The sound of Music

NCERT Solution for class 9th CBSE and UP Board| Summary|Que&Ans|Difficult words Meaning|Theme|Specification|Relevant Quatations

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Today, I will dive into deep to discuss chapter ” The Sound of Music” prescribed in class 9th syllabus UP and CBSE board. I ensure you will get a complete idea to write the summary, question& answers orderly. You will be able to write the specification and figure of speech used in this chapter too. After reading this page you will find the secret to score outstanding marks in your examination.

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• Summary Of the Chapter
• Theme and main Ideas
• Keywords and Quick Point after each Stanza
• Videos just like a live class
• Relevant Quotations and statements
• Difficult words
• Question Answer
• Quiz for comprehension

Summary: The Sound Of Music

Music is the great uniter. An incredible force. Something that people who differ on everything and anything else can have in common.

~ Sarah Dessen

The lesson begins with the emergence of ‘Shehnai’ (from a musical instrument ‘Pungi’), which gained a worldwide popularity through ‘Bismillah Khan’. He hailing from a famous Musicians’ family of Bihar, had music in his blood and veins.

His journey with music started when he was 5 years old and went to ‘Bihariji Temple’ to sing ‘chaita’(a bhojpoori song type, devoted to god), and won a ‘ladoo’ of 1.5kg, for his excellency. Later, he opted ‘Shahnai’, as his father and grandfather was  famous ‘Shahnai player’.

His excellency is evident through his fabulous creation of many ‘rags’ which were inspired by the flow of the river ‘Ganga’. From getting appreciation from ‘Ustad Faiyaz Khan’ for his world-class performance at Allahabad Music Conference to playing Shahnai at  Lucknow Station of All India Radio.

Along with the historic journey of Bismillah Khan, the narrator also draws a sketch of the wonderful emergence of Shahnai. Initially, the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb had put a ban on any musical instrument that uses air to produce sound, but with the efforts of a barber, when Shahnai came into existence and got played into the royal court, the trend changed and it became an important part of nearly every Indian function.

Bismillah Khan performed all around the world. His first foreign performance was in Afghanistan where the king was so impressed that he gifted him very costly accessories. Bismillah Khan composed music for two films – Hindi film titled – ‘Goonj Uthi Shehnai’ directed by Vijay Bhatt and Kannada film titled – ‘Sanadhi Apanna’ by Vikram Srinivas.

He was the first Indian to perform at the Lincoln Centre Hall in the United States of America. He also performed at Montreal, Cannes and Tokyo. In Teheran, an auditorium was named after him – Tahar Mosiquee Ustaad Bismillah Khan.

Because of Shahnai, he was fortunate enough to perform Shahnai from the Red Fort and greeted the country through his shehnai, where he recited raag kafi which was followed by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s famous ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech.

The day India gained independence, on 15^th August 1947, Bismillah Khan performed. For his valuable contribution to the world of music through the ‘shehnai’, he was honoured with Padma Vibhushan, Padma bhushan and India’s highest civilian honour – the Bharat Ratna. Although he had travelled all over the world, he was attached to Dumraon and Benaras.

Once a student asked him to set up a shehnai school in the USA and promised to recreate the temples of Benaras there. Bismillah Khan asked him whether he would transport the river Ganga also, as he was attached to it as well. Bismillah Khan is a true example of a secular Indian as being a Muslim, he played the shehnai at the Kashi Vishwanath temple. For him, music was above religious barriers.

THEME: The Sound Of Music

This write-up aims to bring the feeling of brotherhood among the readers through Bismillah Khan’s way of life and his passion for music.

Music is the literature of heart; it commences where speech ends.

Alphonse de Lamartine

Difficult words and their Meanings

• Banned: prohibite
• Shrill: very sharp
• Unpleasant:  something that you dislike
• Generic name: a name given to a class or group as a whole
• Generic name means the scientific name or a broad classification of something
• Reeded: wind instruments which have reeds like the flute, the clarinet, etc.
• Revived: brought back to live.
• Tonal quality: sound
• Hollow: empty from inside.
• Auspicious: promising to bring good fortune
• Indispensable: without which a piece of work cannot be done, something which is necessary
• Ensembles (pronounced ‘onsomble’): things (here, instruments) considered as a group
• Laddu or laddoo are sphere-shaped sweets originated in the Indian subcontinent
• Paternal ancestors: ancestors of the father
• Captivated: attracted
• On end: for a very long time without stopping, continuously
• Apprentice: trainee
• Haunt: place you like come, where you like to visit many times a day
• Solitude: being alone, single

• Recital: performance
• Taken in by: attracted or charmed by

• Souvenirs: things given in memory of a place, person or event
• 
  Chartbuster: record breaker
• Celluloid: old fashioned way of referring to films
• Venture: project that often involves risk, something which has a lot of risk

• Emphasis: to lay stress on something

• Thick and fast: he got a lot of awards and was recognized at many places

• Conferred: given, usually an award or a degree
• Coveted: much desired

• Coveted: much desired

• Replicating: making a copy of something

• Yearning – longing, having a desire for something

• Devout: believing strongly in a religion and obeying its laws and following its practices.

Question and Answer: The Sound Of Music

1. Why did Aurangzeb ban the playing of the pungi?

Ans. Aurangzeb banned the playing of pungi because he disliked the sound produced by it. It was considered to be a reeded noisemaker as it was loud, shrill and unpleasant.

2. How is a shahnai different from a pungi?

Ans. Even though the shahnai is also a reeded musical instrument like the pungi, it differs in shape, size and the quality of sound produced by it. It is made with a hollow stem which is longer and broader than the pungi and has seven holes in it. The sound produced by the shahnai is soft and melodious in contrast to the shrill noise made by the pungi.

3. Where was the shahnai played traditionally? How did Bismillah Khan change this?

Ans. Traditionally, the shehnai was played at the royal court as part of the traditional collection of musical instruments called ‘naubat’, in the temples and at weddings. Bismillah Khan invented new ragas with the shahnai, and brought it on the stage among other classical musical instruments.

4. When and how did Bismillah Khan get his big break?

Ans. Bismillah Khan got his big break when in 1938 at the All India Radio opened its Radio Station at Lucknow. He played shahnai from the radio station regularly and his music became popular through it.

5. Where did Bismillah Khan play the shahnai on 15 August 1947? Why was the event historic?

Ans. On 15^th August 1947, Bismillah Khan played the shahnai from the Red Fort and greeted the entire country. The event was historic as it was the day when India gained independence from the British rule. Bismillah’s performance was followed by the historic speech – ‘Tryst with Destiny’ given by India’s first Prime Minister – Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

6. Why did Bismillah Khan refuse to start a shahnai school in the U.S.A.?

Ans. Bismillah Khan was attached to the temples of Benaras and the river Ganga. He could not leave them and so, refused to set up a shahnai school in the USA.

7. Find at least two instances in the text which tell you that Bismillah Khan

loves India and Benaras.

Ans. Bismillah’s love for India and Benaras are shown by the fact that he refused to set up a shehnai school in USA as he could not leave Benaras and river Ganga. Secondly, when he was honoured with the Bharat Ratna, he declared that Indian Classical music was India’s richest heritage.

Quiz: Check your level

Content Writer: Vaishnavi Tripathi…..Edited By Shadab Akhter