Beatific

 Of the three great composers who have graced Carnatic Music, Shyama Sastri was different. Unlike Tyagaraja and Muttuswami Dikshitar, he did not travel much. He was mostly confined to his home where he worshipped Bangaaru Kamakshi idol believed to have been handed over to his family by Adi Shankara himself.

Secondly, he composed just around 300 kritis. Compare this with the thousands of kritis composed by the other two. Thirdly, he had a unique Laya Gnaana and his compositions stand testimony to this (not that Tyagaraja’s and Dikshitar’s Laya Gnaana was inferior but Shyama Sastri’s kritis had some intricate taaLas). Fourthly, he did not have any ‘Group kritis’(except one) on the lines of ‘Pancharatna’ or ‘NavaavarNa’. Fifthly, he did not have too many disciples.

And yet, if many of his kritis are still rendered by musicians today, it is because of the musicality and most importantly, the ‘Bhakti Bhava’.

As mentioned, he did not travel much. But it is said that once an old man approached him in Pudukkottai and to go to Madurai and sing on Meenakshi. After a while, the same old man is said to have appeared in his dream. He obliged and sang what is called as the ‘Navaratnamaalika’. Of the nine krits, only seven are available now and apart from being sung regularly in concerts, these are rendered during the Navaraatri as these shimmer with special musicality radiating spirituality and spreading serenity.

Though all the 7 are equally great, ‘Nannu Brova Lalita’ is significant because as far as I know this is the only kriti of this composer in which the name of the raga appears. In this kriti, he addresses Meenakshi as ‘Kalpakalata’, which is unique as well. The uniqueness is because of  the word ‘lata’, which means a creeper. As per mythology, there existed a tree-Kalpataru- which would fulfil one’s wishes if one stood under it (there is an interesting story about this too, but I am not getting into that now!). But Shyama Sastri preferred Her to be depicted as a creeper than a tree (isn’t a creeper more beautiful than a tree?).

He also addresses Her as ‘Janani’ in the anu pallavi. In Sanskrit, ‘Janani’ means ‘Universal Mother’. It also means ‘Very beautiful’. In Arabic, it means ‘Heart and Soul’.

 It is indeed a very powerful word which spreads happiness.

Of course, the moment this particular word is pronounced/heard/read, people who admire the music of ILaiyaraaja would think of one particular song and immediately be drenched with devotion(even if he/she is an atheist!).

Like Shyama Sastri, ILaiyaraaja too is a staunch devotee of Shakti and his songs too shine with a unique spirituality-whether film or non-film. He has used the word ‘Janani’ in a couple of other songs too and needless to say this has a huge impact on the listener not least because of the power that word carries.

‘Amma Janani’(ILaiyaraajavin Geetanjali) is one of those compositions which take us literally to a new level. Like ‘Nannu Brova’, this too is based on Lalita.

The sympathetic strings in the beginning give us a feeling of dawn (strictly speaking Lalita is not a morning raga, though the Hindustani counterpart of its parent raga-Mayamalavagowla- Bhairav, is a morning raag in the Hindustani system).

The bass string of the VeeNa plays the swaras of Lalita and one can’t help feeling the Saama Veda here. The guitar replies in Veda Sangeetam. After 4 aavartanaas , the VeeNa plays with its other strings with the guitar backing it and one sees the divinity of Lalita.

The Pallavi is in ‘ateeta eduppu’ with the ‘samam’ in ‘ma’ of ‘amma’. The meditative voice of the Master radiates a unique charm which cannot be described in words and even if described, may not do full justice to the kind of feeling one experiences.

The VeeNa follows the voice after the first line and plays with grace for a full aavartana.

VeeNa’s grace and elegance continue in the interludes with the veda mantram surrounding us. There is a sudden twist here (what is life without twists and turns) with the flute entering and playing some unknown dimensions of Lalita, sans percussion. In fact, the VeeNa plays a couple of repetitive swaras repeatedly, the rhythm guitar sounds at an interval of 2 beats and these two act as the percussion. The flute is soft, sensitive and powerful. The guitar and a S.E.Asian instrument then combine together and the effect is stupendous. It goes very deep into our heart and moves the veins rhythmically.

The heart is filled with joy during the ‘akaaram’ after ‘darisanangaL’. This ‘akaaram’ which lasts for one and half aavartanas, also touches the mandra stayee(lower octave) swaras giving a practical definition of meditation.

‘Give me Your Darshan everyday Oh Soundarya Lahari of Adi Shankara’ says the first CharaNam.

The brilliance of the Vaaggeyakaara (note that Raaja sir himself wrote this song) is seen in the second CharaNam where the word ‘ViLakku’ is used to convey two meanings in two different lines- ‘Light’ which dispels the darkness and ‘to explain’ the ‘Iyal and Isai’(literature and music)!

‘The waxing Moon which never wanes’ continues the CharaNam, ‘The one who is worshipped by one and all’.

You are my refuge. You are the Music of my Soul. You are Lalita.

You are Janani.

Lateral

 Do different things differently.

Do same things differently.

In a nutshell this is what is Creativity. But again, is it that easy to be creative? Moreover, the Devil’s advocate inside us will say, ‘Ok, let me walk in the reverse direction. Can I then be called as a creative person?’

Though this might bring peals of laughter, the question as such cannot be brushed aside. Recently I read an article/interview in the newspaper in which a prominent person revealed his secret of success. And guess what it could be...It was ‘Making stupid decisions’. He went a step ahead and said all of us-especially the students- should be encouraged to make stupid decisions. I know this sounds a tad farfetched and even outlandish, but one has to go deeper to understand and appreciate this and not just be stuck at the surface.

What sounds stupid today might sound novel tomorrow. When the Wright Brothers expressed their desire to fly, the elders said ‘Are you stupid? Only angels can fly and not humans’. What would have happened if they too believed that it was a ‘stupid idea’ and had not listened to their heart? Examples galore..

It all boils down to just two questions- Why? and Why Not?

A young man sat under an apple tree and saw the apple fall. He thought, ‘Why is it falling down and why is it not going up?.

Gravity was discovered.

A gentleman heard the echo of his own voice. He thought,’ Why should it be heard only here? Why not in other cities/town/countries?’

Radio was invented.

A star batsman thought ‘Why should the bat be held only facing one direction while playing a shot. Why cannot it face the other direction as well?’

Reverse Sweep was invented.

What was common among all these people?

‘Why’, ‘Why not’ and most importantly ‘Stupid thinking’.

If stupidity is used as a euphemism for creativity, I am sure the word ‘creativity’ won’t mind that!

During the late ‘70s when a gentleman from an obscure village in Tamizh Nadu wanted to do ‘same things differently’, ‘different things differently’ and asked ‘why’ and ‘why not’, he was ridiculed and mocked at by many. But undeterred he went ahead and invented new idioms and even syntax for the language called music.

As an example ( I can quote at least 3000 examples but for obvious reasons, am taking up just one song), see this song . Eppudu Eppudu from Aakhari Porattam (1988). It is just a romantic duet in a commercial movie and the situation is a normal situation (normal in movies and abnormal in real life). But this gentleman thought differently. ‘Why should the pallavi be normal, why not do something different?’, he thought and composed a first line which when decoded in the taaLa parlance goes something like ‘’ta ka dhi mi/ta ka dhi mi/ ta ka dhi mi/ ta ka dhi mi/ta ka dhi mi/ta ka dhi mi /ta ka dhi mi/ta ka dhi mi’’. That is, divide each beat into 4 micro-beats and fill them up with words.

 The line that continues follows the same design but the pattern changes with gaps called as kaarvais- in between.

I am not dwelling deep into that as that would amount to technical details, which in more than one way would spoil the aesthetics if analysed at least in this context.

The same kind of design with some variations in the pattern is seen in the second half of each Charnam too. In fact, even the beginning of the song is different with only the percussion sounding for a while and the guitar joining and sounding at a very odd place. At the same time, what should not be lost is the fact that the pattern followed by a host of the percussion instruments in the Prelude, is a precursor to what is in store in the Pallavi and CharaNams.

As if to show how beautiful creativity and innovation could be, the bass guitar sounds so different when it appears in the Pallavi. So does the family of guitars in the rest of the Pallavi.

The ebullient streak of creativity continues in the first interlude as well with the guitar and the strings having a friendly banter-with the former even playing alien notes with a palpable sense of joy- and the brass flute joining in the latter half even as the strings play in the higher octave.

If the taaLa pattern is all about ‘doing different things differently’, the raga/scale pattern is ‘about doing same things differently’. ShankarabharaNam is a raga which has been used ubiquitously by the composer. Needless to say ‘Eppudu Eppudu’ follows this raga/scale. The guitar piece in the first interlude and even the first part of the CharaNams might remind listeners of some of his other songs. But how subtly different these are from the other known compositions is a fact which will be deciphered by the trained ear. In any case, the classical shades in the first half of the CharaNams cannot missed by the cognoscenti as well as the uninitiated.

 The second interlude is an yet another example of innovation. If the first segment has the vocals(SPB) just saying ‘Ha’ and the drums and the claps responding, the next segment has the piped instruments moving with gusto to the backing of a host of percussion instruments. The last segment sees the playful romance between the guitar and the percussion which plays a different pattern for the ‘n’th time.

Do same things differently.

Do different things differently.

You will know why you should do it and then ask why not.

Esoteric

 One of the often repeated questions in the minds of people who know the theory of classical music is –‘Why does he mix alien notes in a song which tends to follow a particular raga pattern?’

I remember reading a blog long long ago(that is in about 15 years ago) in which a person who seemed to know classical music and the ragas made a statement something like this- I really don’t know why he brings in alien note(s) in a song. He even went on to suggest that Raaja sir does not know pure classical music and that is why, he does this!

First of all, people should realise that film songs form a genre by itself, say something like ghazals, qawwalis etc., In fact, the Hindustani system allows the usage of alien notes in any raga with a prefix ‘Misra’ added to the raga. There is also a form called Tumri which is performed in a Hindustani music concert and the composition has a dash of alien notes.

Secondly, I have often wondered as to why people break their heads on ragas. Once when my father-in-law was in a concert of a popular Hindustani vocalist, he couldn’t place the raag from the aalaap. Note that in Hindustani music, there are too many allied raags with similar structures and the only differentiating factor is the way the raag is sung. So, he checked with the person sitting next to him - Bhaisaab, it sounds like Shree, but also like Poorvi and Maarwa, so what raag is it? The reply he got was unforgettable not just for him but for yours truly too. The person said- ‘I am here to appreciate the beauty of music in its entirety and I care the least for the name of the raag’.

Sadly, a majority (read this as 95% ) of concert goers in South India do not follow this, scratching their heads the moment the musician starts singing-or playing- a raga, making the company selling ‘Head and Shoulders’ richer in the process , checking with the person seated next-who would either scratch his/her head again prompting the usage of ‘Head and Shoulders’ later or give a random name. Only at times, some people are lucky with erudite people sitting next to them, people who would recite the arohanam/avarohanam of the raga, and the name of the mother raga, if it is a derived raga or the number of the melakarta if it is a mother raga. The cynical face also can be seen in some cases with these erudite scholars giving their own comment like – I feel the note which is non-existent in this raga appeared fleetingly or You must hear ....... sing this raga, nothing can equal that!

Well, these people are no different from the other ‘film song musicologists’ who tend to find ragas in all songs, at times even in every phrase. For example, about a couple of years ago, there was this person who would ask me the raga of every song and who once went to the extent of saying ‘the first four phrases in Oru naaL Unnodu oru NaaL is Madhyamavati’ while in reality the song is in the diatonic minor scale!

All these thoughts crossed my mind when I was listening to ‘Devan Kovil Deepam OndRu’ last night. I must have listened to this song from ‘Naan Paadum Paadal’(1984) umpteen times but only last night did it occur to me that he used both the variants of the note ‘dha’s one after the other in the CharaNams, which should actually be considered as vivadi but it cannot be due to some other reason about which I am not getting into right now as I have already breached the ‘thread dharma’ by talking about the technical details in this thread.

Let us focus on the song.

Right from the time this song was released and right from the time I listened to it for the first time (both are same anyway!), this song has always given me a mélange of feelings, though I am unable to pinpoint the exact reasons. But things which are beyond any reason have a charm of their own, a classic example being the Divine Force.

The brief akaaram of Janaki with the superimposed chorus voices singing a different melody in a different octave, gives us a spate of things to come. The unmistakable mystic tone in this makes one expect something. What it is, is again something which is unexplainable.

The beauty of contrast is shown in the prelude itself. If the lead vocals and the chorus singing in different melodies in different octaves is a beautiful contrast, no less inferior is the contrast between the flute melody and the guitar melody and the one between the tabla and the drums.

The structure of the Pallavi is simple and magical. The sympathetic strings which follow the lead vocals in the Pallavi reminds one of the moon which quickly passes through a cloud only to emerge instantly and pass through another cloud.

The guitar family backs the flute in the beginning of the first interlude and this indeed is a treat. Somehow, the flute decides to move on its own and extricating itself from the dominant family, it floats all alone singing like a bird. But like an affectionate brother, the bass guitar holds it now and then so that it doesn’t fall a prey to the gravity. A couple of members from the Guitar family peep in too to pledge their support. It is the turn of the strings then to fly with a couple of bass instruments backing them and also sounding a very different melody. The flute reappears this time playing staccatos.

It is the first half of the CharaNams that I was referring to in the beginning. The shade of poignancy is unmatched and yes, the feelings cannot be put down in words. What make the lines even more beautiful are the strings and the flute which alternate between themselves and appear between the lines. Reading between the lines is good, at times! And am I not saying this for the ‘n’th time?

In keeping with the mood of the CharaNams, the instruments in the second interlude (the bass guitar , the brief flute, and the strings) give that mystic shade. The strings then enter again but this time with a lilting melody with brass flute following it, giving us a vision of Danube.

But as if to indicate that things-especially good ones- don’t end so quickly, the guitar-duo enters playing with a mix of flamboyance and virtuosity, even as the strings play a subtler role.

Yes, good things don’t end so soon, as long as we keep our mind open without bothering about anything and everything..

After all, there is a special beauty in things which are beyond reason!

Scrupulous

Intriguing!

This is how one can define the lives of well-known people. No, I am not talking about politicians here as stating the obvious serves no purpose. 

Today, I read an interesting anecdote about Alauddin Khilji from a book. In fact, the book itself is very interesting as it narrates little known facts about people well-known, little known and unknown in a very fluent style. Since this is not a book review, let me move on.

This much dreaded Khilji known for his ‘kill ji’ policy and principle and for his looting of valuables from India, it seems was very scared of two women-his mother and his wife! In fact, many of his exploits happened because he wanted to be away from both these women as much as possible!!

Some 3-4 years ago, I also read (that was a different book) about a very famous Classical singer- a legend- who married twice with his second wife dominating his entire life. So much so that not only did he hardly spend his life with his ‘first family’ but also that he seldom met them. His son-from the first family- hated him!

Then there was this English author, one of whose books top my all –time favourite novels list, who had an illicit relationship with a girl nearly 30 years younger than him. He, it seems treated her like a slave!

There are many stories(real life) like these and the objective is not to besmirch anybody or to denigrate them. I quoted these examples because even the lives of legends were not without blemish. 

And yes, there is one more reason and that forms the fulcrum of this post.

One of the most popular and celebrated Western Classical Composers, once fell in love with his student, a student not brilliant or intelligent or smart, but just below average. He composed a short and simple piece in/for piano so that she could play it easily. Unfortunately, the lady rejected his proposal. This irked him so much that he extended the piece and included some very complex notes in the piece. He chose not to publish this work. The piece which was under the wraps for many years after his death was ‘resurrected’ and is now considered to be masterpiece and being given for practice for aspiring pianists. 

Name of the composer- Ludwig van Beethoven.

Name of the Piece- Für Elise.

This piece appears in the trailer of a very recent movie and if I am not wrong, appears in the movie too, though I am not sure of this as I haven’t watched it.

However, the Maestro did not use this for the first time. Before getting into that, let me also tell you that MSV sir, used the same piece in the first line of a song (En Manadhu OndRu Dhaan- PerumaikkuriyavaL) in 1977.  By no stretch of imagination can this be called as ‘copying’. I have written many posts on creativity and inspiration and therefore would prefer to stay away in defining and explaining the difference between ‘copy’ and ‘inspiration’.

If the legendary Mellisai Mannar used the first line of the piece as his first line in a duet song, Innisai ILavaL(as the Maestro was known during the late ‘70s) used a part of the first line just towards the end of the prelude in a song in 1978. What is beautiful or even outlandish about this is that he made the brass flute play this piece which was written exclusively for the piano!

‘Maalai iLamanadhil Aasigathanai Thooviyadhu’ from ‘AvaL Oru Pachaikkuzhandai’ is in fact dominated by the guitar. It starts with a resonant piece in guitar with the accordion taking over in the latter half. The tribute to the genius happens just towards the end of the prelude as mentioned already.

What is amazing is the fact that there is no sign or even a trace of that piece anywhere else in the song. 

The voices might sound very different to many, but let me tell you that the song was rendered by Shobha Sekar and S.N.Surendar, the former being the mother of a popular Tamizh actor (and the current CM of Tamizh Nadu) and the latter being his uncle who is also known for lending his dubbing voice to yet another famous actor of the ‘80s, who in fact is always identified with the ‘Mike’.

The inimitable guitar takes us through the first segment of the first interlude playing some mind blowing notes while the whistle sound adds to the intrigue with its sharp and piercing tone. The two join towards the end producing some unique sounds.

The lines in the CharaNams have a special charm with the last line transporting us to a different world.

The second interlude changes track with the brass flute giving a beautiful WCM flavour. The accordion at the end shimmers with beauty and yes with that sense of intrigue.

What is music without intrigue?

What is life without the sense of intrigue?

Symmetry

 Said Kamalhaasan- ‘Just like we have ki.mu(B.C) and ki,pi.(A,D) in the world, we should have si.mu(Sivajikku mun- Before Sivaji’s entry) and si.pi(Sivajikku pin- After Sivaji’s entry) in film world.’

Not many actors in the world have transformed the film world with acting and redefined the grammar of acting as much as Sivaji Ganesan has done. Many (or almost all) actors post si.pi. have tried to emulate him and even imitate him but unfortunately have fallen flat. Like a colossus, he rose and created a niche for himself. There is so much talk about ‘method acting’ now, but not many can even come close to this gentleman when it comes to ‘becoming the character itself’.

Critics ( or should I say cynics) point out the ‘artificiality’ in his acting especially when it comes to dialogue delivery. These people miss the wood for the trees. First of all, there can be nothing called ‘natural acting’. People who use this oxymoron, forget the fact that cinema is not real. It is that tinge of artificiality that gives cinema (and theatre) the uniqueness. Moreover, Sivaji was(is) beyond dialogue delivery. Long ago, I had mentioned in another forum about how Rajaji (who hated the word cinema), appreciated the expression of this actor when he just showed emotions with his eyes in the movie ‘SampoorNa RamayaNam’ (as Bharatan in the Rama-Bharata meeting after the former was asked to go to forest by his beloved father).

The relationship Raaja sir had with Sivaji and the mutual respect they had , have been written mentioned in this forum many times and therefore needs no elaboration now.

Let us listen to a marvellous composition which in a way depicts the love, affection and respect Raaja sir had(has) on that gentleman whose name can be one of the synonyms of acting in all dictionaries.

Laya Raaja is in full flow in the beginning itself in ‘ThoraNam aadidum’ from ‘Vetrikku Oruvan’(1979). The percussion sounds ‘ta ki ta’ constantly in mel kaalam, with no other instrument backing it. It plays the 3-beat cycle 12 times after which the electric guitar joins the percussion. A constant sound is then produced by the keys. The flute jumps into the fray and goes around with exuberance. The electric guitar appears again. The strings glide and move around. Amidst all this the percussion keeps playing ‘ta ki ta’ like a karma yogi!

The Pallavi (TMS/Janaki) starts post-humming and now there are different sets of percussion which play the tisram beats in medium speed (madhyama kaalam). The interjection of electric guitar which keeps playing the melody of the first line, adds a special flavour to the Pallavi.

The flute takes over again in the first interlude, moving with a sense of purpose with the electric guitar giving repartee. Interestingly, the rhythm guitar enters even as the flute continues to enthral, and takes the role of the percussion which appeared in the prelude and sounds ‘ta ki ta’ in mel kaalam. This continues in the strings section as well. The strings which play in the higher-octave, give touches of WCM. The acoustic guitar brings sobriety to the proceedings and its subtle romance with the flute which enters again, this time cooing almost like a cuckoo, is breathtaking. All along, the bass guitar plays the role of a catalyst as usual.

The lines in the CharaNam move gracefully with the flute playing between the lines.

The strings dominate the first segment of the second interlude, moving like a swing and giving way to the flute which continues the melody of the strings. The guitar sings with the bells and this leads to a lullaby by Janaki.

Hundreds of variations, subtle and detailed in a matter of 4 and half minutes. Doesn’t this symbolise that gentleman who goes by the sobriquet – Nadigar Tilagam?

 

Incalculable

 Last year around the month of December, the Tamizh Nadu government suddenly announced a proposal to charge entertainment tax on tickets for music concerts and dramas. Coming as it did just when the Margazhi Music Season was on in Chennai, one could easily read between the lines. Thankfully, it was not implemented during the season though the Bill was introduced in the Assembly.

The big question is – Is Music a form of entertainment?

Though some (or even many) would answer ‘yes’ to that question, I differ. In fact, I still remember the kind of arguments and debates I indulged in during my college days on this topic. Ah, yes, those were informal and not like the ‘Patti MandRam’ one would see on TV those days. Yet, there were heated arguments.

Let us get into the meaning of the word Entertainment. It means to ‘amuse’ people; that is, to make them laugh; to make them feel happy. While I do not have any dispute with regard to the happiness part, I disagree with that ‘amusement’ and ‘laughing’. Music does make one laugh, but it also makes one cry. That ‘laugh’ too is different and surely does not reflect the kind of happiness one gets from listening to music. Music enters our ears, pierces our heart, and stirs the soul. Well, I am talking about real and genuine music and not the ‘sound’ that masquerades as music!

The song I have taken up today is a classic example of genuine music. Before that, I must also tell you the background. In a recent interview to a Kannada channel, the Master himself referred to this song and narrated something about it (which is a rarity!). It seems an elephant calf in Thirussur refused to fall asleep. One day (or night), the mahout sang this song and the calf calmed down and fell asleep. Since then, it has become a habit for the mahout to sing this song for the calf to sleep.

AlliyiLampoovo from Mangalam Nerunnu (1984) is a very special song and the reason has to do not just with this incident. Generally, lullabies are composed in ragas like Neelambari, Yadukulakambhodi, Kurinji or even ShankarabharaNam. I have hardly come across a lullaby in Madhyamavati or Brindavana Saranga. If the former is considered to be a very auspicious raga, the latter- which in a way almost sounds like the former except for a subtle difference and variation- has contours of romance and love. But this composer who has time and again defied logic challenging the status quo without crossing the boundary, has composed this lullaby in Brindavana Saranga. It goes to show yet again that a raga is just a tool and that it is less important than the feelings it evokes by the way it is used.

With the keys producing that special sound (this sound was his trademark during the late ‘70s and the early ‘80s), and the flute joining in, the akaaram of Krishnachandran is as soothing as the breeze in a forest. The keys keep repeating the same melody- though it becomes subtle once the vocals start- until almost the end of the prelude, suggesting that certain things in life are repetitive and yet never tiring.

The breezy feel continues in the Pallavi with the percussion playing    1 2 3 4/ 1 2 3 4 giving the stress on the last two syllables in each part ( 3 4).

The reason for my mentioning ‘breeze’ will become more apparent and clearer if you listen to the first interlude. The flute which is the partner of the wind and without which it cannot exist musically, caresses us like how one’s father used to caress us while putting us to sleep when we were small. The special keys take over with glee and complement the flute in the second half of the interlude.

With the percussion following the same pattern, the lines in the CharaNams ooze with compassion and love. Without a doubt, the ‘between the lines’ sound towards the end, gives it a special complexion.

The special sound continues in the second interlude until yet another sound from the keys takes over. If I call this sound intriguing, I don’t think I will be exaggerating. The flute appears again, but this time it has a totally different shade. With a child-like enthusiasm, it moves, prances and even crawls.

Are you the young flower/or the sweet honey/ or the tender coconut/or the one with sweet words/ or the moon that has come to the earth? – says the Pallavi.

Doesn’t this apply to immortal music too? And can we imagine ‘taxing’ such music?

Hope the powers that be are listening. Oh, aren’t they busy with something else?

 

 

Pleasurable Pain

 Love duets in movies are very interesting and surely call for a deep study.

Sometime back, I had written about how unrealistic a song sequence is in an Indian Film. Just imagine a man and a woman running around, chasing each other, ‘dancing’ to the beats, grimacing, ‘smiling’, and smooching- in real life say in a park or a beach. Would we not immediately call the number of a mental asylum or a police station? And how rhyming and musical they sound! I remember watching a Hindi movie ‘Chashme buddoor’(1981) where such a sequence was parodied.

But aren’t films always films? Why should one relate it to real life? This is another school of thought.

 I do not want to take any sides now. As mentioned in my old post, if only the concept of song sequence was not invented, we would have been deprived of listening some great music and also some great poetic lyrics. A new idiom or a new form called ‘Film music’ would not have been born which would have surely been a great loss.

At the same time, what is most irritating is the way the song sequence is shot. Vulgar movements, obscene gestures and horrible lyrics make one squirm. But this is surely not the case always. A majority of old songs-especially love duets- had meaningful words and even gave some new dimensions to love. For example- ‘Naan kaadhal ennum karuNai seithen kattilin mele, andha karuNaikku naan parisu thanthen thottilin mele’. I don’t think Love or even Love making can be described in a more subtle way.

The great Kaviyarasar has of course penned many love duets like this and the song of the day, Sindhu nadhikkaraiyoram from Nalladoru Kudumbam (1979) which of course is in the Raaja-KaNNadasan combo is special in terms of the way the newly married couple speak to (or is it sing to?) each other.

The poet takes us to the banks of the river Sindhu. As you all know, Indus valley civilization is one of the oldest and is believed to have been born and grown on the banks of this river. It is also said that the ‘Hindu’ is derived from this ‘Sindhu’. The Emperor of Poetry in Tamizh Cinema says(or makes the hero and heroine say) that he/she sing in Tamizh on the banks of this great river in the evening.

In the first CharaNam, the Heroine lists out her ‘seer varisai’(gifts given by the bride’s family to the grrom). Yet again a subtle description of love making- bed of flowers, mantra of kaama and the music of the cuckoo!

The second CharaNam is a Masterstroke indeed! The poet’s passion for tamizh literature is very well known. Long back, he wrote ‘Kamban thandha Seetai undhan Thaai allava..kaaLidasan Sakuntalai un Sei allava..’. In this song, he says, ‘TheLLu tamizh silambugaLai aLLi avaL aNindhu koNdaaL’. ‘Silappadhikaaram’, one of the oldest epics is referred to as ‘Silambu’ which also means the ‘Ankle bell’. 

‘She wears the beautiful Tamizh Silambu’. What a fertile imagination!! One of the reasons for my listening to this song quite often is this line (many times I hum this line too of course when there is no one around me!).

There are other reasons too that make this song one of my all time favourites.

The tune in ‘Suddha Dhanyasi’ with a sprinkling of the swara ‘ri’ in the CharaNam (which gives an abheri touch) is another reason. The most attractive part is the use of ‘ga3’in the penultimate line and the last line (kaadal kaNNama).

The prelude is simple in the audio version though the OST has the sound of the birds played by the flute. Though it is simple, it is very intense and powerful.

The prominent Sitar in the first interlude pierces our hearts while the strings make us all fly.

The second interlude has the western contours with the guitar smiling and the flute romancing with the strings. The sharp sound at the end of the interlude adds to the beauty.

TMS-Suseela is a rare combo in Raaja’s music and this is one of the few songs where they have been paired together. I simply love the sangati in ‘Andhi neram’ when Suseela renders it.

The Tisram beats of Tabla is another high point.

A song which flows as majestically and beautifully as the River Sindhu….and ….Tamizh.

Exosphere

 Two Saturdays ago, I was driving on ECR. What is special about this? It is just that it was my special day. My family was there in the car and there was somebody else as well in the form of music. Suddenly, my son said – “His next song from Dorothy will be released in 30 minutes’’.

My thoughts went back to those days when I would be with my transistor radio waiting with bated breath to listen to his ‘latest’. With that excitement back now, I kept asking my son if it was out. Finally, he said, ‘Yes’ and started playing it on his phone.

‘Bamchika Bamchika Bamcha Bam’ sang a very different voice repeatedly even as the electronic sounds backing the vocals. And this went on almost for nearly one and half minutes with a couple of instruments (Synth Shehnai and the Flute) appearing in between and the chorus humming a tune. After 2 minutes, my son said ‘I think it is just the background music and not a song’. But then appeared the female voice (Swetha Mohan). After nearly 3 and half minutes, the Master’s voice appeared too.

‘Such a long prelude!’ I thought and at the same time wondered as to why it was sounding so repetitive. I was also not that happy with the same beats continuing without any change. For a person who has listened to thousands of his songs thousand times, where the beats keep changing every now and then, this sounded odd. And to top it all, the number of instruments was too less. And yes, there was no interlude. So, when my son asked my ‘verdict’, I said ‘I am sorry, I am not impressed; I like his portion alone’.

I stuck to this ‘verdict’ for nearly 2 days until I started looking at the song from a different perspective.

To start with, I must admit that the genre ‘Trance’ was something new to me. After I tried to get more information, I understood that the beats – essentially 1 2 3 4- remained constant almost through the song in this genre. I also deciphered that EDM was part and parcel of this genre and that there will be a kind of emotional breakdown after a build- up.

With an open mind, I listened to the song and it opened new vistas and avenues.

Experimentation: Right from 1977 when he innovated and came up with a technique called ‘super-imposing’ (Kaatrinile varum geetam/ En KaNmaNi), this composer has always experimented with sound- even when technology was just at its budding stage in our country. So, this new experiment does not come as a surprise at all.

Raga/Scale : It is based on a raga called Udaya Ravichandrika, though it is popularly known by another name – Shrotsavini. But this is not the only speciality. When the (synth) Shehnai plays in the beginning, it plays the notes of Shuddha Dhanyasi. After a while, when the flute joins in, it becomes the raga I mentioned. How? If one replaces the variant of the swara ‘ni’ with the other variant in Shuddha Dhanyasi, it becomes Udaya Ravichandrika. This is not Gruha Bhedam, but just the substitution of a variant of a particular note.

Vocals : The Master is very well known for his expressive rendition. The way he sings in the second half is something incredible. But what is to be noted is the fact that he traverses the different octaves with consummate ease. Please also recall that in Trance, there is a sudden emotional breakdown and match it with this.

Lyrics: I am not sure about the sequence in the movie, but to me this seems to be a celebration of womanhood. Knowing the composer’s piety, I feel the wordings in the second half must have just rolled out of his lips spontaneously.

MutthumaNi – A different plane!

Avian Flight

 

One of my all-time favourite compositions is 'Ninaivo oru paRavai' from 'Sigappu RojaakkaL'.

The gentle humming of Janaki with just the chord of Bass Guitar as the accompaniment in the Prelude is elegant , while the ‘pa pa pa pa’ of the young Kamal (he was just 23 then) in the Pallavi is vibrant.

The first interlude has the impish beats, dazzling strings, rollicking brass flute and electrifying trumpets. The way the gait changes seamlessly, is something extraordinary.

The second interlude is a marvel.

Designed cohesively, what sets this apart is the feathery piano, its quiet rendezvous with the western flute, the razor-sharp strings and the pellucid whistle sound at the end.

The 4 lines in the CharaNams twirl, sway, trundle and coruscate.

The usage of both the ‘ga’(ga2 and ga3- E and D#) one after the other is an aural treat.

This bird which started its flight in Nov 1978 is still flying and will continue to fly forever...

 

Cosmos

 While watching the recording of one of his recent shows in Europe, something struck me. Whatever it is, the kind of vibrations his vintage era (1976-1980) songs give me, cannot be matched nor can it even be explained. Though I knew this long back and have also shared it time and again in different forums, what struck me that evening was something profound and different. Let me explain.

For starters, I am not a fan of his stage shows and there are multiple reasons. While I am not getting into the reasons now, the very fact that I was watching his stage show on YouTube-that too for an hour- made me wonder as to what happened to me. But this is not that ‘something’. One particular song from that era was being performed and without my being aware, I started humming that song simultaneously swaying from one side to another with my foot tapping the floor. At that particular moment, I realised something.

I get those special vibrations because it has a direct connection with my childhood. I listened to those songs as and when those were released (many times even before the movies were released) and the moment I hear those songs now, the bulb automatically switches on giving those visual effects with me seeing myself as a school - going kid in the house where we lived, keeping the transistor radio close to my ears, at times sitting, at times standing and most of the times doing nothing..

These and many more unexplained feelings, get reflected as vibrations when I listen to those songs again now. Remember the Law of Thermodynamics – Energy can neither be created nor destroyed?

Going back to my childhood days again, but this time even much earlier- my middle- school- days, one evening we were watching a movie in a cinema hall. A song started on the screen and within a few minutes, my mother remarked – ‘Isn’t the singer ------‘? – to my father. I heard that name for the first time and was confused. Having listened to names like Suseela and TMS repeatedly, by then I had concluded that these were the only singers in Tamizh film music. ‘So, what is this ‘new’ singer?’, I thought and decided that my mother was in some other world. How could there be another female singer apart from Suseela?

Little did I know then that the singer was not new and that she had made her debut more than 10 years before that. Little did I realise that I was going to constantly listen to that voice very soon and that from then on, forever. There is one more connection with that song and this shall be told in the end.

Even after this incident, I did not pay much attention to the songs sung by that singer, though I did come across some of her old songs now and then.

Flash forward by 5 years. I have already described that evening when I listened to a particular song from a movie which happened to be the first movie of somebody and how that song failed to make an impact on me that time. That song and many other songs in the following years were sung by that singer. But at least for the next 3-4 years I was not enamoured by that voice and till date I do not know the reason. In the same vein, I do not know when the transformation happened and when I started liking that voice and when that voice became one of my most favourite voices.

Certain things can neither be defined nor can these be explained.

The most striking aspect in that voice is the versatility. And yes, the expressiveness. And yes, the sweetness. Once in an interview to a Tamizh magazine, ILaiyaraaja said no singer in Asia can match the versatility of Janaki, not even Lata Mangeshkar and as usual he hit the nail on its head. Show me one singer who can sing like a child, like a 16-year old, like a middle-aged woman, like an old lady and …even like a teenaged boy. And show me one singer who can sing a classical song, a sensuous song, a pathos song, a folk song- all with equal felicity.

The song I am taking up today encapsulates that voice.

Talking about that song, long ago, say sometime in the year 1978, a classical arts critic whose cynicism equalled his knowledge, mentioned that of all the songs he had listened to (until then), this song was the best simply because of the haunting melody. He kept mentioning this time and again whenever possible. But let me tell you that this song is one of my evergreen favourites not just because that gentleman praised it.

The song brings out the emotions, feelings, and passions of a 16-year old girl, in a way possible only by two geniuses.

I have seen people break their heads on the raga of this song (of course, they do it for almost every song as if that is the most important aspect, finally ending up in deciphering it wrong most of the times!). Let it be clearly understood that it does not follow a specific structure.

The most beautiful feature of Senthoorappoove ( 16 Vayathinile) is the tune.

The most beautiful feature of Senthoorappoove is the orchestration.

The most beautiful feature of Senthoorappoove is the arrangement.

The most beautiful feature of Senthoorappoove is the voice.

No, I have not lost my mind. The fact is everything about the song is so beautiful that it is next to impossible to stick to one particular aspect.

Listen to the strumming of the guitar in the beginning.

Listen to the bells followed by the brief staccato on the flute.

Listen to the group of strings playing in 4 different octaves like an organic progression.

Listen to the subtle bass backing the strings.

Listen to the flute cooing like a bird.

Listen to the tabla play ta ka dhi mi/ ta ka.

Listen to the same guitar piece which appeared in the beginning again.

Listen to the vocals in the Pallavi and notice the absence of percussion throughout with the bass guitar and its brother backing the vocals.

Listen to the sudden change in the first interlude with the flute sounding rather eerie and the percussion sounding the tisram beats.

Listen to the strings play a continuous melody which becomes subtle as the solo-violin takes over.

Listen to the flute-backed by the folksy instrument- which transports us to a green field.

Listen to the guitar again play ta ka dhi mi/ ta ka and the flute towards the end.

Listen to the lines in the CharaNam and the expressions shown by the voice in keeping with the meaning of the words, with the flute interjecting now and then.

Listen to the two sets of strings superimposed on each other with the subtle flute acting as a glue, in the beginning of the second interlude.

Listen to the musical bromance between the oboe and the flute.

Listen to the leitmotif in guitar and the flute again.

Listen to the flute mimicking the birds in the second CharaNam.

Listen to the voice in the song which challenges the birds!

Now, you know the reasons for those vibrations.

By the way, the song I listened to in the cinema hall way back was ‘Unnidaththil ennai koduththen’ from ‘AvaLukkendRu or manam. Sung by Janaki, and with music by that master called M.S.Viswanathan, the song has a combo organ played by a 28-year old man who went by the name ‘Raja’ that time and who had travelled to Madras in 1968 from a remote village in South Tamizh Nadu.

Do I need to say more about ‘connections’?