The Sound of Music Summary & Notes - CBSE Class 9 English Beehive

Summary of The Sound of Music

Chapter 2 of Class 9 English textbook – Beehive consists of a prose piece – The Sound of Music, that comprises two stories about the interesting lives of two different music maestros – Evelyn Glennie, a great Scottish multi-percussionist and Bismillah Khan, a legendary Indian shehnai player. This chapter teaches students about hard work, determination and pursuing their interests. Students can read the prose summary of the CBSE Class 9 English Prose Notes – The Sound of Music in CBSE English Notes Class 9 format here. This prose summary would give them an in-depth understanding of the chapter as they prepare themselves for their exams.

Students can also learn how to write an effective essay during the exam by going through the Essay page at BYJU’S to increase marks in Class 9 English papers.

CBSE Class 9 English The Sound of Music Summary

The Sound of Music consists of two stories about two popular music maestros. The chapter is divided into two parts: Part 1 – ‘Evelyn Glennie Listens to Sound without Hearing It’, written by Deborah Cowley and Part 2 – ‘The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan’, which is about the legendary Shehnai player from India.

The Sound of Music Part 1: Evelyn Glennie Listens to Sound without Hearing It Summary

‘Evelyn Glennie Listens to Sound without Hearing It’ throws light on the life of famous Scottish multi-percussionist Evelyn Glennie and the struggles she faced to become a successful musician. She is a talented performer who knows how to play several instruments perfectly. It is interesting to note that although she is completely deaf, she has an extraordinary ability to sense music through her body rather than her ears. Evelyn was not born deaf, but she lost her hearing ability by the time she was eleven years old. Whilst she faced difficulty in hearing, that did not bog down her determination to pursue music.

Evelyn was keener to learn the xylophone at school when percussionist Ron Forbes recognised her potential. He encouraged her to sense the music through her body instead of her ears. After that, there was no looking back! Evelyn continued to scale newer heights ever since, and when she auditioned at the Royal Academy of Music, she scored one of the highest marks in the history of the music academy. She received several laurels, accolades and awards for her extraordinary par excellence performances on the global platform. In 1991, the Royal Philharmonic Society honoured her with the prestigious ‘Soloist of the Year Award’. Ann Richlin of the Beethoven Fund for Deaf Children stated that Evelyn is a beaming inspiration to specially-abled people. Thus, Evelyn Glennie continues to set an example by motivating everyone around her with her determination and delights millions of people with her outstanding performances.

The Sound of Music Part 2: The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan Summary

In Part 2 of The Sound of Music chapter, we learn about Ustad Bismillah Khan, the Shehnai legend and how the musical instrument ‘Shehnai’ came into being. The ‘Shehnai’ was first played in the Mughal Emperor’s chamber by a barber of a family of professional musicians. He chose a pipe with holes in it and played it by closing and opening some of these holes, thereby creating melodious sounds from the instrument. Legendary Indian Shehnai player Ustad Bismillah Khan was the maestro who popularized this musical instrument and gave it a global platform. He belonged to a renowned family of musicians and created new tunes and ragas which had not been explored before. From a young age, he was deeply inspired by the flowing waters of the river Ganga and would play on its banks at the temple of Balaji and Mangala Maiya. Bismillah Khan had a secular upbringing as he loved Benares and would naturally play the shehnai every morning at the Kashi Vishwanath temple on the banks of the holy river Ganga.

In 1938, Bismillah Khan got his big break with the inauguration of All India Radio in Lucknow. Later, when India became independent of British Rule on 15th August 1947, Ustad Bismillah Khan was the first Indian invited to play the shehnai as he greeted the nation with his stirring performance. Over the years, he achieved infinite success and garnered immense praise from music lovers, both nationally and internationally, for his soulful renditions. He was bestowed with several accolades and awards in India, such as the Padma Vibhushan, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri. He was also the recipient of the highest civilian honour in India, i.e. The Bharat Ratna.

Ustad Bismillah Khan represented India on the global stage too. He was the first Indian who was invited to perform at the distinguished Lincoln Centre Hall in the USA. He also participated in the Cannes Art Festival, the World Exposition in Montreal and the Osaka Trade Fair. He was so popular that an opera house in Teheran was named after him, i.e. Tahar Mosiquee Ustaad Bismillah Khan. Despite having numerous opportunities far and wide, the music maestro was very fond of India, particularly Benaras and his native town, Dumraon. On 21st August 2006, Ustad Bismillah Khan breathed his last after a prolonged illness and left a legacy of soulful music behind him.

Conclusion of The Sound of Music

The chapter – The Sound of Music illustrates how music binds people and is not limited to one person only. Music is a universal language that is loved and adored by all people. Here we bring you the CBSE Class 9 English Beehive Prose Summary of The Sound of Music that will help students to get a thorough understanding of the chapter. Visit BYJU’S which offers various resources such as CBSE Notes and CBSE study material. Students can also access different years’ question papers and CBSE sample papers on the BYJU’S website. For more educational content, they can also download BYJU’S: The Learning App.