The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music — Two Inspiring Stories

"The Sound of Music" in the NCERT Class 9 English textbook Beehive contains two separate but thematically linked stories. Part I tells the remarkable story of Evelyn Glennie, a profoundly deaf musician who became a world-famous percussionist. Part II tells the story of Bismillah Khan, the legendary Indian shehnai maestro who remained deeply humble and devoted to his music throughout his life. Both stories celebrate the power of passion, perseverance, and the transformative nature of music.

• Key Facts
• Evelyn Glennie was born in Scotland in 1965.
• She began to lose her hearing at the age of eight due to gradual nerve damage.
• By eleven, she was profoundly deaf.
• Despite this, she pursued her dream of becoming a professional musician.
• Her music teacher, Ron Forbes, helped her learn to sense sound through different parts of her body.
• She learned to feel vibrations — through the floor, through her body — rather than "hear" sound with her ears.
• She has become one of the world-renowned multi-percussionists of our time, performing barefoot so she can feel the music through her feet.

• Key Facts
• Ustad Bismillah Khan was born on 21 March 1916 in Dumraon, Bihar, India.
• He was deeply devoted to both music and the Benaras ghats, especially the Ganga River.
• He is credited with bringing the shehnai — traditionally played at temples and auspicious occasions — to the concert stage and international recognition.
• He performed at the Red Fort on the first Independence Day of India (15 August 1947) and again in 2001.
• He received India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 2001.
• Despite fame, he never moved away from Benaras and remained humble throughout his life.
• He turned down an invitation to start a shehnai school in the USA because he could not imagine living away from the Ganga.

When Evelyn was auditioning for the Royal Academy of Music in London, some professors doubted whether a deaf person could study music there. She performed so brilliantly that she was given the highest marks. This shows that her disability did not define her capability — she had developed an extraordinary ability to feel music through her body.

Ron Forbes, Evelyn's teacher, told her not to use her hearing aids during music class and instead feel the music through her body. He tuned two large drums to different notes and asked her to feel the difference. This moment was a turning point: Evelyn discovered she could "hear" music differently but just as deeply.

Evelyn performs barefoot on stage. This is not a stylistic choice — it is functional. By removing her shoes, she can feel the vibrations of the sound through the wooden stage floor more directly. This example shows how she adapted her practice to her unique way of experiencing music.

The shehnai is a reed instrument with a melodious sound. Before Bismillah Khan, it was mainly heard at weddings, temples, and auspicious ceremonies. He elevated it to the world stage, performing in prestigious concert halls. His mastery showed that an instrument does not need to be "elite" to produce great art.

When India became independent, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru invited Bismillah Khan to perform at the Red Fort. Khan played the shehnai as the tricolour was unfurled. This moment shows how music was seen as an essential part of India's cultural identity at its most historic hour.

When Bismillah Khan was offered the chance to set up a shehnai institute in the United States, he asked: "Will you be able to transport the Ganga too?" This tells us everything about his character — his humility, his rootedness in his culture, and his belief that his music was inseparable from the sacred river that inspired it.

Evelyn Glennie has not allowed her deafness to become a barrier. She gives free music lessons to underprivileged children and has broken the myth that you must have perfect hearing to be a musician. Her story is a universal message: passion and willpower can overcome any limitation.

• Do not say Evelyn was "born deaf" — she gradually lost her hearing from age eight onwards.
• Bismillah Khan is associated with the shehnai, not the sitar or flute.
• The Independence Day performance was at the Red Fort in Delhi, not in Benaras.
• "Bharat Ratna" is India's highest civilian honour — not a music award.

Both stories in "The Sound of Music" celebrate extraordinary individuals who let nothing stand between them and their art. Evelyn Glennie turned her deafness into a unique musical gift. Bismillah Khan turned a folk instrument into a symbol of India's cultural heritage. Together, these stories teach Class 9 students that true music — and true greatness — comes from the heart, not merely from physical ability or social status.