Class 12 Compulsory English Music and Creation Notes

Working with words

A. Single words for the definitions (derived from jumbled options)

• 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. Categorization of Musical Instruments

• Wind Instruments: trumpet, harmonica, clarinet, conch, trombone
• Stringed Instruments: violin, viola, cello, double bass
• Percussion Instruments: drum, tabla, cymbal, bell, tambourine

C. Definitions of Musical Genres

• Rock music: A form of popular music that evolved from rock and roll and pop music during the mid and late 1960s, characterized by a heavy beat and amplified guitars.
• Pop music: Commercial popular music, in particular accessible, tuneful music of a kind popular since the 1950s and sometimes contrasted with rock, soul, or other forms.
• Hip hop: A style of popular music featuring rap with an electronic backing, originating from urban subcultures.
• Jazz: A type of music of Black American origin which emerged at the beginning of the 20th century, characterized by improvisation, syncopation, and usually a regular or forceful rhythm.
• Folk music: Music that originates in traditional popular culture or is written in such a style.
• Classic music: Music written in the European traditional art canon, when forms such as the symphony, concerto, and sonata were standardized.
• Blues: Melancholic music of Black American folk origin, typically structured in a twelve-bar sequence.
• Heavy metal: A type of highly amplified, harsh-sounding rock music with a strong beat, characteristically using aggressive or fantastic imagery.
• Gospel music: A fervent style of Black American evangelical religious singing, developed from spirituals sung in Southern Baptist and Pentecostal churches.
• Country music: A form of popular music originating in the rural southern US, combining ballads and dance tunes played on fiddles, banjos, and guitars.
• Grunge: A style of rock music characterized by a raucous guitar sound and lazy vocal delivery, emerging in the late 1980s.
• Breakbeat: A sample of a syncopated drumbeat, usually repeated to form a rhythm used as a basis for dance and hip-hop music.
• Reggae: A style of popular music with a strongly accented subsidiary beat, originating in Jamaica.
• Disco: A genre of dance music popular in the 1970s characterized by repetitive beats and lush orchestration.
• Dubstep: A form of electronic dance music characterized by a sparse, syncopated rhythm and a powerful sub-bassline.

Comprehension

A. Chronological order of events in Beethoven’s life

• c. Beethoven was born into a musical family in Bonn, Germany.
• e. He learned to play the organ, piano, violin, and viola.
• a. He migrated to Vienna.
• h. At the age of twenty-seven, he felt the deafness to high-pitched sounds.
• d. His deafness got gradually worse: He could hear but not understand.
• g. He lived a life in seclusion.
• b. He even made suicidal attempts.
• f. He died of hepatitis at the age of fifty-six.

B. True or False Statements

• 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. — False

C. Answer the following questions:

• a. What does Helen Keller think about deafness and blindness?
  • Answer: Helen Keller thinks that blindness separates people from things, whereas deafness separates people from people.
• b. Why does the author compare Beethoven with Milton, Van Gogh, and Toulouse-Lautrec?
  • Answer: The author compares Beethoven with Milton, Van Gogh, and Toulouse-Lautrec because they all achieved extraordinary artistic greatness despite suffering from severe, debilitating physical or sensory disabilities.
• c. When and how did Beethoven notice himself being deaf?
  • Answer: Beethoven noticed his deafness at the age of 27 when he lost his ability to hear high-pitched sounds, which is an early clinical sign of nerve deafness.
• d. What psychological effects did he experience when he realized he was going deaf?
  • Answer: He suffered from intense fear, a lack of self-esteem, emotional disarray, increasing social isolation, self-neglect, and a loss of confidence in his professional abilities.
• e. How did he triumph over his suicidal thoughts?
  • Answer: He triumphed over his suicidal thoughts by relying on his inner life ethics, his deep passion for music, and the realization that a human being should not give up life prematurely when there are still noble deeds left to accomplish.
• f. How did he accept his deafness?
  • Answer: He accepted his deafness by acknowledging that no medical cure could save him, recognizing that to progress in his art and life, he had to embrace his condition.
• g. How was his deafness ironically good for the world?
  • Answer: His deafness was ironically beneficial to the world because it forced him to turn inward, eliminating external distractions and resulting in unprecedented, visionary musical creativity.
• h. When did Beethoven give up his musical performances forever?
  • Answer: Beethoven gave up his public musical performances forever during his mid-forties, as his hearing loss made performing socially embarrassing and practically impossible.
• i. What did Stephan von Breuning comment on Beethoven’s reactions?
  • Answer: In 1804, during a rehearsal for the Eroica symphony when Beethoven struggled to hear the wind instruments, Stephan von Breuning noted that Beethoven had become withdrawn and deeply mistrustful even of his best friends.
• j. How did Beethoven express the conflict in his mind?
  • Answer: Beethoven expressed his inner conflict by isolating himself from social functions, showing suspicion toward close companions, and frequently contemplating suicide.

Critical Thinking

a. Suicidal thoughts came into Beethoven’s mind several times, but he did not commit suicide and kept on composing music. Write a monologue in about 150 words from Beethoven’s perspective describing his suicidal thoughts and his will to live.

Answer: I was the life of the party, even when there was no party. I made people laugh, and I worked hard to keep the motor running. But now, silence is creeping in, locking me in a solitary prison. My condition has isolated me from my coworkers and relatives; they view me merely as “the deaf guy.” The thought that all my life’s efforts to bring music alive might go in vain wears me out. Today, trapped in total despair, I actually contemplated ending it all. Just stop. Rest permanently.

Yet, stepping back from the brink, I realized that destroying my own life is a cowardly escape. Why surrender? My passion for music and the ethics of human resilience demand better. Suicide is never a permanent solution. I possess melodies burning inside my soul that the world has never heard. It doesn’t matter if I can’t hear the orchestra around me anymore; I will listen to the divine music within my mind and live for my art!

b. Was it divine inspiration or rigorous practice that made Beethoven one of the world’s greatest musicians? Give reasons.

Answer: It was primarily rigorous practice, relentless discipline, and deep-seated artistic devotion—rather than mere spontaneous divine inspiration—that forged Beethoven into one of history’s greatest musical geniuses. While natural talent is undeniable, Beethoven’s sketchbooks reveal a grueling process of trial, error, revision, and tireless structural composition.

Crucially, his mastery reached its absolute peak during the last decade of his life when he was completely deaf. During this agonizing period, he could no longer rely on external auditory feedback; instead, his compositions were born from strict technical mastery, profound theoretical understanding, and sheer force of willpower. He revolutionized the classical era and single-handedly ushered in the Romantic age not through passive inspiration, but through active, agonizing toil and unyielding dedication to his craft.

Writing

Biography of Swar Samrat Narayan Gopal Guruacharya

Narayan Gopal Guruacharya was born to a Newar family in Kathmandu in 1996 BS (1939/40 AD). His father, a classical musician, initially wanted his son to follow classical musical traditions. Although Narayan Gopal had an early affinity for music, his heart lay in modern melodic creation rather than rigid classical forms. Widely regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons in Nepal, he is affectionately honored as the “Swar Samrat” (Emperor of Melodies) and famously known as the “King of Tragedy” due to his deeply emotional and sorrowful songs. He also contributed significantly to songs in Nepal Bhasa.

Narayan Gopal remains the most prominent and beloved singer in Nepali musical history. His voice was exceptionally versatile, featuring a wide range that allowed him to capture every human emotion with absolute precision. His timeless tracks were richly orchestrated with traditional instruments like the sitar, harmonium, and flute. Some of his evergreen masterpieces include “Euta Manche Ko Maya le Kati”, “Jhareko Paat Jhai”, “Yo Samjhine Man Cha”, “Saawan ko Jhari Bani”, and “Manche ko Maya”.

Throughout his career, he recorded over 500 songs, spanning films, modern tracks, and ballets. He was notoriously selective, refusing to compromise on lyrical depth or musical quality. In recognition of his unparalleled cultural contributions, he received numerous national honors, including the Trishakti Patta and the Chinnalata Puraskar. Even decades after his untimely passing, his legacy endures, and his songs continue to captivate generation after generation of music lovers across the nation.

Grammar

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 because 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 by 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 games 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.