The Sound of Music
Part I Evelyn Glennie Listens to Sound without Hearing It
This beautiful chapter tells us nothing is impossible if we give our heart and soul to do something.
It is the story of Evelyn Glennie who is a world class musician but a deaf with extraordinary hearing, she can feel music — far more deeply than any of us. That is why she expresses music so beautifully.
Her musical journey started from her school and it was not easy because her hearing problem started from early childhood when she was 8 year old one day, 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, her mother. Her hearing problem was increasing day by day but all the people around her, friends , teachers, parents and herself consoled her but by eleventh year of her age, she had lost her hearing power completely.
Her parents took her to a specialist where it was diagnosed that her hearing was severely impaired 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.
But Evelyn didn't get discouraged and wanted to live a normal life. She wanted to learn music but faced discouragement by her teacher. One percussionist Ron Forbes spotted her potential. He encouraged her to sense the music. Soon evelyn started to sense certain notes in different parts of her body. She said “I had learnt to open my mind and body to sounds and vibrations.” The rest was sheer determination and hard work.
Now from this point, 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 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.
She got right to the top, the world’s most sought-after multi percussionist with a mastery of some thousand instruments, and a hectic international schedule. In 1991 she was presented with the Royal Philharmonic Society’s prestigious 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.
Evelyn functioned so effortlessly without hearing. In Fact, she knew French and was a master of basic Japanese. She said that she is a workaholic. Apart from the regular concerts, Evelyn also gives free concerts in prisons and hospitals. She also gives high priority to classes for young musicians.
She tells how music flows in her body parts- hairs, cheek bones, fingers.By leaning against the drums, she can feel the resonances 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
Evelyn's hard work and dedication made her the most successful person of her age. She has brought percussion 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 pleasure to millions.
Question and Answer
Question- How old was Evelyn when she went to the Royal Academy of Music?
Answer- Evelyn was seventeen years old when she went to the Royal of Music.
Question- When was her deafness first noticed? When was it confirmed?
Answer- Evelyn deafness was first noticed in her 8th year, when her mother called her and she didn't respond and gradually her deafness increased and it was confirmed in her 11th year of her age when her parents took her to specialist. It was then discovered that her hearing was severely impaired as a result of gradual nerve damage.
Question- Who helped her to continue with music? What did he do and say?
Answer- Percussionist Ron Forbes spotted her potential. 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.”Forbes repeated the exercise, and soon Evelyn discovered that she could sense certain notes in different parts of her body.
Question- Name the various places and causes for which Evelyn performs?
Answer- She toured the United Kingdom with a youth orchestra,She auditioned for the Royal Academy of Music and scored one of the highest marks in the history of the academy.At the end of her three-year course, she had captured most of the top awards. She became the world's most sought-after multi percussionist with a mastery of some thousand instruments.
Evelyn also gives free concerts in prisons and hospitals. She also gives high priority to classes for young musicians.
Question- How does Evelyn hear music?
Answer- Evelyn lost her hearing power at the age of 8, when she never got discouraged and wanted to learn music then One percussionist Ron Forbes spotted her potential. He encouraged her to sense the music. Soon evelyn started to sense certain notes in different parts of her body. She said “I had learnt to open my mind and body to sounds and vibrations.” The rest was sheer determination and hard work. She tells how music flows in her body parts- hairs, cheek bones, fingers.By leaning against the drums, she can feel the resonances 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.Evelyn's hard work and dedication made her the most successful person of her age.
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