Question

Summary of the sound of music. Part 2

Answer 1

Answer:

Summary of " the shehnai of bismillah khan"

A musical instrument called pungi was banned by Emperor Aurangzeb for its shrill unpleasant sound . It was perfected by a barber who belonged to a family of professional musicians. Its sound was appreciated by the emperor . Since it was born in Shah's Chamber and perfected by Nai , it named Shehnai . In the beginning it was played in the temples before the image of God and goddess . It was played on every auspicious domestic occasions also. Gradually , it became popular . Ustad Bismillah khan belonged to the Benaras Gharana . He was born in 1916 at Dumraon in Bihar. As a five year old boy , he played gilli - danda near a pond . He used to visit Bihariji temple and sing bhojpuri chaita there. He would earn a big laddu from a local maharaja as a prize . As a age of six he moved to Benares . He learnt playing shehnai there from his uncle Ali Bux . Being devoted to music , he used to sepnd most of his time practising on the bank of the river Ganga . The themes of his music are deeply affected by the flowing water of the Ganga ...He got the best performer award of "all India music" conference in Allahabad in 1930. In 1937 he bagged three medals at a music conference in Kolkata . He was invited by Pandit Nehru to play the shehnai from the ramparts of Delhi's red fort in 1947 . He won many international rewards also.

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Answer 2

Answer:

• This lesson is an effort to understand Indian classical musicians and instruments especially the origin of the shehnai and the shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan.  
• The shehnai replaced the pungi which had an unpleasant sound. The pungi’s tonal quality was improved by a nai (barbar) of Shah (Emperor Aurangzeb); hence it was named as ‘shehnai’.
• The lesson beautifully deals with the early life of Bismillah Khan in Dumraon in Bihar.  
• His grandfather was the shehnai-nawaz of the Bhojpur king’s court.  
• Bismillah Khan took to music early in life when he was 3 years old in the company of his maternal uncle.  
• His life is a source of simplicity and communal harmony from the very beginning when he used to sing ‘Chaita’ in Bihariji temple and practising the shehnai in Vishnu temple and Mangala Maiya temple of Varanasi.  
• Bismillah Khan got his big break with the opening of All India Radio in Lucknow in 1938.  
• He also played the shehnai on 15 August, 1947 from Red Fort in presence of Pandit Nehru.
• Bismillah Khan gave many memorable performances both in India and abroad where he was honoured with so many awards.  
• He also gave music in  two movies ‘Gunj Uthi Shehnai’ and ‘Sanadhi Apanna’.  
• He was so fond of his motherland India, Benaras and the holy Ganga that he refused an offer to be the head of a shehnai school in the USA.  
• In 2001, Ustad Bismillah Khan was awarded India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna.  
• His life is a perfect example of the rich, cultural heritage of India, ‘one that effortlessly accepts that a devout Muslim like him can very naturally play the shehnai at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple’