Thinking about the text : Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 20
Q1 : Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.
1. How old was Evelyn when she went to the Royal Academy of Music?
2. When was her deafness first noticed? When was it confirmed?
Answer :
1. Evelyn was seventeen years old when she went to the Royal Academy of Music in London.
2. Her deafness was first noticed when she was eight years old and it was confirmed when she was eleven.
Q2 : Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (30 – 40 words).
1. Who helped her to continue with music? What did he do and say?
2. Name the various places and causes for which Evelyn performs.
Answer :
1. Percussionist Ron Forbes helped Evelyn to continue with music.
He began by tuning two large drums to different notes. He asked her not to listen to them through her ears but to try and sense the sound in some other manner.
2. Evelyn, with a hectic international schedule, gives solo performances at regular concerts. Apart from these, she gives free concerts in prisons and hospitals. She also accords high priority to classes for young musicians.
Q3 : Answer the question in two or three paragraphs (100 – 150 words).
1. How does Evelyn hear music?
Answer :
Evelyn does not hear music, she feels it. She senses the notes through different parts of her body. Initially, she was encouraged by percussionist Ron Forbes, who tuned two drums to different notes and asked her to sense the sound without using her ears. She realized that she could feel the higher drum from the waist up and the lower drum from the waist down. This exercise helped Evelyn to open up her mind and body to sounds and vibrations.
Evelyn explains that when she plays the xylophone, she senses the sound flowing up the stick and into her fingertips. She leans against the drums, stands barefoot on a wooden platform so that she can feel the vibrations. She says how her whole body including her hair is sensitive to her music and its resonances.
Q4 : Tick the right answer.
1. The (shehnai, pungi) was a ‘reeded noisemaker.’
2. (Bismillah Khan, A barber, Ali Bux) transformed the pungi into a shehnai.
3. Bismillah Khan’s paternal ancestors were (barbers, professional musicians).
4. Bismillah Khan learnt to play the shehnai from (Ali Bux, Paigambar Bux, Ustad Faiyaaz Khan).
5. Bismillah Khan’s first trip abroad was to (Afghanistan, U.S.A., Canada).
Answer :
1. The pungi was a ‘reeded noisemaker.’
2. A barber transformed the pungi into a shehnai.
3. Bismillah Khan’s paternal ancestors were professional musicians.
4. Bismillah Khan learnt to play the shehnai from Ali Bux.
5. Bismillah Khan’s first trip abroad was to Afghanistan.
Q5 : Find the words in the text which show Ustad Bismillah Khan’s feelings about the items listed below. Then mark a tick (√) in the correct column. Discuss your answers in class.
| Bismillah Khan’s feelings about |
Positive |
Negative |
Neutral |
|
|
1. |
teaching children music | |||
|
2. |
the film world | |||
|
3. |
migrating to the U.S.A. | |||
|
4. |
playing at temples | |||
|
5. |
getting the Bharat Ratna | |||
|
6. |
the banks of the Ganga | |||
|
7. |
leaving Benaras and Dumraon | |||
Answer :
|
Bismillah Khan’s feelings about |
Positive |
Negative |
Neutral |
|
|
1. |
teaching children music |
✔ |
||
|
2. |
the film world |
✔ |
||
before you read : Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 21
Q1 : • Do you know these people? What instruments do they play?
Answer :
(1) Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia playing flute
(2) Ustad Vilayat Khan playing sitar
(3) M. Lalitha and M. Nandini playing violin
(4)Zakir Hussain playing tabla
(5) Ustad Amjad Ali Khan playing sarod
(6) Maestro Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan playing violin
(7) Ustad Sultan Khan playing sarangi
(8) Ustad Bismillah Khan playing shehnai
Thinking about the text thinking about language : Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 26
Q1 • Look at these sentences.
• Evelyn was determined to live a normal life.
• Evelyn managed to conceal her growing deafness from friends and teachers.
The italicised parts answer the questions: “What was evelyn determined to do?”
and “What did Evelyn manage to do?” They begin with a to-verb (to live, to conceal).
Complete the following sentences. Beginning with a to-verb, try to answer the questions in brackets.
1. The school sports team hopes __________ (What does it hope to do?)
2. We all want __________ (What do we all want to do?)
3. They advised the hearing-impaired child’s mother __________(What did they advise her to do?)
4. The authorities permitted us to __________ (What did the authorities permit us to do?)
5. A musician decided to __________ (What did the musician decide to do?)
Answer :
1. The school sports team hopes to perform better than the last time.
2. We all want to go to the zoo.
3. They advised the hearing-impaired child’s mother to take her to a specialist.
4. The authorities permitted us to organize a charity event.
5. A musician decided to take India’s music to the world.
Q2 : • Look at these sentences.
• Evelyn was determined to live a normal life.
• Evelyn managed to conceal her growing deafness from friends and teachers.
The italicised parts answer the questions: “What was evelyn determined to do?”
and “What did Evelyn manage to do?” They begin with a to-verb (to live, to conceal).
Complete the following sentences. Beginning with a to-verb, try to answer the questions in brackets.
1. The school sports team hopes __________ (What does it hope to do?)
2. We all want __________ (What do we all want to do?)
3. They advised the hearing-impaired child’s mother __________(What did they advise her to do?)
4. The authorities permitted us to __________ (What did the authorities permit us to do?)
5. A musician decided to __________ (What did the musician decide to do?)
Answer :
1. The school sports team hopes to perform better than the last time.
2. We all want to go to the zoo.
3. They advised the hearing-impaired child’s mother to take her to a specialist.
4. The authorities permitted us to organize a charity event.
5. A musician decided to take India’s music to the world.
Q3 : Answer these questions in 30 – 40 words.
1. Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi?
2. How is a shehnai different from a pungi?
3. Where was the shehnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan change this?
4. When and how did Bismillah Khan get his big break?
5. Where did Bismillah Khan play the shehnai on 15 August 1947? Why was the event historic?
6. Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A.?
7. Find at least two instances in the text which tell you that Bismillah Khan loves India and Benaras.
Answer :
1. Emperor Aurangzeb banned the playing of the musical instrument called pungi in the royal residence because its sound was shrill and unpleasant.
2. Shehnai has a better tonal quality than pungi. It is a natural hollow stem pipe with holes on its body and is longer and broader than the pungi. Shehnai is, in a way, an improvement upon the pungi.
3. Traditionally, the shehnai was part of the naubat or traditional ensemble of nine instruments found at royal courts. Those days, it was played only in temples and weddings. Bismillah Khan changed this by bringing it onto the classical stage.
4. Bismillah Khan got his big break in 1938 with the opening of the All India Radio in Lucknow. He started playing the shehnai on radio and soon became quite popular.
5. On 15 August 1947, Bismillah Khan played the Raag Kaafi on his shehnai from the Red Fort. The event was historical because it was on the occasion of India’s Independence from British Rule.
6. Bismillah Khan refused one of his student’s request to start a shehnai school in the U.S.A. because he would not live away from Hindustan, specifically, from Benaras, the River Ganga and Dumraon.
7. In his initial years, Bismillah used to practice in the temples of Benaras and on the banks of River Ganga. Later, his love for India and Bernaras made him turn down the offer to head a shehnai school in the U.S.A.
Thinking about language : Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 27
Q1 : Tick the right answer.
1. When something is revived, it (remains dead/lives again).
2. When a government ban something, it wants it (stopped/started).
3. When something is considered auspicious, (welcome it/avoid it).
4. When we take to something, we find it (boring/interesting).
5. When you appreciate something, you (find it good and useful/find it of no use).
6. When you replicate something, you do it (for the first time/for the second time).
7. When we come to termswith something, it is (still upsetting/no longer upsetting).
Answer :
1. When something is revived, it lives again.
2. When a government bans something, it wants it stopped.
3. When something is considered auspicious, welcome it.
4. When we take to something, we find it interesting.
5. When you appreciate something, you find it good and useful.
6. When you replicate something, you do it for the second time.
7. When we come to terms with something, it is no longer upsetting.
Q2 : Dictionary work
Ӣ The sound of the shehnai is auspicious.
Ӣ The auspicious sound of the shehnai is usually heard at marriages.
The adjective auspicious can occur after the verb be as in the first sentence, or before a noun as in the second. But there are some adjectives which can be used after the verb be and not before a noun. For example:
Ӣ Ustad Faiyaz Khan was overjoyed.
We cannot say: *the overjoyed man.
Look at these entries from the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2005).
Consult your dictionary and complete the following table. The first one has been done for you
|
adjective |
only before noun |
Answer :
|
adjective |
only before noun |
not before noun |
both before and after the verb be |
|
indispensable |
✔ |
||
|
impressed |
✔ |
✔ |
|
|
afraid |
Speaking : Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 28
Q1 : Imagine the famous singer Kishori Amonkar is going to visit your school. You have been asked to introduce her to the audience before her performance. How would you introduce her?
Here is some information about Kishori Amonkar you can find on the Internet.
Read the passage and make notes of the main points about:
• her parentage
• the school of music she belongs to
• her achievements
• her inspiration
• awards
Padma Bhushan Kishori Amonkar, widely considered the finest female vocalist of her generation, was born in 1931, daughter of another great artist, Smt. Mogubai Kurdikar. In her early years she absorbed the approach and repertoire of her distinguished mother’s teacher Ustad Alladiya Khan. As her own style developed, however, she moved away from Alladiya Khan’s ‘Jaipur-Atrauli gharana’ style in some respects, and as a mature artist her approach is usually regarded as an individual, if not unique, variant of the Jaipur model.
Kishori Amonkar is a thinker, besotted by what she calls the mysterious world of her raagas. She dissects them with the precision of a perfectionist, almost like a scientist, until the most subtle of shades and emotions emerge and re-emerge.
She is very much inspired by the teachings of the ancient Vedic sages, written at a time when vocal music was highly devotional in character. This soul searching quality of her music, coupled with a very intellectual approach to raaga performance has gained her quite a following in India and has helped to revive the study of khayal.
Significant awards bestowed on this artist include the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1985), the Padma Bhushan (1987), and the highly coveted Sangeet Samradhini Award (considered one of the most prestigious awards in Indian Classical Music) in 1997.
Answer :
Notes on Kishori Amonkar
• Born in 1931 to artist Smt. Mogubbai Kurdikarher style, a variant of the Jaipur school of music, is unique and individual
• Explores the world of raagas to recreate the subtle shades of emotions
• Inspired by the teachings from the ancient devotional Vedic teachings
• Won several honours and awards like the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1985), the Padma Bhushan (1987) and the highly coveted Sangeet Samradhini Award (1997)
(A model answer has been provided for students’ reference. It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer using their own understanding.)
Writing Speaking : Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 29
Q1 : “If you work hard and know where you’re going, you’ll get there,” says Evelyn Glennie.
You have now read about two musicians, Evelyn Glennie and Ustad Bismillah Khan. Do you think that they both worked hard? Where did they want to ‘go’? Answer these questions in two paragraphs, one on each of the two musicians.
Answer :
In my opinion, Evelyn Glennie and Ustad Bismillah Khan both worked hard to climb the ladder of success.
Evelyn turned deaf at a very young age. But her determination helped her fulfill her dream of not only becoming a successful musician but also of leading a normal life. Encouraged by the percussionist Ron Forbes, she learnt to feel the vibrations of music though her body. She made her way to the Royal Academy of Music. With her hard work and determination, Evelyn secured most of the awards in the Academy. In 1991, she was presented with the prestigious Soloist of the Year Award by the Royal Philharmonic Society.
Having born into a family of musicians, Ustad Bismillah Khan expressed his interest in music at a young age. He was trained by his uncle and inspired by the flowing waters of the Ganga. He practiced hard in solace of the temples of Balaji and Mangala Maiya. He improved and invented raagas that were earlier deemed to be beyond the scope of the shehnai. His contribution successfully brought the shehnai onto the classical stage. Bismillah Khan was awarded with several national awards including the highest civilian award of India, the Bharat Ratna. His accomplishments gave him worldwide recognition.
Q2 : Use your notes on Kishori Amonkar to introduce her to an imaginary audience.
You may use one of the following phrases to introduce a guest:
I am honoured to introduce…/I feel privileged to introduce…/We welcome you..
Answer :
I feel privileged to introduce to you all Padma Bhushan Kishori Amonkar. She has developed her own style that is a variant of Ustad Alladiya Khan’s ‘Jaipur-Atauli gharana’. She is highly inspired by the teachings of the ancient Vedic sages. And her careful research of the raagas has lead her to recreate subtle shades and emotions through her music. Her artistic capabilities have bestowed her with prestigious awards, which include the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1985), the Padma Bhushan (1987) and the highly coveted Sangeet Samradhini Award (1997). Our thanks to her for honouring us with her gracious presence.
(A model answer has been provided for students’ reference. It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer using their own creativity and understanding.)