Artistry

What is creative thinking? What is inspiration? Or these two mutually exclusive or inclusive?

In Management, a creative thinker is defined as one who looks at problems or situations from a fresh perspective and suggests unorthodox solutions. Inspiration is the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.

All geniuses get inspired from others’ works. The episode involving Kamban and a farmer and the line ‘moongil ilai mele thoongum pani neere’ is well known to people who follow Tamizh Literature(people who are not aware of this need not worry.It will be part of a forthcoming post).

Some of the compositions of Raaja sir’s have been inspired from the works of some great composers. But the genius that he is, Raaja sir took just a few lines and expanded these in his own way. In all fairness to the great legends, some of the inspired pieces even sound better than the original.

In any case, this post is not about such pieces. It is about Raaja getting inspired by Raaja.

It is not uncommon for directors to quote some known popular songs and ask for the same tune(s). Here, I am talking about his own songs in other languages. A normal composer would simply give the same tune and the tracks. In fact, they would even thank the director mentally for reducing the ‘burden’. But not this genius..He sees to it that even in remakes, he adds some subtle changes. The case of ‘Lalita Priya Kamalam’ and ‘Idhazhil Kadhai Ezhuthum’ is a classic example.

I can of course quote many examples, but for now, let me focus on the song of the day. ‘Maanjolai KiLidhaano’, in my opinion is a masterpiece in Laya. I have written about the Laya aspect elaborately in my other blog (https://rajamanjari.blogspot.in/2014/07/laya-raaja-3.html)  and have also explained albeit briefly during the Laya Raaja presentation in Geetanjali-2016. I shall take this up more elaborately in the next Laya Raaja presentation.

‘Kizhakke Pogum Rail’ was remade in telugu as ‘Toorpu Velle Railu’, but the director was different. Yes, the music director was different too(SPB) and the tunes were totally different. This movie was released in 1979. Around the same time, ‘Panchabhootalu’ was released too. I am really not sure if the director of ‘Panchabhootalu’ wanted the tune or Raaja sir himself decided to use the tune(this is unlikely anyway) but the fact is ‘Kavvinche Kallalo’ was born.

While the tamizh version is a male solo, the telugu version is a duet in the voices of SPB and Suseela. But let us see how the Master has improvised his own composition.

To start with, the two are in different shrutis. Secondly, the ‘kaala pramaaNam’(aka as the tempo) is different with the tamizh one in a slightly faster tempo.

The tamizh version starts with the percussion(and what a ‘tani aavartanam’ it is..would make a carnatic percussionist proud!). ‘Kavvinche..’ starts with a very brief sitar piece followed by the sympathetic strings with the bell sounding different notes simultaneously. Suseela’s akaaram follows. SPB pitches in with his akaaram(what a beautiful and different counterpoint!). Suddha Dhanyasi sketched in a matter of seconds by the painter!

The percussion takes over. Now, it is the same laya pattern like its Tamizh original but there is a change in the instruments. In ‘Maanjolai’, the friendly banter is predominantly between the pakhawaj and the tabla. In ‘Kavvinche..’, the mugarsing(or morsing) enters the fray and plays along with the tabla to add spice. There is a subtle difference in the sound of tabla and pakhawaj too.

The subtle difference is seen in the structure of the lines in the Pallavi and even in the way the tabla sounds in the background. It is sharper and more distinct in the telugu version.

One of the most beautiful aspects of the tamizh version is the sounding of the percussion for every third beat, leaving a gap of two beats in the beginning of the first interlude. It continues in the telugu version too. What is different is the combination of the instruments which follow. If it is the veena which sounds in ‘Maanjolai’, it is the jalatarangam in ‘Kavvinche’. Moreover, the sitar follows in the latter. There is a subtle change in the flute piece too, especially in the beginning.

The first CharaNam remains almost the same except that one sees a couple of more podi sangatis in Suseela’s rendering. Of course, that beautiful ‘ta ki ta/ ta ki  ta/ ta ki  ta / ta ki  ta/ ta ka dhi mi’ in the last line is retained without any change.

What happens in the second interlude proves my strong conviction that ILaiyaraaja is the greatest composer in Indian Film Music. In the tamizh version, the raga changes to Kharaharapriya( with some magical orchestration and laya exercises) and this continues in the first half of the second CharaNam.

The Master does not change the raga in the telugu version. Instead, he uses only the vocals (chorus and Suseela) in the entire interlude. He then improvises giving a totally new melody (in the same raga) in the first half of the second CharaNam(people who know telugu can appreciate the beautiful lyrics too here!). The tune in Suddha Dhanyasi, the different backing of the pakhawaj, the rendering of SPB and Suseela and the poetic lyrics transport us to a Musical New World..

The world of creativity..

Inspiration and Creativity-are these mutually exclusive or inclusive?

The Music of the Emperor will silently answer this..

                  

                  

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