more of a nuisance than a handicap, and she advises others to not be discouraged by barriers but to pursue their passion.

Part II: Bismillah Khan

Bismillah Khan was born in 1916 in Dumraon, Bihar. He was named Qamruddin, but his grandfather Rasool Bux Khan, a shehnai player in the court of the princely state of Bikaner, saw a child of divine music in him and gave him the name Bismillah. When Bismillah was three, his family moved to Benaras (Varanasi). As a boy he would go to the nearby Balaji temple, and later to the Mangala Maiya temple, to listen to his uncle Ali Bux play the shehnai. It is said that the shehnai emerged from the pungi, a musical instrument that was banned by Aurangzeb for its harsh sound; it was improved by a barber (nai) of the royal family, and so the instrument came to be known as "shehnai" (sheh - shahnai/nai). Bismillah's uncle trained him.

The young Bismillah practised and soon became an expert. His first great public performance was in 1930 at the All India Music Conference in Allahabad. In 1947 he played the shehnai from the Red Fort on the eve of Independence, and his performance was broadcast to the whole country. He played for kings and queens, and the then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru renamed his favourite shehnai to "Sangeet Bharati" after the famous school in Benaras. Bismillah Khan took the shehnai to the world stage, performing at the Edinburgh Festival, the World Exposition in Montreal, and many other places. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. He loved Benaras and the Ganga above all, refused invitations to settle abroad, and lived his life in the simple service of his music until he passed away in 2006.

4. Characters

• Evelyn Glennie: A Scottish percussionist who is profoundly deaf but feels music through vibrations in her body. She is determined, hardworking and positive, believing deafness is a "nuisance" not a handicap.
• Ron Forbes: Evelyn's first percussion teacher who tuned two big drums and taught her to feel the notes through her body. He saw her potential when others had given up.
• Bismillah Khan: A shehnai maestro from Benaras, born in 1916 at Dumraon, Bihar. He is humble, devoted to his instrument and to his hometown, and dedicated to the music of the Ganga.
• Rasool Bux Khan: Bismillah's grandfather, a shehnai player in the Bikaner court, who renamed the infant Qamruddin as Bismillah.
• Ali Bux: Bismillah's uncle, who played the shehnai in the Mangala Maiya temple and trained young Bismillah.

5. Themes

• Triumph over Disability: Evelyn Glennie's life shows that physical barriers need not stop a person from achieving excellence. She listens "without hearing" through her whole body.
• Dedication and Hard Work: Both musicians practised relentlessly. Evelyn trains twice as hard as a hearing musician, and Bismillah spent hours in temples perfecting his notes.
• Devotion to Roots and Culture: Bismillah Khan's love for Benaras and the Ganga shows that an artist remains connected to his culture. He refused to move abroad and kept playing at temples.
• The Purity of Music: Music is shown as a divine, universal language that can be felt and shared across the world, crossing all barriers of language and nationality.
• The Role of a Mentor: Ron Forbes's faith in Evelyn shows how a good teacher can change a life. Similarly, Ali Bux's training shaped Bismillah.

6. Literary Devices

• Imagery: Vivid descriptions like "the sounds of the rain and breeze," "her body swaying," and "the bells of the temple" create aural and visual pictures.
• Alliteration: Phrases such as "sensational soloist," "Royal Academy of Music" and "shehnai of Bismillah Khan" repeat consonant sounds for musical effect.
• Simile: Comparisons like feeling sound "the way I can feel the vibration of a bus" make abstract ideas concrete.
• Symbolism: The shehnai symbolises Indian tradition, purity and cultural pride; the "two big drums" symbolise Evelyn's breakthrough.
• Contrast: The chapter contrasts Evelyn's initial rejection with her later success, and Bismillah's simple temple life with his world fame.
• Personification: The shehnai is spoken of almost as a living being - it "speaks", "weeps" and "laughs" in the hands of a master.

Quick Revision Tables

Table 1: Comparison of the Two Musicians

Table 2: Important Events and Dates

Mind Map

Important Diagrams (SVG)

Diagram 1: Evelyn's Journey of Feeling Sound

Diagram 2: Evolution of the Shehnai

Common Mistakes

1. Thinking Evelyn was born deaf: she lost her hearing gradually, and by the age of eleven she was profoundly deaf; she was not born deaf.
2. Saying the shehnai was invented by Bismillah Khan: it was born out of the pungi and improved by a barber of the royal family; Bismillah only popularised it.
3. Forgetting the mentor's name: Ron Forbes, not anyone else, taught Evelyn to feel sound through drums.
4. Mixing up the birthplace of Bismillah Khan: he was born in Dumraon, Bihar, in 1916, though he later lived in Benaras.
5. Confusing the Red Fort performance date: Bismillah played the shehnai on the eve of Independence (15 August 1947), from the Red Fort, in a broadcast to the nation.
6. Believing Evelyn became a singer: she is a percussionist who plays the xylophone, marimba and other percussion instruments.
7. Writing that Bismillah Khan settled abroad: he refused offers to move to other countries because he loved Benaras and the Ganga.

Exam Tips

1. State clearly that the chapter has two parts and name the author of Part I (Deborah Cowley) and the subject of Part II (Bismillah Khan).
2. Quote Evelyn's line "deafness is more of a nuisance than a handicap" in answers about her attitude, as it is a famous phrase.
3. Connect the moral of both parts: talent, hard work and humility triumph over all obstacles.
4. Memorise the dates - 1916 (birth), 1930 (first performance), 1947 (Red Fort) - for fact-based questions.
5. Use the pungi-to-shehnai story when asked about the origin of the shehnai, since it is a favourite question.
6. Practise writing two to three lines on how Evelyn senses music through different parts of her body (higher notes at ears, lower notes at feet).
7. Use the comparison table to answer "compare the two musicians" questions with a clear structure.

Conclusion

"The Sound of Music" celebrates two lives devoted to music: Evelyn Glennie, who turned deafness into rhythm, and Bismillah Khan, who turned a simple reed instrument into a national treasure. The chapter proves that music is not heard only by the ears but felt by the heart and the whole body. Both musicians teach us that obstacles are stepping stones for those who are determined, and that true greatness lies in hard work, humility and loyalty to one's culture. Together, their stories form a beautiful symphony of human courage and artistic purity.