Sense and Sensibilty

 What makes him write the notes for the prelude and the interlude? Is it the explanation of the sequence by the director alone or is there something else too?

 A director can at the most say (for example): It is a love duet where the hero describes the beauty of the heroine and she reciprocates. They keep dancing and go to places like Switzerland, Ooty or even Parangimalai.

Prior to this, the outline of the story and of the characters would be briefed. The relevance (if at all there is one) of the song in the movie would also be told.

With such limited details, he first plays the tune. Once it is accepted by the director, he sits down with the lyricist and the song is born. Now comes the stage of orchestration and I am sure he is all alone during this stage. He takes the sheets and starts writing. The music keeps playing in his mind as he writes and he instantly decides on the instruments to be used for each piece (some pieces are written keeping the instruments in mind). Alongside, he writes parallel melodies and also the notes for bass guitar. He then writes notes for the instruments to be used in the Pallavi and CharaNams (and very rarely the postlude).

The sheets are given to his assistant who would take copies and distribute the sheets to the instrumentalists accordingly. Finally, the recording happens.

What does the director do now? Sit and listen to the song multiple times and forms ideas of picturising? Does he focus on each and every bit? Does he understand the melodic and rhythmic patterns? Do his creative juices flow vigourously?

Going by the visuals of a majority of songs, I really doubt if all these happen.

Let me take an example. ‘Yaava Shilpi Kanda Kanasu Neevu’ from ‘Janmajanmada Anubandha’(1980) is an all time favourite of mine. It is a fast paced love duet and yet it sounds classic. It is a marriage between peppiness and subtlety.

 While listening to the entire song, I see so many visuals and images in my mind. But when I watched the song today expecting at least some aesthetics, I was utterly shocked. The images I had all these years in my mind crumbled. I cursed myself and decided to get those images back. Let me try and describe the song and see if I get my lost treasures back.

It starts with the resonant guitar and the dulcet flute drawing a graceful silhouette.  The drums, bass guitar and the synthesiser jump into the fray and pump adrenaline. It is a burst of colour as the sax plays with a charming splendour and the violin(s) crackling with energy.

A chiaroscuro!

The Pallavi in the voices of SPB and Janaki is a true delight with the percussion instruments playing the chatushram with gusto. The flute bit that appears now and then, lends a quiet glow.

Unimpeded flow of melody. This is how I can define the first interlude. The romance between the saxophone, which gives some free flowing expressions and the violin, which gives some sprightly variations in a matter of few seconds, is something which gives surreal images. The piquant flute then undulates playing vivadi notes(I am not going to discuss or even mention the raga details here. All I can say is that it is a very different raga and I had already written about this in the My Journey thread long back in Orkut community).

The CharaNams are ingeniously structured with classical touches being seen and felt in the second half.

 The second interlude is deftly framed too. The percussion plays the chatushram for one cycle. Now, it is a fiery romance between two violins. This sparkling piece is followed by the flute which now gives a folksy shade even as it plays the vivadi notes and we reach empyrean heights..

Oh..yes..I have got my treasures back now.

In a way, isn’t that one of the main reasons for me to write here?