The Sound of Music, which can be found in Chapter 2 of Class 9 English textbook Beehive, is a prose piece that tells the fascinating tales of two renowned musicians: the brilliant Scottish multi-percussionist Evelyn Glennie and the legendary Indian shehnai player Bismillah Khan.
In this chapter, readers learn that it pays off to put in the effort now and stick with whatever it is that piques their interest. CBSE English Notes Class 9 format overview of The Sound of Music in prose form for students to read and study.
Synopsis Of “The Sound of Music”
The Sound of Music tells parallel tales of two famous composers. There are two sections to this chapter. One is “Evelyn Glennie Listens to Sound without Hearing It,” by Deborah Cowley. And the other is “The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan,” about the great shehnai performer from India.
The first part of the book describes Evelyn’s struggles and her eventual rise to fame as a musician. She has Scottish ancestry. A nerve injury rendered Evelyn deaf when she was 11 years old. Evelyn has an aural threshold so low that she can only feel the music. She could play a hundred various percussion instruments equally well.
Evelyn wanted to study at the world-famous Royal Academy of Music in London, so she did what she could to make that happen. It sheds light on the meteoric rise to stardom she experienced. A tremendous source of inspiration for those with disabilities, she is.

In the second part, we learn about Bismillah Khan, who is credited with popularizing the genre of ‘Shehnai’ in India. He was born into a musical household and thus began his musical training at an early age. In addition to playing Shehnai at Red Fort, he performed at a wide variety of other events and programs.
He popularized the shehnai around the globe, earning him the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, and Bharat Ratna. There is also an auditorium dedicated to him in Tehran. This narrative teaches us about the impact of two famous performers on the field of music.
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“Evelyn Glennie Listens To Sound Without Hearing It”
This biography of Scottish multi-percussionist Evelyn Glennie, titled “Evelyn Glennie Listens to Sound without Hearing It,” sheds insight on her life and the challenges she overcame on the road to fame.
She’s an accomplished musician who can play a number of instruments beautifully. It’s fascinating to learn that despite her total deafness, she has a remarkable talent for perceiving music with her body rather than her ears.
In spite of the fact that Evelyn’s hearing loss didn’t begin until she was eleven years old, she was nonetheless not born with the condition. She had trouble hearing as a child, but that never stopped her from following her dream of being a musician.
Even though drummer Ron Forbes had noticed Evelyn’s aptitude, she was much more interested in learning the xylophone. Instead of listening to the music with her ears, he had her feel it all over her body.

There was no turning back after that! Since then, Evelyn has gone from strength to strength, culminating in an audition at the Royal Academy of Music where she received one of the highest grades in the institution’s history.
For her extraordinary, award-winning work on the international stage, she was showered with praise. She was awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society’s “Solist of the Year Award” in 1991.
Beethoven Fund for Deaf Children’s Ann Richlin praised Evelyn as a shining example for the disabled community. As a result, Evelyn Glennie remains an inspiration to all around her. And her remarkable performances continue to win over millions of fans around the world.
How Exactly Does Evelyn Hear And Perceive Music?
By the time Evelyn was eleven, it was determined that she was profoundly deaf. But she kept fighting anyhow. She was resolved to live a typical life and follow her musical dreams.
Percussionist Ron Forbes saw her promise and suggested that she stop relying on her ears to hear and instead use her other senses. She discovered that the higher drum could be felt above the waist and the lower one below.
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The exercise was repeated by Forbes, and eventually, Evelyn was able to identify specific tones with specific locations in her body. She trained herself to be more receptive to outside stimuli. “It’s flooding in through every orifice,” she said.
The sensation spreads to my cheekbones, skin, and hair. She could feel the vibrations of the xylophone traveling up the stick into her fingertips. And the reverberations of the drums coursing through her as she leaned against them.
She used to go shoeless so the waves might travel through her feet and into her legs. Evelyn feels the beat of the music all over her body. In reality, she does not listen to music at all. Evelyn reaches out with her hands, hoping to grasp the sonic vibrations.
She uses her whole body, including her arms and legs, to feel the vibrations of the various drums she plays. Evelyn can literally feel the beat of the song in her fingertips when she plays the xylophone.
She takes her shoes off before performing on wooden stages. This will allow her to experience the vibrations directly via her feet. Evelyn can feel the beat all the way up to her scalp.
FAQs Frequently Asked Questions
1. How old was Evelyn when she got into the Royal Academy of Music?
She tried out for the Royal Academy of Music when she was 16 years old.
2. When was her hearing impairment initially noted?
Her inability to hear was first discovered when she was eight years old. At the age of 11, it was determined that she was deaf.
3. Who encouraged her to keep playing the piano?
A percussionist by the name of Ron Forbes recognized her talent. Everyone else tried to dissuade her from pursuing music, believing that it was impossible for a deaf person to master music. Ron Forbes suggested she try to experience the music rather than just hear it. She was instructed to let the sensation permeate her entire being.
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