UNIT-XVIII

Music and Creation

Working with words

A.    Find the single words for the following definitions. The words are given in the jumbled letters at the end.

a.     A person who hates or distrusts mankind- misanthrope.

b.     A sensation of noise, such as a ringing or roaring- tinnitus.

c.     An examination of a body after death to determine the cause of death- autopsy

d.     A musical composition or movement for five instruments or voices- quintet

e.     A severe life-threatening illness caused by a bacterium- meningitis

f.      An object that directs one's attention away from something else- distraction

g.   The action or process of becoming impaired or inferior in quality, functioning, or condition- deterioration

h.     Failing to perceive something-impercipience

i.      A hearing disorder that makes it hard to deal with everyday sounds- hyperacusis

j.      A bacterial infection usually spread by sexual contact- syphilis

B.    Put the musical instruments into different categories as below.

drum                      violin               trumpet           harmonica             viola

clarinet                  cymbal            conch              table                      bell

trombone               cello                tambourine      double bass           harp

Wind Instruments	Stringed Instruments	Percussion Instruments
Harmonica, Trumpet, Clarinet, Conch, Trombone	Viola, Violin, Cello, Double Bass, Harp	Drum, Cymbal, Piano, Table, Bell, Tambourine

 C.    Use a dictionary and find the definition of these genres of music.

Rock music:         a type of loud popular music, developed in the 1960s, with a strong beat played on electric guitars and drums

Pop music:           popular music of the sort that has been popular since the 1950s, usually with a strong rhythm and simple tunes, often contrasted with rock, soul and other forms of popular music

Hip hop:               a type of popular music with spoken words and a steady beat, originally played by young African Americans

Jazz:                     a type of music with strong rhythms, in which the players often improvise (= make up the music as they are playing), originally created by African American musicians at the beginning of the 20th century

Folk music:          the traditional music of a country or community

Classical music:   music written in a Western musical tradition, usually using an established form (for example a symphony). Classical music is generally considered to be serious and to have a lasting value

Blues:                    a type of slow sad music with strong rhythms, developed by African American musicians in the southern US

Heavy metal:       a type of rock music with a very strong beat played very loud on electric guitars, often using violent or strange language or ideas

Gospel music:      a style of religious singing developed by African Americans

Country music:   a type of popular music in the style of the traditional music of the southern US, with singing and dance tunes played on violin, guitar and banjo

Grunge:                a type of loud rock music, which was popular in the early 1990s

Breakbeat:           a series of drum beats (= hits) that are repeated to form the rhythm of a piece of dance music

Reggae:                a type of popular music with strong rhythms, developed in Jamaica in the 1960s

Disco:                    a type of music intended for dancing at discos, that was especially popular in the 1970s. It is influenced by soul music but has electronic instruments and a strong regular beat.

Dubstep:               a type of electronic dance music, developed in England in the late 1990s, that has a strong bass beat and drum patterns that are repeated many times, and that sometimes contains singing

Comprehension

A.    Put the following events in the life of Beethoven in chronological order.

a.     He migrated to Vienna. ©

b.     He even made suicidal attempts. (g)

c.     Beethoven was born into a musical family in Bonn, Germany. (a)

d.     His deafness got gradually worse: He could hear but not understand. (e)

e.     He learned to play the organ, piano, violin, and viola. (b)

f.      He died of hepatitis at the age of fifty-six. (h)

g.     He lived a life in seclusion. (f)

h.     At the age of twenty-seven, he felt the deafness to high-pitched sound. (d)

B.    State whether the following statements are True or False.

a.     Beethoven became blind in a gradual process over two decades. False

b.     He became a celebrity musician in his teenage. True

c.     He did not disclose his hearing problem for a long time. True

d.     He knew that he misunderstood the speakers and gave up his public performances. False

e.     He tried to get his deafness treated until his death. False

f.      Beethoven died in his early fifties. False

g.     Doctors found the cause of his deafness after his death. True

C.    Answer the following questions.

a.     What does Hellen Keller think about deafness and blindness?

    Hellen Keller thinks that deafness separates people from people whereas blindness separates people from things.

b.     Why does the author compare Beethoven with Milton, Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec?

The author compares Beethoven with Milton, Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec because they all suffered from disabilities like deafness.

c.     When and how did Beethoven notice him being deaf?

Beethoven noticed him being deaf at the age of twenty-seven when he lost the ability to hear high-pitched sounds.

d.     What psychological effects did he have when he noticed that he was being deaf?

He became more anxious, emotionally disturbed, and lonely after realizing he was deaf. After learning he was deaf, he further lost self-respect and felt less confident.

            Or

When he noticed that he was deaf, he was afraid, emotional disturbances, loss of self-respect, self-respect and increasing isolation psychological effects.

Or

When he noticed that he was deaf, he was psychologically disturbed, resulting in fear, emotional disturbances, loss of self-respect, increasing isolation, etc.

e.     How did he triumph over his suicidal thoughts?

He overcame his suicidal thoughts because he had a passion for music. Morality, according to him, also kept him from killing himself.

f.      How did he accept his deafness?

He accepted his deafness by no longer keeping it a secret.

g.     How was his deafness ironically good for the world?

His musical creations got better and more prolific when his deafness grew worse because nothing or nobody could distract him. This is how his deafness was ironically good for the world.

h.     When did Beethoven give up his musical performances forever?

Beethoven gave up his musical performances forever after giving his last piano performance in 1815.

i.      What did Stephen von Breeuning comment on Beethoven’s reactions?

When Bethoven said he had problems hearing the wind instruments during a rehearsal for the Eroica in 1804, Stephen von Breeuning commented on his reactions that Beethoven became distant and often mistrusted his best friends.

Or

In response to Bethoven's complaint that he couldn't hear the wind instruments during a practice for the Eroica in 1804, Stephen von Breeuning made a statement and said that Beethoven became distant and frequently mistrusted his best friends.

j.      How did Beethoven express the conflict in his mind?

Beethoven expressed the conflict in his mind by isolating himself from social functions, mistrusting his best friends, and thinking of committing suicide.

Writing 

Who is your favourite Nepali musician? Write his/her biography in about 300 words.

Musician and Singer, Narayan Gopal: A Biography

I enjoy listening to several types of Nepali music, including modern, folk, pop, classical, etc. There are a few musicians whose songs I frequently listen. One of my favorite Nepali musicians is Narayan Gopal. He was and still is a well-known and well-respected singer and musician of Nepali music under the name of "Swar Samrat." Narayan Gopal is well-known for his songs, especially with the older generation. However, his songs are well known to those in the younger generation. His most well-known songs are "Jhareko paat jhai," "Ankha chhopi narou bhani bhannu parya chha," and "Mutumathi dhunga rakhi hasnu parya chha."

Narayan Gopal was born on October 4, 1939, and passed away on December 5, 1990. He was the son of Aasha Gopal Gurubacharya and Ram Devi Gurubacharya. He had eight siblings, including five brothers and three sisters. He married Pemala Lama, one of his admirers from Darjeeling, in 1971. He was raised in a musical family. His musical sense was inspired by his father, a sitar master in his time. He learned to play various musical instruments as a child, but his favorites were the harmonium and tabla.

He sang almost 500 songs, including classical, semiclassical, folk, etc. He sang for movies, ballads, and drama. Narayan Gopal acquired a level of success as a vocalist that few others will likely match in the near future. He attained an angelic height as a result of his intimate musical relationships with master musicians like Natikaji, Gopal Yonjan, Ambar Gurung, Divya Khaling, etc. Narayan Gopal and Gopal Yonjan began a prolonged and more personal connection, and together, as composer and singer, the two elevated Nepali music to a golden height. The two have created some of the most acclaimed songs in Nepali music history.

Although Narayan Gopal was also a gifted composer, most people only knew him as a singer. He composed several of the songs he sang himself. Some of his best works have been sung by other vocalists, including Tara Devi and Phatteman Rajbhandari. In addition to having a wonderful voice, he was also incredibly versatile. He could sing music of every genre due to the range of his voice.

He received several national accolades and prizes for his contributions to Nepali music. The prestigious awards include the Best Composition and Best Singer awards from Radio Nepal, the Ratna Record Award, Gorkha Dakshin Bahu the Fourth, the Indra Rajya Laxmi Award, the Chhinalata Award, Jagadamba Shree, the Urbashi Rang Award, Trishakti Patta, and a number of other awards.

Narayan Gopal was convinced to give up smoking and drinking by his friends for the sake of his health. A few months before his death, he stopped drinking, but he couldn't stop smoking. Finally, he passed away from diabetes on December 5, 1990, at the age of 51, in Bir Hospital in Kathmandu. He is always remembered for his musical contribution to Nepali music.

Grammar

Prepositions

    A.    Study the following sentences and underline the prepositions.

            a.   Over seventy-three million Americans suffer from deafness.

            b.   He did not admit to his deafness for another three years.

            c.   The hearing crisis allowed him to listen to inner sounds without distraction.

    B.    Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions.

a.   I was accompanied to the hospital by my friend.

b.   I have great respect for my teachers.

c.   The culprit was sentenced to death.

d.   His arguments are not based on truth.

e.   He has not contributed to the development of our nation.

f.    He died of Corona at the age of thirty-five.

g.   The young generation of Nepali people don’t take interest in politics.

h.   Our village was not infected with Corona.

i.    Why do you sneer at me?

    C.    Fill in the blanks with for, since, until, by or in.

a.     The classes will be over by 5 PM.

b.     Karma Sherpa reached the top of Mt. Everest in 8 hours.

c.     We had met after five years. So, we kept on talking until three in the morning.

d.     She has been living in America since she got married.

e.     He has been playing video game for ten hours.

f.      She practices the sitar every day for five hours.

g.     He lived in Jumla until he passed high school examinations.

h.     There is no chance of dry weather even today. It has rained since last Saturday.

i.      I can type 120 words in a minute.

J.   We take an early breakfast. It’s generally ready by six in the morning.