Portrait..

When asked as to how he composes such great tunes and how he places the right kind of swaras, Raaja sir keeps repeating  that he doesn’t plan anything at all and it just happens. In fact,  though this ‘it just happens’ is not new to people who have been following him very closely. Every time we listen to his songs we cannot but be left amazed at the melody of the tune as a whole and the magnificent and sweet sounds produced by each instrument. Most importantly, the composition  follows a raga pattern. Maybe this too ‘just happens’.

Look at ‘Andaalalo..’ from the Telugu film ‘Jagadeka Veerudu Atiloka Sundari’(1990). 

First of all the raga.It is based on Pahaadi, one of his most favourite ragas and which has been used rather prolifically by him. I have written time and again as to how he has showed the multi dimensions of this raga in his innumerable compositions. He has caressed, fondled, and loved this raga like no other composer has done. It is also a raga which does not have a proper structure and goes more by the ‘feel’. The same ‘sa ri ga pa dha’ in Mohanam or in Shivaranjani sound so different in Pahaadi(note that Mohanam and Shivaranjani use different variants of 'ga' and that both these variants appear in Pahaadi).

Now, how will it be if this ‘Pahaadi’ whose origin is the mountains- as the name itself suggests- is used with pure Western Classical orchestra? Sounds Crazy? Doesn’t matter. Music is crazy of course depending on how we view it. 

Going back to the orchestration, the Maestro has precisely done this in ‘Andaalalo’.

In the prelude, the strings start gradually and reach a crescendo as the brass flute joins it. The strings continue the journey along with the keys and the chorus.

The flute plays with flamboyance with the resplendent strings moving like the waves and the horns making exciting excursions in the first interlude.

The wind instruments and the strings play soothing and passionate phrases in the second interlude with the keys interjecting now and then showing as a Picasso painting.

If one plays just the ludes(prelude minus chorus, and the interludes), he/she will be led to believe that these have been  directly taken out from a Symphony. But will a person with an ear only for Western Classical Music where Harmony dominates the Melody, ever believe that the orchestra religiously follows a Hindustani raag called Pahaadi?

Next the rhythm. It follows the ta ka dhi mi (1 2 3 4) pattern. The soft rhythm pad alternates with the subtle drums. That is, the rhythm pad plays the 1st beat  and the drums  sound the 3^rd beat  with the 2^nd and the 4^th being left blank.  The lines are wound up with a 3,1 pattern. Note that the first part of the first interlude and some part of the second interlude move without the percussion though the rhythm is maintained. One of the other attractions is the sudden sound from the pad at the second syllable just towards the end of the first two lines in the CharaNams.

The Pallavi is in ‘anaagata eduppu’ with the vocals starting after the beginning of the taaLa cycle..

Now, the tune. Yes, it follows Pahaadi but see how romantically it is tuned. We feel  we are in a brave new world, a world full of fantasies and wonderful creatures.

The structure of Pallavi and the CharaNams are predictably unpredictable but absolutely not jarring.

The CharaNams have three different parts, with each part linked to the other one.

The end of the first two lines sees the special Pahaadi effect.

The third and fourth lines are in mid- octave while the last two lines touch the upper registers after starting from the mid-octave.

The early morning sunrise is painted by the Divine Master.

This musical sunrise is painted by a gentleman blessed by that Divine Master.

How lucky we are!

PS: The early movies of Sridevi in South Indian languages had that great musical score by ILaiyaraaja and it will not be an exaggeration to say that this strong musical score played a huge role in her becoming tremendously popular here. Though I am not a huge fan of hers, it is an undeniable fact that she ruled the silver screen in the south for nearly a decade. 'JVAS' happened when her popularity was on the rise in the North and when she was slowly but moving away from the South. The album-background score included- is a feast to the ears.

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Courtship

Cochabamba!

No, I am not using any swear word here (and why would I especially in a blog dedicated to my mentor and guiding force?). Let me fist ask you how that word sounds to you. Does it sound like ‘Kochukittu pona paamba’(the snake which left with anger)? It did to me till I read about this place in a recent article.

It is a city in Bolivia and it seems there is a National History Museum there. And there exists a frog (ah, we got the snake connectionJ) whose name is ‘Romeo’. This frog is considered to be the world’s loneliest frog. Lonely, because it belongs to a species called Sehuencas and he is the last known frog of this kind. Sehuencas frogs are water frogs, by the way.

What makes the story of Romeo interesting is the fact that he has remained a bachelor all through and the Global Wildlife Conservation is collaborating with the dating website (yes , you read it right!) Match to raise money for Romeo’s romance. That is, look for Juliet in the rivers in Bolivia. But what makes this more interesting is that a Match profile has been created for Romeo with a video in which he is seen doing a lot of swimming ‘stunts’. There is a voice over too in which Romeo introduces himself. Finally, ‘he’ says, ‘I am here to find my match, just like you.Except, my situation is a bit more urgent’.

Whether Romeo understands all these are not is anybody’s guess. But the fact remains that he started to ‘call’ for a mate a year after he made Cochabamba History Museum his home. But now it seems the intensity of the calls has slowed down considerably.

This real life story conveys a lot to us, though I am not going to list out what it conveys. It is left to your own interpretations. But the most significant thing is that Love is common among all beings. Now, don’t tell me that the calls of Romeo cannot be interpreted as someone yearning for love. Can a call to mate be classified as love? Why not? Who knows what is running in the mind of the frog?

In a way, it is tough to define Love, though one can describe it. But of late, this word is being abused and misused. I would say that even putting up Romeo’s profile in a Dating site is a kind of abuse. In a way, this is just a reflection of what love means in 21^st century. No doubt, movies play a major role in shaping our thought process though there is a danger of my being branded as a conservative for making this statement. In any case, I am not here to dissect ‘Love in movies’..

Let me talk something positive and turn my attention to a song which I feel is ‘Innocent Beautiful Love’ personified. And this has more to do with the music and lyrics and less to do with the film per se.

In my opinion, ‘Kovil MaNi Osai’ from ‘Kizhakke Pogum Rail’(1978) is one of the most beautiful romantic songs in the history of film music simply because of its simplicity.

ILaiyaraaja and KaNNadasan worked just for about 5 years but a majority of the songs in their combination are gems (many people-especially those who are born after 1980-may not be aware of this fact). ‘Kovil MaNi Osai’ is no exception.  What makes the lyrics very special is the assertiveness of the lady. It almost borders on sarcasm a la a Sangam poem. Look at the second CharaNam where the lady says ‘Am I the chosen one for your ‘concert’?/ You sing and continue to sing till you can..and.. You listen to it all by yourself!’

And in the third CharaNam where the man proposes subtly saying ‘My heart is a lotus, Yours is a Jasmine bud’(note that a bud has to bloom to become a flower), she replies , ‘Is there not a good suitable woman in this village?Go find and tell me’. I see the power of womanhood here!

The Temple Bell is used as metaphor in the song. Look at the Pallavi. He starts saying ‘Who listened to the chiming of the bell and came here?/ Did the poor koel’s song and its melody mingle with the breeze and become a messenger/’

The ‘poor koel’ here is the man himself because as per the story, he is a poet who is not recognised by anybody. In fact, he expresses this in the first CharaNam where he says,’ I composed millions of song/Nobody had the knowledge to appreciate/You came as a beautiful parrot/And made my day!’

Very simple words but as powerful as the breeze in the village during the month of ‘Aadi’..

But all these would have been rendered meaningless if not for the tune and the orchestration..

To tune a song which depicts village romance in a pure classical raga calls for gumption.  But the genius that he is, Raaja sir decided to set the tune in ‘Suddha Saveri’, a raga known for its simplicity and classicism. Of course, he wouldn’t have spent much time in ‘choosing’ the raga and it would have automatically come to him. But more than this, what is of more significance is the way the raga has been used.

This song too starts with the vocals singing the first few phrAses of the Pallavi -with the parrot answering the questions- but the Master gives a Master Stroke here itself. The moment the parrot recites the name of the man, the bell sounds the ascending notes of the raga, starting with ‘ma’ and going up to the upper ‘Sa’ at an interval of two tisram cycles.

We shall see the prelude soon again but before that let us see how the CharaNams are constructed. As was the norm those days, there are three CharaNams(and three interludes with each one different from the other two!), but it should be noted here that the entire first CharaNam  is rendered by the male voice, the entire second CharaNam by the female voice and the two join together in the third one with the male voice rendering the first half and the female rendering the second half. There were of course some songs in this format those days, but I feel this aspect gives a kind of ‘special effect’ in ‘Kovil MaNi Osai..’.

In terms of the swara structure(though my intention is not to sound too technical in this blog), the sudden jump to the higher octave notes towards the end of the third line(for example, ‘AasaikiLiye Vandhaaye, PaNNodu) and the dominant use of higher octave notes in the next two lines, are things that make one call a genius par excellence.

Janaki and Malaysia Vasudevan make the song more beautiful with their rendering-with the former sounding ‘classically folksy’ and the latter sounding ‘folkishly classical’.

And now for the orchestration and arrangement..

Raaja sir experimented with new sounds with known instruments and unknown instruments right from his first movie. Now listen to the sound which backs the bell sound I spoke about earlier. Probably it is a new instrument or probably it is from the keys but the sound produced is amazing. And this despite the fact that it plays only the repetitive notes.. The flute which follows is backed by the ankle bells and also a host of instruments, which includes a ‘one-stringed’ instrument. The violins round it off with a ‘rounded Suddha Saveri’.

The subtle bell sound in the Pallavi is one thing which should never be missed as it speaks volumes about the composer’s creativity and innovativeness.

The ankle bells follow in the first part of the interlude as well as these occur along with the two sets of strings-one a group of violins and the other the cello. The keys-which almost sound like a harmonium-move with a purpose with the sharp sound of the tabla backing it along with some subtly sounding instruments. The flute is as melodious as ever and even jumping towards the end. The santoor takes the cue and jumps like a deer. But the jewel in the crown is the sound from the strings in the end, the sound which makes us sway and move our head front and back.

The beginning of the second interlude sounds folksy to start with. But one sees shades of western classical soon, with the flute being involved in both. What steals the show is however another new sound which follows the flute. I am sure this sound was unheard of until then in Indian Film Music. The backing of the strings and the single stringed instrument here, makes this even mystical. Note the total absence of the percussion in this interlude.

But the percussion-Tabla to be precise- jumps with joy in the third interlude in which the strings, the santoor and other subtle instruments celebrate music.

Celebration of Music, Celebration of Innocence, Celebration of Love!

I am sure if only this song is played on the banks of the rivers and streams in Cochabamba, a female Sehuencas frog will appear from nowhere , will keep jumping and dancing and move towards Romeo and say –sorry sing- ‘I am your Juliet!

                  

                  

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Ambuli

Last week, the world was witness to a grand spectacle on the sky.

The moon known for its shiny white colour turned blood red, black, black and white and then finally white. It also acquired the name ‘Blue’ though only on paper. I wonder how it would be if the moon turned blue one day. Would it make the world more poetic?

Can the moon and poetry be separated anyway?

This was what was running in my mind as I was looking up at the sky and shooting pictures of the moon with my newly acquired phone. Well, if somebody had said this say about a decade ago, people would think it was a typo or a printing mistake or a slip of the tongue or would even brand the person who said this as ‘lunatic’(look at the moon connection here too!). Aren’t phones meant for talking? Phone and pictures? Crazy!But that is what technology is about, right? Anyway, this is besides the point (or is it?).

As I was trying to capture the marvel, my mind was full of songs on the moon. I did not make any effort to even hum those tunes, as it was not my intention to drive away people from that beautiful location on that beautiful evening, though I was standing alone, keeping a safe distance from everybody.

What is it that which makes poets across the world enamoured of the moon? Is it the colour? Or is it its shine? Is it its light? Why do poets compare a woman’s beauty with that of the moon?

These questions gave rise to more questions (is there any end to questions at all, in this world?) and therefore I stopped asking questions and instead allowed my mind randomly to play the songs pertaining to the moon. This exercise enhanced my experience and made the eclipse one of the most unforgettable ones.

I shall try and talk about the various dimensions of the moon touched by the poets, in some of my future posts whenever possible as the topic does excite me. For now, let me focus on a song in which moon finds a place not just in the Pallavi but also in the first CharaNam. But it doesn’t just stop there..

It is not without a multiplicity of reasons that ‘ILaiya Nila PozhigiRadhu’ from ‘PayaNangaL Mudivathillai’(1982) is liked by one and all(show me a person who doesn’t like this song and I will order that person to be banished to Mars!).  If the wordings show the fertile imagination of the lyricist(Why are the clouds wandering?/ Have they lost the address?/Is that why they cry?/And does that fall as the Rain?), the rendering style of the singer makes one feel peppy and calm at the same time(see how he sings ‘azhudhidomo’ with a smile!don’t you see and feel the beautiful paradox there?). But what really steals the show is the music. No, I am not biased here and let it not be misconstrued as an effort to degrade somebody. In fact, not often does one find the lyrics and music gelling so beautifully in a Tamizh Film Song (that is post -KaNNadasan-Viswanathan-Ramamurthi era!) .

But the fact is the moment we listen to the song, two things strike instantly.

One –The tune.

Two- The Guitar.

The tune set in C minor makes us feel the moon. When it changes scale –to C major- and then again to minor, later on, the transitions appear so smooth and seamless that it is impossible not to think of the moon again.

Many people say that the song is a lesson for people aspiring to learn guitar. I would agree with this only partially, because it would take the wind of somebody’s sails if that ‘somebody’ was a guitar student and that somebody started playing the notes of the interludes.

Another speciality of this song is the use of just a handful of instruments, with the guitar family alone dominating-lead, bass and rhythm.

The beginning of the song is rather simple. Only few of his songs start without a prelude and ‘ILaiya Nila’ is one of them. But coming to think of it, thiscannot be called as a ‘direct start’. The Pallavi does not start directly, though SPB renders the entire Pallavi in the beginning. Am I contradicting myself?

Let me explain. ILaiyaraaja is known for his different kinds of preludes and all these have instruments with some preludes being decorated with the humming of the vocals. In songs without a prelude (Thavikkudhu Thayangudhu for example), the Pallavi starts directly. But ‘ILaiya Nila’ is slightly different. The wordings of the Pallavi are sung but without following a time signature. It cannot be called as a ‘viruththam’ too. What adds to this is the strumming of the guitar which backs the vocals.

And as it ends, starts the Pallavi following the time signature (4-beat/chatushram) with the backing of the percussion. The subtle keys and a couple of guitars back as well and needless to say this enhances the beauty of the Pallavi.

What makes the first interlude wondrous, is not just the lead guitar. It is the bass guitar -which is no doubt subtle- complementing the lead guitar in almost all phrases. Now, as the guitar segment ends, the scale changes to the major scale. The flute plays in the major scale, giving a feel of Hamsadhwani. But forget the technical aspects for some time and listen to the flute as it is. Doesn’t it give you the vision of the full moon on a dark breezy night?

The major scale continues in the CharaNam in which each line seems to show the different dimensions of the moon. It goes back to the minor scale in the last line (a line not easy to render!).

Does this major-minor shift symbolise the waxing and waning of the moon? Yes and No-the former because that is our own interpretation and No because he doesn’t think of all these while composingJ.

If I were to say that the second interlude is a marvel, it would be an understatement, for no word in English or in any other language can fully justify the guitar piece in this interlude.

I can write that it excites, enthrals, bewitches, charms, fascinates, attracts, allures, entices, dazzles...but will that be enough?

Even if 100 adjectives are used, can one describe this-technically and poetically- and claim to have done full justice?

Impossible!

Just like how impossible it is to describe the Super Blue Blood Moon!

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Solicitude

There is danger in being a third man.

No, I am not talking about the cricket fielding position and surely not about attempting a catch for an ‘upper cut’.  The ‘third man’ I am referring to is a person who enters a specific field (not cricket) when there are already two people(considered to be icons) around. Take the case of Vengsarkar. When he entered the Indian Cricket Team, there were two ‘little masters’ who were considered to be two of the greatest batsmen in the world. So, despite being a highly talented batsman who could handle pace, swing and spin with consummate ease, Vengsarkar had to live in their shadows for a long time. Even now, people who recollect the names of Gavaskar and Viswanath within a split second, take a while to recollect the name of Vengsarkar.

This could well have been the story of Panchu AruNachalam too. When he entered Tamizh film industry as a lyricist, there were two ‘Jaambavaans’ already. It is a different issue that one of them was his own uncle. But not the one who enjoys being in somebody’s shadows, he spread his wings and though he did not write too many songs till 1976, he wrote story-dialogues for some movies and also started producing movies. This of course continued post-1976 too but significantly he started penning more songs after this and the reason is not difficult to guess. More about this soon, but the fact that his lyrics were distinct and beautiful is not known to many. Today he is known more as a story-dialogue writer and producer who also wrote songs. This according to me is the saddest part.

Sad, because he wrote so many songs using very simple words but with powerful meanings and yet many don’t seem to recognise his greatness in this aspect. People may quote his lineage but the fact that he had a unique style cannot be denied by serious lovers of Tamizh songs. Take ‘Vizhile Malarndadhu..’ Though it is inspired by Kamban, the very first line tells a beautiful love story. ‘She blossomed in my eyes/And mingled with my soul’. Doesn’t this line alone stir the soul? And see the line in the CharaNam- ‘Paalil nei aLavu parandha punnagai’(Her smile is like the ghee in the milk). Fertile imagination!

And see this line from ‘Vaa ponmayile’..

‘Kaadalin Jaadaiyellam Kannazhagile’(sign of love shown in the beauty of her eyes).

And from ‘Kaadalennum Kovil’- Kaadalennum Kovil Katti Vaiththen Nenjil/Poojai Seithen Paatisaiththen/Devi VandaaL Neril( I built a Temple of Love in my heart/ I worshipped doing Pooja and Sang/ She came).

If these show his romantic side, songs like ‘Vaazhkkaiye Vesham’, ‘Oru Veedu Iru ULLam’ showed his philosophical side.

That reminds me of an eternal favourite of mine- ‘Oru NaaL Unnodu Oru NaaL’- in which he ends the song with ‘Kaaviyam Pole Vaazhndiruppom/Aayiram Nilavai Paarthiruppom’. The irony here is that the couple knew they would die very soon.

These are just samples and I can go on and on. I remember writing in one post sometime back in one of the online forums that whenever possible, I would surely write more about his poetic sense. Finally, it had to happen today. But this will be an ongoing process and I shall take up his lyrics now and then in my posts.

The fact that he was the one who introduced somebody -despite some stiff  resistance and opposition- who has now become my raison d’être, is reason enough for me to thank Panchu sir a million times. But it is also a fact that I love his lyrics which sound more beautiful in Raaja sir’s music. I am reminded of my childhood days when I would jump with excitement whenever the announcer (on radio) said ‘Paadal- Panchu AruNachalam’ because I knew what would follow(Isai-ILaiyaraaja). Of course occasionally I have been fooled too when they played ‘Ponnezhil Pooththadhu’ or ‘Nalla Manam Vaazhga’-though these are good songs too!

Let me pay my gratitude by taking up a song in this combination- a song not known to many now.

One of the qualities of Panchu sir’s is his compassion. A very soft spoken person, he was very affectionate to his family and most importantly with all his crew members. He did not have even a single enemy as he was loved by all. Precisely because of this, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss about a song in which affection runs like Cauvery.

Whenever I listen to ‘Sandanamittu Sadiraadum Mottu’ from ‘Rusi KaNda Poonai’ (1980) my heart melts. The tune in a classic ShankarabharaNam plays no smaller part in this, but the wordings too play a huge role and this is undeniable.

Long back, his uncle wrote ‘Thottaal MaNakkum Javvadhu’( feel and touch the child and you can smell ‘javvadu’) in ‘Naan PetRa Selvam’. Here the nephew calls the child as ‘a dancing bud with the sandal paste (on its forehead)’ and ‘words as sweet as the honey’.

He continues saying ‘My mind blossoms the moment my eyes catch the sight of your face’. Of course the ‘He’ refers to the poet but let me start saying ‘she’ henceforth as the song is rendered by the mother (Suseela at her best!).

‘Beautiful smile on the lips/Golden smile on the eyes’.
           

‘A mother knows her child and a child knows her mother’.
              

‘Song from the tender heart/Dancing Memories/Resonance of relationship’.

Compassion personified!

And yes..in that honey-soaked language called Tamizh.

Without any doubt, the words shine more in the beautiful tune. But more than the tune, it is first the ‘L’ Raaja who captures my attention. So, let me start the description with the Laya aspect.

Percussion (Tabla) makes its appearance only towards the end of the Prelude though it follows the 4-beat chatushram. Even in the Pallavi, it enters only after 4 phrases. Now, it plays just one syllable-ta- for each beat and plays the first and third at the end of the second cycle.

In the first interlude, it is the western percussion and that too only in the second segment with the first and the last segments going without percussion. It is seen for a lesser duration in the second interlude.

But it is the tabla in the CharaNams that calls for a special mention. It yet again makes an appearance only at the end of the first cycle playing the first and the third syllables. Right from the next cycle, it plays one syllable per beat for the first three beats and then the first and third at the fourth beat. This continues but the master innovator makes a subtle change in the second part. The Tabla plays ‘ta’ for all the beats in one cycle and then plays the first and the third at the end of the next cycle. This pattern continues for the next two cycles. Note also the sangati when the first line is rendered the second time.

The Master of Orchestration and Arrangement does it yet again with the wonderful use of the violins, flute, the keys and the guitar.

The interplay between the violin and the flute in the prelude is tranquil. The violin in fact gives the special ‘pidis’ of ShankarabharaNam effortlessly with the flute following suit. All through, the keys bubble with energy.

It is the violin again in the first interlude. Or rather violins.. The interlude starts with the solo violin which plays with a finesse. Suddenly two violins decide to enter with one playing in Indian classical style and the other in Western classical style. Of course both play together giving a very special experience.

The violin enters again in the second interlude but this time playing the same piece repeatedly to the backing of the bass guitar. It does this because it wants to give a chance to its friend –the flute- a chance and what an opportunity it is for the flute now. It glitters, sparkles and dazzles.

It is O’Henry Raaja again with the guitar making a sudden vibrant entry.

It is vibrant, dazzling, serene and most importantly compassionate.

And this was what was Panchu AruNachalam’s life all about..

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Heritage

Three things prompted me to write this post.

1. An article about a recent song which is ‘inspired’ from a Carnatic varNam and a Thiruppugazh.

2. An article about how TFM has warmed up unusual and unconventional voices.

3. A translation project in which I am involved. 

 

First of all, let me clarify that the idea behind mentioning (1.) is not to discuss, review or denigrate that song as I am very clear that other music directors will not be compared/criticised in this forum. By saying this, I am not sitting on any judgment about the song (I am sure 99% of the people here know what song I am talking about).  But I shall surely explain as to why it finds a mention here.

The author, it seems was made to listen to the song by his 12-year old daughter and was very impressed with the ‘varNam’ and mainly ‘Thiruppugazh’ inspiration. He goes on to say that he explained about the latter and that to his surprise, his daughter-who is known not to go to anything other than ‘modern’- started showing a lot of interest and got to know something about AruNagirinathar. The author concludes that it is an herculean task to make ancient literature attractive to an indifferent audience and if popular film music be the medium to attract such skeptics, one should welcome it. But not before he also makes a mention of the Hindi film songs of the ‘80s which simplified the Qawaali form and as to how the audience (listeners) lapped it up.

The second article is on how the present day music directors use very different voices – not essentially musical- to ‘enhance’ the appeal. It says the voices are used more because of the situation in movies and how novel this is.

The third one may not directly concern music but the article I translated, is on one of the traditional forms of folk arts.

Let me now go one by one.

I do not have any problem with what the author of the first article said. But what I found rather strange –and even uncomfortable- with the article was that there was no mention about ILaiyaraaja or his songs when it is a known fact(at least to the cognoscenti ) that he has done so much to bring our classical music and folk music within the reach of the common man. I am not going to list out what all he has done (I have already been doing it in my posts here) but am only going to give one example today. But how the author-who is a professor in a prestigious institution and who I am sure has a good ear- missed even making a passing reference to ILaiyaraaja, beats me.

Let me move on to the second article. This article too fails to make a mention about Raaja sir’s usage of very different and unusual voices(Samuel Grub in ANNe ANNe or Dr.Kalyan in ‘Sing Swing’).  Ad also about the fact that apart from using different voices, he also made the famous singers change and modulate the voice to suit the situation( Malaysia Vasudevan in ‘Kaadal Vandhirucchu’, SPB in ‘Nachchina foodu’ or both in ‘Engengum KaNdenamma’ are just some examples). We are going to see one more example very soon anyway.

As I said, the article which is part of my project does not have anything to do with music or ILaiyaraaja but the way it talks about a group of people involved in reviving ‘Therukkooththu’ is very inspiring and I thought a mention must be made about this fact in this post.

I said that the cognoscenti knows about what ILaiyaraaja has done in terms of bringing classical music(and even arts) close to the common man. Now, see this..

‘Raa ra veNu gopaala’ is a swara jati taught to all beginners in Carnatic Music. Swara jati is taught after geetam and before varNam. I can understand that all these terms sound foreign to some of you but let me assure that I shall define and explain all these forms in one of my forthcoming posts in my other blog.

But for now, let me focus on this ‘VeNugopala’ and its relevance here.

The 1981 film ‘Ellam inbamayam’(which itself is a takeoff from a very popular yesteryear song sung by MLV and P.Leela) was conceived to tickle the audience’s funny bone. That it failed in its mission is a different story altogether and since I know this is not Vintage Raaja thread( written in a group run by me in fb) where I tear the Tamizh film directors to pieces, I am not going to talk about this. But the film had some very funny songs (one was a ‘sneezing’ song!). In any case, I have always been enamoured of ‘Maaman voodu’ not least because it used the tune of ‘Raa ra veNugopaala’.

It is one thing to be inspired by a tune(or even copy a tune) and quite another to use it cleverly and brilliantly. Needless to say Raaja sir is adept in using even an inspired tune with great felicity and innovation. In fact, the dialogue which precedes the song (after the initial naiyyaaNdi meLam) throws light on what made him use a traditional song. Surely the situation demanded the usage of such a tune in a song sung in a slum with the audience comprising of people from higher echelons of society (listen to the dialogue carefully).

But what is most striking is the way the tune has been used-without in anyway deviating from Bilahari. And what steals my heart is the way the percussion goes in tisram while the vocals go in chatushram(here too, note the dialogue between the ‘percussionist’ and the singer). 

How wonderfully the voice of Malaysia Vasudevan is used is a point which has to be noted by the present day generation and most importantly the people who write articles about ‘voices’ without paying attention to the yesteryear songs.

The nagaswaram and the urumi meLam form the fulcrum of the song while the mandolin and guitar support these perfectly. The friendly banter between the instruments and the lyrics will never fail to bring a smile on anybody’s face.

And along with that smile will surely be an expression of wonderment, awe and even guilt on the faces of people who have missed this song all along and claim that it is the present day music which takes us back to our roots.

And when it happens, my face will sport a very special smile..

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Linear and Sinuous

What makes the Sea look so beautiful?

Is it that azure blue colour?

Or is it that grey and green shade?

Or is it that reflection of the sun rays during the day and reflection of the moon in the night?

Is it that sunrise or is it that sunset?

Is it that boat/catamaran/ship floating at a distance?

Yes, all these are beautiful and no doubt embellish the sea but in my opinion, there are two more things which combine to make the sea an eternal beauty.

One is the Horizon and the other is the Wave.

The former is considered to be an imaginary line but whenever I see the sea, I am flummoxed and astounded by the straightness of this line. Whoever has drawn it is the best artistic engineer ever. How can somebody be so perfect?

Talking about the waves, these are formed as a result of the wind blowing over the surface. This is what science says and I would like to be less of a scientist (anyway I know very little of science) and more of an artist(this too, I know I am not but who can stop me from imagining?). When I look at the waves, I look at the zig zag pattern and the way these approach the land, fade away and then come again. What an amount of energy these have! Don’t these tire at all?

When I look at the sea, I don’t look at the horizon first and the waves next(or the other way around) but look at both together. And whenever I do this-looking at the sea from a distance and then looking at the horizon and the waves at the same time- I can’t help marveling at the beauty of this sight. This is a perfect example of contrast. At a far distance, there is that perfect straight line and closer to us is this zig zag curve. Isn’t this poetic and musical?

People familiar with my posts know how much I love the contrasts in poetry and in life. If poetry and life combine together, don’t we get that ‘M’ word without which I cannot breathe?

Contrast in music is a very wide topic and it would serve little purpose if I were to take up that topic- which is full of technical details- here. However, this C word is also so simple that all it need are the ears, a little observation and focus.

What adds beauty to Raaja sir’s music is this C (oh, doesn’t it rhyme with ‘sea’?). People who attended Geetanjali-2014 , I am sure remember my presentation on ‘Contrasts in his music’.

On this World Music Day, I thought it would be very appropriate if I took up a song which is full of contrasting elements. In my opinion, ‘Kaalaipaniyil aadum malargaL’ from Gayathri(1977) should rank as one of the best compositions in the world.

Let me first mention what all I find to be unique in this composition and then move on to describe some of these. I say ‘some of these’ because certain things don’t need descriptions and this applies as much to music as to life.

First is the tune. Generally, an Indian film song follows a particular raga(not talking about exceptions-which are in fact too many now- which have only ‘rogaa’) or a scale. This topic too is huge and beyond the scope of this post. However, let me say that a composer composes the song in a particular scale which has a repetition of some particular notes while ascending and descending. This particular pattern can be said to follow a raga, but most of the composers take liberty with this and add alien notes.

Raaja sir is known for using some beautiful known, rare and unknown ragas in his compositions with or without alien notes (for more details on this, check out my posts in my other blog http://rajamanjari.blogspot.in/). At the same time, he has also composed tunes which cannot be termed as falling under the classification of any raga. ‘Sendhoorappoove’ and ‘ILamai enum poongaatRu’ are just some examples of this. ‘Kaalaipaniyil’ too falls in this category.

The Pallavi has notes of Kharaharapriya while the CharaNams have the other ‘ga’(ga3) and also the other dha(dha1). What is amazing is the fact that in some phrases, both the ‘ga’ s and both the ‘dha’ s appear one after the other giving that chromatic effect. For example, in ‘kalaigaL aayiram’(first charaNam), the ‘dha’ s appear one after the other and in the third and in the sixth phrases of the humming at the end of the CharaNam, we see both the ‘ga’ s.

There is also change in the shruti in the first segment of the second interlude.

But what is more wondrous is the ‘usi’ in the humming at the end of each CharaNam. The concept of ‘usi’ in a taaLa has been explained by me in some of the posts here and also during Geetanjali-2015. Wait for more detailed explanation in this year’s Geetanjali.

‘Usi’ is a speciality of Carnatic Music and we see the pattern is in usi when the stress is on the even count(2,4,6..). ‘Kaalaipaniyil’ is set in the 3-beat cycle tisram or one can even say in the 6-beat rupakam depending on the way we look at it. I know I am getting too technical but certain things surely need explanation so that the brilliance of the composition (and therefore of the composer) can be appreciated more. The pattern changes to the 4-beat cycle chatushram during the humming part towards the end of each CharaNam. Not only does 3 change to 4, but also the stress (percussion) is on the even beats.

Usi at its uchcham (best).

Now, count the contrasting elements-

1. two variants of two swaras occurring one after the other

2.tisram to chatushram

3.usi

4.change of shruti in the beginning of the second interlude.

There is one more (the fifth one) about which I shall explain soon.

So, does it mean that the composition has only the contrasts?

No..

It has a beautiful straight line called as ‘melody’.

One feels the evanescence of the morning mist while listening to the song.

The initial bell sound reminds one of the dew drops falling off the petals of the flowers while the humming of Sujatha(her second Tamizh song after ‘Kaadal oviyam’ from ‘Kavikkuyil’) is like the morning breeze. The santoor depicts the swaying of the branches.

The Pallavi is a blend of intuition and expression with the sangati after ‘maayam’ shining with a special radiance.

I mentioned about a ‘fifth contrast’ while listing out the C, didn’t I?

This occurs at the beginning of the first interlude. The sitar follows tisram while the rhythm guitar which backs it follows the chatushram.

 Cross-rhythm!

Crossing others’ path is not good manners generally but if the rhythm crosses like this, isn’t it lovable?

The violins and santoor-to the backing of the tabla in tisram - guide us to the first CharaNam.

This Laya Raaja can never rest. Or at least he will not let us rest. He loves to play with the TaaLa and he does it in the CharaNams too. The tisram  which goes as ‘1 2 3’ on the tabla in the first part of the first line(paarvaiyodu paarvai seRum ) changes as ‘1 2 3 4/1 2 3 4/ 1 2 3 4’ in the next half(bhavam mudhalil and siRu naaNam manadhil).

And ah yes..that wonderful humming where the notes go in pairs with the percussion in usi.

The second interlude is more powerful than the first with the santoor sounding like a bird in the beginning and the violins moving ardently. But the piece I love is the one by the violins after the sitar- which sounds with sobriety. There is a very brief classical touch in that piece of violins which always touches a chord in my heart. The brief rendezvous between the sitar and the keys in the end, is musically romantic.

In fact, everything in this world is romantic- sky, sea, horizon, waves, music.. and.. ..contrasts.

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