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The Sound of Music: Part 1
Evelyn Glennie Listens to Sound without Hearing It
By Deborah Cowley
Introduction to Chapter
Summary in English
She never looked behind from that point onwards. She toured the United Kingdom with a youth orchestra. At the age of sixteen, she decided to make music her life. She gave an audition for the Royal Academy of music. She scored one of the highest marks in the history of the academy. She had got mastery of some 1000 instruments of music. She could listen and understand even the minutes point. It seems impossible that a deaf person like her can response to the things so fluently. She spoke flawlessly with a Scottish lilt. She says that music pours in through every part of her body. It tingles in the skin, her cheekbones and even her hair. When she plays the xylophone, she can listen its music through the finger tops. By leaning against the drums, she can listen the echoes in her heart. She performs barefooted on a wooden platform so that music may reach to her heart through her feet and legs. In 1991 she was presented with the Royal Philharmonic Society’s prestigious ‘Soloist of the year Award.’ She calls her a workaholic. Apart from the regular concerts, she gives free performances in prisons and in hospitals. She also gives high priority to classes for young musicians. She is a shining inspiration for the deaf children.
Summary in Hindi
पाठ एवलिन ग्लेनी लिस्टेंस टू साउंड विदआउट हियरिंग इट डेबोराह काउली, एक स्कॉटिश संगीतकार, एस्किन ग्लेनी,
जो कि 12 साल की उम्र से गहरा बहरा है, का लेखा-जोखा देता है। हैंडिकैप से बचने के बजाय, एवलिन ने अपने सपने
को आगे बढ़ाया। उसके शरीर के माध्यम से सुनने की क्षमता। उसने अंततः लंदन में रॉयल एकेडमी ऑफ म्यूजिक में
अपना रास्ता बनाया। एवलिन ग्लेनी, जो पूर्णता के लिए एक हजार से अधिक वाद्ययंत्र बजा सकते हैं,
अंतर्राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर सबसे अधिक मांग वाले संगीतकार हैं।
एवलिन की माँ को अपनी बेटी के बहरेपन के बारे में पता चला जब आठ साल की उम्र में, बाद में उसे स्कूल में
पियानो पर अपना प्रदर्शन देना था, लेकिन उसका नाम नहीं सुना जा रहा था। काफी समय तक एवलिन दोस्तों और
शिक्षकों से अपने बढ़ते बहरेपन को छिपाने में कामयाब रही। लेकिन जब तक वह ग्यारह थी तब तक उसके निशान बिगड़
चुके थे। जब ग्यारह साल की उम्र में उसके बहरेपन की पुष्टि हुई, तो उसके स्कूल की प्रधानाध्यापिका ने सुझाव
दिया कि उसे बधिर बच्चों के लिए स्कूल भेजा जाना चाहिए। लेकिन एवलिन उस तरह की लड़की नहीं थी जिसे
हतोत्साहित किया जा सके। एक बार, जब उसे एक ज़ाइलोफोन पर खेलने से शिक्षकों द्वारा मना कर दिया गया था, तो
एक महान पर्क्युसिनिस्ट रॉन फोर्ब्स उसके बचाव में आए। उसने उसमें बहुत क्षमता देखी और उसे निर्देशित किया
कि कानों के माध्यम से बिना उसके शरीर के विभिन्न हिस्सों में संगीत को कैसे सुना जाए। यह निर्णायक मोड़
साबित हुआ। वह अपने शरीर और दिमाग को ध्वनियों और कंपन के लिए खोलती है। उसके बाद उसने कभी पीछे मुड़कर नहीं
देखा। उसे अपने शरीर पर ध्वनि के विभिन्न स्पंदनों की व्याख्या करने की कला में महारत हासिल थी।
एवलिन ने उस समय से पीछे मुड़कर नहीं देखा। उसने एक युवा ऑर्केस्ट्रा के साथ यूनाइटेड किंगडम का दौरा किया
और जब वह सोलह वर्ष की थी, तब तक उसने संगीत को अपना जीवन बनाने का फैसला कर लिया था। वह प्रतिष्ठित रॉयल
एकेडमी ऑफ म्यूजिक में शामिल हुईं और उन्होंने अकादमी के इतिहास में सबसे अधिक अंक हासिल किए, जब उन्होंने
इसके लिए ऑडिशन दिया। बाद में, वह आर्केस्ट्रा से एकल प्रदर्शन के लिए चली गईं। अकादमी में अपने तीन वर्षीय
पाठ्यक्रम के अंत में, एवलिन ने अधिकांश शीर्ष पुरस्कार प्राप्त किए।
अपने अदम्य दृढ़ संकल्प के साथ, एवलिन कुछ हज़ार उपकरणों की महारत के साथ दुनिया का सबसे अधिक मांग वाला
बहुसांस्कृतिक विशेषज्ञ बन गया, और व्यस्त अंतर्राष्ट्रीय कार्यक्रम।
उसकी सुनने की कमी के बावजूद, एवलिन न केवल निर्दोष रूप से बोलती है, बल्कि फ्रेंच और बुनियादी जापानी सीखने
में भी कामयाब रही है। एवलिन के अनुसार, वह अपने शरीर के हर हिस्से – जैसे अपनी त्वचा, अपनी गाल की
हड्डियों, यहाँ तक कि अपने बालों में भी संगीत डाल सकती हैं। वह महसूस कर सकती है कि उसके नंगे पैरों के
माध्यम से उसके शरीर में घुसने वाले उपकरणों का कंपन हो सकता है। 1991 में, उन्हें रॉयल फिलहारमोनिक सोसाइटी
द्वारा प्रस्तुत प्रतिष्ठित ‘सोलोइस्ट ऑफ द ईयर अवार्ड’ मिला।
मानवीय दृष्टिकोण वाला व्यक्ति, एवलिन जेलों और अस्पतालों में मुफ्त संगीत कार्यक्रम देता है।
अपने प्रयासों के साथ, उसने ऑर्केस्ट्रा में टक्कर उपकरणों के लिए एक महत्वपूर्ण स्थान हासिल किया। वास्तव में, एवलिन ग्लेनी उन सभी के लिए एक बड़ी प्रेरणा है जो शारीरिक अक्षमताओं से पीड़ित हैं। वह उन्हें विश्वास दिलाती है कि अगर वह ऐसा कर सकती है, तो वे कर सकते हैं।
Full Explanation with Word Meanings
God may have taken her hearing but he has given her back something extraordinary. What we hear, she
feels — far more deeply than any of us. That is why she expresses music so beautifully.”
Read the following account of a person who fought against a physical disability and made her life a
success story.
1. RUSH hour crowds jostle (Push Roughly) when off for position on the
underground train platform. A
slight (Small and thin) girl, looking younger than her seventeen
years, was nervous yet excited as she
felt the vibrations of the approaching train. It was her first day at the prestigious Royal Academy of
Music in London and daunting (frightening) enough for any teenager
fresh from a Scottish farm. But this
aspiring musician (a person who wants to be a musician) faced a bigger
challenge than most: she was
profoundly deaf.
2. Evelyn Glennie’s loss of hearing had been gradual. (happening slowly or
over a long period of time,
not sudden) Her mother remembers noticing something was wrong when the eight-year-old Evelyn was
waiting
to play the piano. “They called her name and she didn’t move. I suddenly realised she hadn’t heard,”
says Isabel Glennie. For quite a while Evelyn managed to conceal (to hide
something from being
seen/discovered) her growing deafness from friends and teachers. But by the time she was eleven
her
marks had deteriorated (became worse) and her headmistress urged her
parents to take her to a
specialist. It was then discovered that her hearing was severely impaired
(weakened) as a result of
gradual nerve damage. They were advised that she should be fitted with hearing aids and sent to a school
for the deaf. “Everything suddenly looked black,” says Evelyn.
3. But Evelyn was not going to give up (to stop trying to do
something). She was determined to lead a
normal life and pursue her interest in music. One day she noticed a girl playing a xylophone (a music
instrument with a row of wooden bars of different lengths) and decided that she wanted to play
it too.
Most of the teachers discouraged her but percussionist (a person who plays
the drum, table etc.) Ron
Forbes spotted her potential (quality or ability that can be
developed). He began by tuning two large
drums to different notes. Don’t listen through your ears,” he would say, “try to sense it some other
way.” Says Evelyn, “Suddenly I realised I could feel the higher drum from the waist up and the lower one
from the waist down.” Forbes repeated the exercise, and soon Evelyn discovered that she could sense
certain notes in different parts of her body. “I had learnt to open my mind and body to sounds and
vibrations.” The rest was sheer determination and hard work.
4. She never looked back from that point onwards. She toured the United Kingdom with a youth orchestra
and by the time she was sixteen, she had decided to make music her life. She
auditioned (give a short
performance so that the director could decide whether she was good enough) for the Royal Academy
of
Music and scored one of the highest marks in the history of the academy. She gradually moved from
orchestral work to solo performances. At the end of her three-year course, she had captured most of the
top awards.
5. And for all this, Evelyn won’t accept any hint of heroic achievement. “If you work hard and know
where you are going, you’ll get there.” And she got right to the top, the world’s most sought-after
multi percussionist with a mastery of some thousand instruments, and hectic international schedule.
6. It is intriguing (fascinating and curious) to watch Evelyn function
so effortlessly without hearing.
In our two-hour discussion she never missed a word. “Men with bushy beards give me trouble,” she
laughed. “It is not just watching the lips, it’s the whole face, especially the eyes.” She speaks
flawlessly (without a fault or mistake) with a Scottish lilt (a way of speaking). “My speech is clear
because I could hear till, I was eleven,” she says. But that doesn’t explain how she managed to learn
French and master basic Japanese.
7. As for music, she explains, “It pours in through every part of my body. It tingles (causes a slight
pricking or stinging sensation) in the skin, my cheekbones and even in my hair.” When she plays
the
xylophone, she can sense the sound passing up the stick into her fingertips. By leaning (to move the top
part of your body and head forwards, backwards or to the side) against the drums, she can feel
the
resonances (echoes of sound) flowing into her body. On a wooden platform she removes her shoes so that
the vibrations pass through her bare feet and up her legs.
8. Not surprisingly, Evelyn delights her audiences. In 1991 she was presented with the Royal
Philharmonic Society’s prestigious (very much respected n admired)
Soloist of the Year Award. Says
master percussionist James Blades, “God may have taken her hearing but he has given her back something
extraordinary. What we hear, she feels — far more deeply than any of us. That is why she expresses music
so beautifully.”
9. Evelyn confesses that she is something of a workaholic (a person who
finds it difficult to stop
working). “I’ve just got to work . . . often harder than classical musicians. But the rewards
are
enormous.” Apart from the regular concerts, Evelyn also gives free concerts in prisons and hospitals.
She also gives high priority (great importance) to classes for young
musicians. Ann Richlin of the
Beethoven Fund for Deaf Children says, “She is a shining inspiration for deaf children. They see that
there is nowhere that they cannot go.”
10. Evelyn Glennie has already accomplished more than most people twice her age. She has brought
percussion (drum and xylophone are at back seat or side generally) to
the front of the orchestra, and
demonstrated that it can be very moving. She has given inspiration to those who are handicapped people
who look to her and say, ‘If she can do it, I can.’ And, not the least, she has given enormous (great,
big) pleasure to millions.
Exercises
Question and Answers
Q.1. How old was Evelyn when she went to the Royal Academy of Music?
Ans. She was seventeen at that time.
Q.2. When was her deafness first noticed? When was it confirmed?
Ans. Her deafness was first noticed when she was eight years old. It was confirmed by the time she
was eleven years.
Q.3. Who helped her to continue with music? What did he do and say?
Ans. A famous percussionist, Ron Forbes, helped Evelyn to continue with music. He spotted her
ability and encouraged her. He began to play two large drums to different tones. He asked her,
“Don’t listen through your ears. Try to sense it some other way.’’
Q.4. Name the various places and causes for which Evelyn performs.
Ans. Evelyn is a professional musician. She performs in regular concerts. Except this she gives free
performances in prisons and in hospitals. She gives great importance to classes for young musicians.
She tries to inspire deaf children with her example.
Q.5. At what age was Evelyn Glennie’s deafness confirmed and Why?
Or
How did Evelyn Parents come to know about her deafness?
Ans. Evelyn Glennie’s loss of hearing had been gradual. First time it was noticed by her mother when
she was eight years old. For some years Evelyn had concealed her growing deafness from her friends
and teachers. But by the time she was eleven her marks had deteriorated and her deafness was
confirmed.
Q.6. Why did Evelyn decide to join the ‘Royal Academy of Music’ in England?
Evelyn Glennie had decided to make music her life. When she was 17 years old, she auditioned for the
Royal Academy of music and scored one of the highest marks in the history of the academy.
Q.7. How does Evelyn hear music?
Ans. Evelyn is a totally deaf child. Her listening capacity had totally failed when she was eleven
years old. Mr Ron Forbes inspires her to pursue her music. He asks her not to listen music through
her ears but in some other way. Evelyn works hard. She begins to listen music through every part of
her body. She listens the high tone of the drum from the waist up and lower tone from the waist
down. She says that she has learnt to open her mind and body to sounds and vibrations. She says that
music tingles in her skin, her cheekbones and even her hair. When she plays the xylophone, she
senses the music through her finger tops. By leaning against the drums, she feels the echoes of its
music. On a wooden platform she performs bare footed so that music may reach to her heart through
feet and legs.
To enjoy Detailed Explanation of these questions refer the video
Multiple Choice Questions:
Q:1. What challenge did Evelyn Glennie face?
(a) she was completely blind
(b) she was profoundly deaf
(c) she was dumb
(d) she was lame
Ans. (b) she was profoundly deaf
Q:2. The Royal Academy of Music is situated at:
(a) New York
(b) Paris
(c) London
(d) Washington
Ans. (c) London
Q:3. How old was Evelyn when she went to the Royal Academy of Music?
(a) ten years
(b) seventeen years
(c) twenty years
(d) thirteen years
Ans. (b) seventeen years
Q:4. At what age did she (Evelyn) become fully deaf?
(a) 5 years
(b) 10 years
(c) 8 years
(d) 11 years
Ans. (d) 11 years
Q:5. Who encouraged Evelyn?
(a) Ron Forbes, the percussionist
(b) her teachers
(c) her mother
(d) her classmates
Ans. (a) Ron Forbes, the percussionist
Q:6. Evelyn was a girl of which country?
(a) Scottish
(b) American
(c) British
(d) Russian
Ans. (a) Scottish
Q:7. Which country did Evelyn tour with a youth orchestra when she was
sixteen?
(a) the U.S.A.
(b) the U.S.S.R.
(c) Germany
(d) the United Kingdom
Ans. (d) the United Kingdom
Q:8. How does Evelyn feel music?
(a) it pours in through every part of her body.
(b) it tingles in the skin
(c) it is felt through her cheekbones and even her hair
(d) all the above
Ans. (d) all the above
Q:9. Which languages did she manage to learn?
(a) French
(b) basic Japanese
(c) both (a) and (b)
(d) Chinese
Ans. (c) both (a) and (b)
Q:10. What instrument was Evelyn learning to play at her school?
(a) Piano
(b) Drum
(c) Shehnai
(d) Nothing
Ans. (a) Piano
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