Wings

We Indians have always been fascinated by the colour blue. This surely is not a colonial hangover (as you know, the British are known for their obsession with this colour!). And this surely is not just because our Indian Cricketers wear Blue jerseys while playing in the shortened version of the game.

This passion for blue dates back to our mythological days. Lord VishNu is blue-hued and is lying down on the sea which is of course blue. Lord Shiva is known by the name ‘Neelakanta’, the one with the blue neck, as it is believed that when the Ocean was churned to get the amrita, poison came out first (there is a philosophy here too which will be taken up later on in some other post) and Shiva consumed it to save the lives of all around and Parvati caught His neck fearing that if it went inside Shiva would die and therefore the poison got struck in his neck.

Then there is Sani-aka Saturn- who is depicted in blue colour with his gem as per Indian astrology is the Sapphire which is blue in colour.

If we look at the modern days, it was a youngster in Madras, who was so enchanted by the colour of the sea and the sky that he started wondering as to why these are blue which led to one of the most famous discoveries called the ‘Raman Effect’.

English language too loves the colour blue. When something happens suddenly, we say, ‘out of the blue’. When it is a shocking news, we say ‘bolt from the blue’. If somebody is very loyal, we call them ‘true blue’, while if somebody is a favourite of a particular person, we call him a ‘blue-eyed boy’. A detailed plan is called a ‘blue print’. When it is a very rare occurrence, we say ‘once in a blue moon’ and if we feel sad or depressed, we say ‘ feeling blue’. The last two mentioned have a lot of relevance to today’s post, but before that let me share two things.

One of course is a book titled Blue Highways written by an American author William Least Heat-Moon. Hailed by many as a masterpiece in travel writing, the book talks about the adventures of the author even as he travels not on inter-state highways but on back roads marked in blue on the old maps covering every nook and corner of America.

The second is personal. This is just to tell you that Yours Truly loves Blue and that he has dresses in different shades of blue(yes, ‘blue’ and not ‘grey’!).

With this ‘priceless information’ about my personal likes, let me move on to the topic of the day and then to the song of the day. Now, the ‘topic of the day’ is not what the real topic of the day, but there is a connection and we shall see that at the end. It surely is as depressing as that topic provided you care not just for the mankind but for the other species that inhabit the Universe and which have equal right to live with freedom.

Yesterday was ‘World Sparrow Day’ and the idea to observe this day was conceived exactly 10 years ago by an Indian, Mohammed Dilawar, who founded something called ‘Nature Forever Society’. Why is a day dedicated to the sparrow? It is because this beautiful bird species is dying a slow death and though some have disputed this, it is fact that the dwindling population of sparrows is because of the technological advancement and the radiation from the gadgets.

So, what can be done to prevent this-stop using all these gadgets? Well, even if God appears and requests humans to give up modern gadgets, it will fall on deaf ears (deaf ears, as our ears will be plugged with earphones with the eyes focussed on screens!). The simplest way to help sparrows breed is to make Birdhouses made of cardboards/terracotta /discarded wood and keep it on the balcony. Also to be kept is a small bowl of water. Try this and see the magic!

When I was listening to Aananda Kuyilin Paattu from Kaadalukku Mariyadai (1997)  a few days ago when I was walking around my apartment building, what struck me the most of the sudden shift after the first CharaNam. A baby voice (Deepika) sings the basic dance jatis followed by ‘skies are grey and cloudy/we are feeling blue’  This is followed by the lines which go like ‘You come to us like sunlight and make our dreams come true’. My thoughts of course went to the current situation and then moved to the poor sparrows. ‘How gloomy they must be feeling!’, I thought and decided to dedicate this song to the beautiful species. Though it is ‘Aananda Kuyilin Paattu’, ‘Kuyil’ (koel) is just one of the cousins of ‘kuruvi’(sparrow). That I cannot spot the koels too of late, is another story.

This song, in fact can pep up anybody’s spirit. Listen to the beginning and the peculiar words ( no, it is not ‘kiliki’ as Kattappa and company were non-existent in 1997!). The words and the way it is sung are rib-tickling and without a doubt evoke peals of laughter. The strumming of the guitar brings sanity and the Pallavi in the voice of Arunmozhi gives a sense of joy and happiness. So does the guitar piece which follows. The Suddha Dhanyasi tune turns poignant in the second half with the alien notes peeping in but this makes us feel joyous and surely not sombre. Chitra’s voice which enters now, is a like whiff of fresh air and makes the atmosphere cooler.

The guitar goes around in a circle and the flute takes a flight just like a tiny bird, full of vigour and energy. A very peculiar sounding instrument follows, probably to indicate the hardship the bird might have to encounter on its way. The strings play the strains of Suddha Dhanyasi making us see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The first charaNam in the voices of Malaysia Vasudevan, S.N.Surendar, Chitra and Arunmozhi is full of compassion with that poignant shade appearing towards the end. And then it is that baby voice and the lines in English about which we shall see again very soon. What follows these lines is exciting too with the percussion playing to the count of 3(tisram) and the guitar moving in a circle again playing the leitmotif.

And now for those lines again..

What is amazing here is the seamless transition. What is also amazing is the harmony with one set of vocals in the lower octave and the other one in the higher octave.

Skies are grey and cloudy and we are feeling Blue
You come to us like Sunlight
And make our Dreams come True
Love is always there with us together
Feelings are forever and forever.

Doesn’t this apply to the Sparrows?
And doesn’t this apply to the mankind too now?

Tough times never last..But tough people do!
Blues will disappear and the Blue will emerge stronger!!



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Mystique

Why I do what I do is a question which is both difficult and easy to answer.

Let me take writing here as an example. As mentioned many times ad nuaseam, what drives me is the passion for music in general and his music in particular and my yearning to share with others what I observe, feel and enjoy. The logical question which would follow is, how I decide what to write. This ‘what’ encompasses many things and these include the song, the introduction, the topic, the flow and the caption.

Though it is a process, it would not be that easy to describe this as many factors are involved. I would have listened to a particular song that day and would wonder as to why I had not written about that song. If I had already written, I would then have the incline to write about it again taking totally a different perspective. At times, I would note down in my note book and take up that song months (or even years!) after that. At times, I would read about something- not necessarily on music- and immediately would think of a song which according to me matched with that item. There have also been cases where I have related my personal stories and real life incidents with the song.

There are many more things as well which go into this, but let me stop here as of now. As regards the flow, I do not plan anything and just ‘go with the flow’, that is, I write what strikes me at that particular moment. The caption is one area which I pay a lot of attention to. I see to it that the caption gives the essence of the post/song. Most importantly I avoid using the word(s) used in the caption in the posts. For example, if the caption of a post is ‘Rose and Thorns’, you will not find those two words anywhere in the post. I do this to challenge my creativity.

Now, what made me write about the song of the day?

During the December music season, a musician sang a Ragam Taanam Pallavi in two different ragas. What is this RTP is a question which is beyond the scope of this post. Suffice to say that it is a composition where a musician takes up just one line in a particular raga, expands the raga before singing that line by singing an aalapana followed by taanam and then sings swaras in that ragam.

The particular musician took up two ragas instead of one(this too is done sometimes) and within seconds of her first aalapana, yours truly could make out that it was a rare vivadi raga not commonly sung in the concert circuits, but used by the Maestro long ago in a film. I had also written a detailed post more than 11 years ago in the Orkut community which was reproduced in my blog (https://rajamanjari.blogspot.com/2008/11/ilaiyaraaja-musician-par-excellence.html) soon. This raga called as ‘Chitrambari’ hold a special place in my heart, a fact known to regular attendees of Geetanjali, and since I have mentioned about this several times, I would refrain from giving the reason yet again.

I keep humming this song whenever I feel like it. And somehow, since this morning I have been having a strong desire to write about this song again. And this post was born...

‘Sangeetam En Degam AndRo’ from Bala Nagamma(1981) is a gem not known to even many die-hard fans of his. What makes this song unique is of course the raga. But as I have been saying, the beauty in any composition is enhanced not just by the raga but by the way it is used. And this is what makes Sangeetam great (pun intended!).

Though this may not be a blog for technical details, it is incumbent on me to say a word or two about the raga as this would help in appreciating this song more. Even a person not too familiar with Carnatic Music, knows that there is a raga called KalyaNi (Can any Raaja fan or even people who are neutral, forget that song which goes something like ‘Janani Janani’?). What separates KalyaNi and Chitrambari is just a variant of one note and this note is a vivadi note. Now, let me stop here lest this goes into a classification called ‘out of syllabus’. The concept of vivadi has been covered in some of my posts in  my other blog and it has also been discussed in detail during ‘Geetanjali-2019’. Simply put, vivadi note is one which is very close to another note (getting too close to anyone is dangerous?).

In ‘Sangeetam..’, there are phrases with that distinct vivadi note and there are also phrases without that vivadi note. If the latter dances in KalyaNi, the former prances and smiles in Chitrambari, albeit mischievously. Take the beginning for example. Till the flute melody, it is in pure KalyaNi. It is the VeeNa- which follows the flute - which first gives the shade of Chitrambari by playing the vivadi note. And as if to make everything clear and candid, the violins, flute and tabla tarang  combine together playing the ascending notes with that vivadi note appearing without fail towards the end.

The first half of the Pallavi has that vivadi note, while the second half(from ‘aalilai meloru’) is in KalyaNi.

Chitrambari dances with elan in the first and the second segments of the first interlude what with the veena, flute, and the violins moving with ebullience combined with enthusiasm.

As if to challenge Chitrambari, the tabla tarang(backed by morsing) and the flute show some mudras of/in KalyaNi. Not used to being passive, the vivadi Chitrambari jumps into the fray yet again with the veena, tabla tarang and jalatarangam coming to its rescue.

The first CharaNam is dominated by vivadi and the akaaram in the honey-soaked voice of VaNi Jayaram makes one feel how beautiful and distinct vivadi is despite giving that eerie feeling.

The second interlude is a connoisseur’s delight. The VeeNa sounds a melody. The Jalatarangam repeats it. The flute repeats it. The violins repeat it.

Aren’t parrots musical too?

It is then tharangam all the way with the Jalatarangam and the Tabla tarang combining together to bring out the beauty of Chitrambari. This is followed by the veena-venu and then the violins. Just towards the end, we see glimpses of  laya-natana raaja when the mridangam  is joined by the ankle bells.

Dance of sound!

The second CharaNam is structured differently from that of the first one and don’t we know that one should expect the unexpected while listening to this composer?

In a way, this answers the question I raised in the beginning. Doesn’t it?

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Atrium

What interests me always is this question, a question which I must say has been raised many times in different forums ad nauseam - ‘To appreciate music, do we need to know the nuances or do we just have to listen and get immersed in the beauty of music without bothering about anything’?

I shall come to this a little later. Before that I must share interesting information about the brain.

Recently, I read that scientists have identified a chemical in the brain that can be blocked to boost the learning of music and language in adults. ‘Adults’ because it is said that the capacity to learn decreases with age. This chemical is known by the name ‘adenosine’ and is a neuromodulator present in the auditory thalamus. This auditory thalamus is a kind of ‘relay station’ where sound is collected and sent to the auditory cortex for processing. By disrupting the signals in mice (always these are the guinea pigs, you see!), the window for auditory learning was extended well beyond adulthood.

 This can be applied to humans too and by restoring plasticity in critical regions of the brain, the capacity to learn music in adults increases manifold.

We have read about chemicals aiding us in a positive way. But here is a chemical which stops us from learning something as important as music.

Now that we have seen about the brain, let us turn our attention to yet another organ in our body, which is as important as the brain-if not more important. An organ which beats 72 times in a minute (there is music in this too!)

 The Heart!

In fact, I keep saying this quite often:                         

To appreciate music, what we need are two ears and a heart.

 I did mention this during Geetanjali- 2017 too and one of the members commented , ‘No , we need the brain too. How will the ears function without the brain?’

This was a clear case of missing the wood for the trees, because by ‘brain’, I meant ‘thinking and analysing’ and not the basic function. Though the heart needs the brain to function, the heart is independent of the brain when it comes to thinking. That is why, we are asked to go by ‘what the heart says’. When we leave things to the heart, we will be wiser, calmer and relaxed.

So, which is more important to appreciate music-the brain or the heart?

I shall leave this unanswered now and move on to a rare gem. Unlike many rare gems discussed here, this is not an ‘old’ gem. 

The rationale behind choosing a rare gem or rather calling it as a 'rare gem' was given by me long back in the Orkut Community. It must be a song which is not familiar to many despite being a great composition. And this need not necessarily be from his ‘70s and his early ‘80s. Members who attended Geetanjali-2017 will vouch for this as a couple of his ‘new songs’ from the present century were played and a majority was listening to those songs for the ‘first time’.

The speciality about ‘Idho Idho ILaignan ILaignan’ from ‘Ajantha’(2007-unreleased, though it won the state award for music!) is the variety. Yes, almost all his songs have that ‘variety element’ but this one is special because it also has some familiar tunes (of his old songs) which appear in the CharaNams.

The brilliance of any composer lies in the way he improvises an inspiration. As Raaja sir himself has said, his body is soaked with compositions from past masters. But how he takes that inspiration to new levels distinguishes him from many other music directors who copy others’ works shamelessly.

In ‘Idho Idho’, Raaja sir gets inspiration from his own compositions and brilliantly uses the tunes, albeit briefly.

The song starts with the humming of the chorus and the lead singer (Manjari) backed by a host of synth instruments. This and the sound of the trumpet prove that we are not way off the mark. When Manjari sings the Pallavi with gusto and keeps repeating the lines, we keep moving the feet, tapping the feet and even sway from one side to another.

The interlude starts and aren’t we in for a surprise?  The tempo slows down and the bamboo flute(or a synth instrument with the same sound) plays a tune very familiar to us. The beats are familiar too. In fact, ‘Aasaiya Kaaththula’ has taken many avatars (as far as I know 5 avatars) and each time it has sounded different. Here too, the synth instruments take us to a different world!

The first segment of the CharaNam almost follows the same beats. I am saying ‘almost’ because there is a subtle difference in the ‘kaarvai’ and the way the percussion is played. The second segment –in vocals- gives the beautiful shades of the original.

And now comes the next surprise. After a beautiful humming by Manjari, the composition takes a new turn with the change in the tempo and also the change in percussion. It also becomes ‘light classical’(what is this?- a raga sung like a scale!) in Suddha Dhanyasi. And don’t we hear a tune of yet another old song-‘Maanjolai kiLithano’- now?

Yet another surprise.. It now turns to pure classical with the swaras of Suddha Dhanyasi being rendered in a pattern with the mridangam supporting the vocals.

The melodic mathematics continues in different patterns, in between giving a shade of his ‘Vizhiyil Vizhundhu’ in a flash and moving on to the syllables of classical dance and the TaaLa, culminating in a ‘teermaanam’. No I am not going to explain this, nor am I going to give the break-up of the micro beats.

Does this not touch our heart even without knowing about Suddha Dhanyasi, Nata Bhairavi, Chatushram,  Kaarvai, Muththaippu or Teermaanam?

If yes, then your heart plays a more effective role than the brain.

If ‘no’, then your brain plays a more dominant role-in a negative or a positive way.

Is it possible to appreciate the nuances and the melodic beauty simultaneously?

More on this in a forthcoming post..

Until then, open your heart and get immersed in that beautiful ocean called music-with or without adenosine!

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Tone

What gives the right mood?

I know I have asked this question before albeit in a different form and have also discussed about this at length, but since I am now in a mood to talk about this again, I am trying to create the mood for the topic again so that I can influence and affect your mood.

The word itself gives some very different connotations. It is a ‘temporary state of mind’, ‘a distinctive emotional quality’, ‘general attitude’.

How many times would we have come across this statement or how many times would we have told others this- I am not in a mood now-?

At the same time, don’t we also say, ‘I am in a good mood’?

And generally, if we say somebody is ‘moody’, don’t we always say it in a negative context?

At the same time, we also say ‘this sets the mood’. This expression of course means that ‘we have the right atmosphere’.

If a simple four letter word (I meant only this word!) can give so many moods, then it surely must be very special.

This ‘mood’ applies to music as well. It is said that certain ragas have some specific moods and can be used only in specific instances-that is to create the mood a raga is meant to create.

Hindustani Music follows the ‘time concept’ strictly. A particular raag is to be sung only during a particular time of the day (or night). However, I have seen musicians render ‘Todi’(carnatic equivalent- SubhapantuvaraLi) during the evening though it is to be sung during late mornings only, but that is a different issue(and can be taken up in one of my forthcoming posts, as usual ).

But apart from the ‘time concept’, there is also the ‘mood’ created (supposedly) by a particular raag. A raag like Ahir Bhairav gives a pathos mood(in fact this applies to most of the raags in Bhairav thaat).  ‘Poorvi’, ‘Poorya Dhanashri’, ‘Lalit’ always sound plaintive. ‘Malkauns’ on the other hand(don’t ask me which hand) gives shringar rasa(or a romantic mood).

In Carnatic Music too, one often comes across this ‘mood factor’. One of the most popular ‘beliefs’ is about Mukhari, which is supposed to be a ‘crying raga’. That this ‘belief’ is just a myth will be taken up by me soon. However, I feel many theories about on the mood of the raags  are just myths. Or at least, that is what ILaiyaraaja has proved.

Though film music is a genre by itself and cannot be compared strictly with Classical music(isn’t this a myth as well?), ILaiyaraaja has time and again challenged this through his compositions and has come up trumps in such exercises.

For example, he has used SubhapantuvaraLi, which is considered to be a raga full of melancholy in a humorous situation (Kandupidichchen KaNdupidichchen- Guru Sishyan), in romantic situations( Porapattadhi- Ladies’ Tailor), and even in a sensuous situation(AlaigaLil Midhakkudhu-Andha Oru Nimidam).

Same is the case with Shivaranjani, Chakravagam etc., He has done the reverse too making happy ragas like KalyaNi, Mohanam etc., sound plaintive (no, I am not going to list the songs now).

That brings me to the basic question (at last...) – How does he create the mood for a song?

In other words- What makes him decide on a particular raga for a particular song?

It is of course complicated and can be answered only by him (really not sure about this too!).

 I was talking about him challenging the mood concept. But there have also been cases where he has stuck to the concept. Today’s Rare Gem is an example.

Jog is a raag which is supposed to give enchantment.

‘Podu Thanthaana tham’ from ‘Nalla NaaL’(1984) is based on this raag. If one looks at the mood evoked by the song, it is romantically sensuous. But what makes this gem shine with a special radiance is not just the raag and the way it has been used, but also the kind of instruments used and the way these have been used.

Take the prelude. The shrill flute in the beginning is somewhat deceptive as gives a folksy feel. But the bass sound from the keys, which backs it, gives us an indication of what could be in store. The fact that both play different sets of notes, makes it even more interesting and intriguing. Enter the sax in its unique tenor and the intrigue factor goes up. In fact, this sax plays a very significant role in the composition and can as well be called as the X factor. Raag Jog could then be the ‘Y’ factor and the percussion could be the ‘Z’ factor.

That ‘Z’ which starts along with the sax, plays 1 2 3/ 1 2 3/ 1 2 in two different sets, with one set  sounding only the first, the fourth and the seventh with resonance and the other set sounding all the syllables, though some are sounded subtly. The composer whose love for variety is well –known, changes this pattern when the sax stops playing and sounds only for one beat on the drums followed by one beat on the more resonant percussion. This goes on for one cycle of chatushram. In the next cycle, the same pattern continues but this time, the flute plays a short melody and takes us to the Pallavi.

The original pattern (the one played during the sax melody) continues but this time a synth sound is added on the 7^th micro beat once per cycle. That is, the chatushram cycle is divided into 16(I have explained this many times in many of my posts) with 1 2 3/ 1 2 3/ 1 2 occurring twice and the synth sound is played only during the first 7^th micro beat. But this synth sound occurs only in the Pallavi with the CharaNams and the first interlude following the pattern of the prelude. We shall come back to this ‘Z’ factor soon when the second interlude is discussed.

Now, for the ‘A’ factor - the vocals. If only I had the stamina, I would climb atop Mount Everest and would shout at the top of my voice that no other two singers would have done justice to this song except SPB and Janaki. Rather than my explaining this, it will be nice if you all listen to the vocals (especially in the second charaNam and in the end) and make your own judgement.

The ‘X’ factor comes into play in the first segment of the first interlude and in the last segment of the second interlude. If it is smooth in the former, it is rousing in the latter. But in both occasions, it gives a very special feeling which can be at best described as musically romantically sensuous.

There are other factors too and since I am not here to list out the English alphabets, I would refrain from naming these factors. One is the violin in the first interlude which gives the melancholic feel of the raag and two is the flute which follows, which sounds plaintive. If you wonder what these feelings play in a ‘romantically sensuous’ song, my answer is ‘Contrasts are poetic and show the genius of a composer’.

Then there is that wonderful instrument called as the guitar which suddenly appears in the second interlude elegantly and gives an exemplary display of brilliance etching some beautiful patterns.

That ‘Z’ factor comes into play again here keeping quiet when the guitar starts and playing 4 beats at the end of the cycle. After two cycles, it plays continuously. Note that that it is totally a different percussion instrument from the guitar section. When the sax(the ‘X’ factor) enters, the pattern changes again with the drums playing only the first and the third syllable and the sharp percussion playing all the 4 syllables as response. At the end of the interlude, the drums play 16 in faster mode (mel kaalam).

‘XYZ ABC’- Are these the ones which create the mood?

Or is the mood created in the mind of the composer with all the factors racing with and against each other?

Let me think when I have the right mood.

Until then, let me listen to songs like this one without bothering about any factor.

After all, Mood is a Mood is a Mood!

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Standpoint

Recently, an advertisement in the newspaper affected me a lot.

No, it was not an ad for an alcoholic brand, nor was it for a tobacco product. It was an ad for ‘audio books’- classics to be more precise. Do I hate books or do I hate sound? I am sure most of you know that I love both. The cause for my consternation was something else.

‘Reading’ matters a lot to me- ‘Reading’ as in reading ‘mentally’. What happens when we read to ourselves? First, we can read at our own pace. Second, we can pause when a word or a sentence or a passage is beautiful and brilliant. We can close our eyes and savour that moment. We can go back to that line, re-read, and therefore relive that moment. If we come across a new word or a tough word, we can stop and either make a mental note or note it down on a paper. At times, we can also refer to the dictionary instantly to understand the word, the context and the usage. We can visualise the sequence, letting our imagination free. Most importantly, we can feel the pages. We can smell the pages. The aroma and the feeling are enough to give us an unique experience which cannot be put in words(or one may have to write a separate book for this, yes a ‘written book’!).

Tell me if any of these is possible in an audio book. However eloquent the reader in the audio book is, however beautiful his/her diction is, however expressive his/her tone is, can we get the same experience of reading a physical book?

Of course, I have listened to some ‘reading sessions’ but these were limited to some select passages and not the entire book. These kindle an interest for the book and make one ‘acquire’ the book. Well, that second word in the previous sentence got me reminded of ‘e-books’. These in my opinion, are acceptable to a certain extent but cannot replace the joy of reading a physical book.

I am writing all these for a reason.

Though music cannot be compared with books, I got reminded of my views on ‘listening to a song’. Well, here I solely mean a film song and not a classical song. Experience with the latter will be described soon in some other post. People who know me well, know that I prefer ‘listening’ to ‘watching’ and that precisely for that reason, You Tube videos are not given as links in posts. Since I have covered this aspect in the past, I am not getting into further details.

But the reason for my aversion for ‘watching’ a song- a beautiful gem at that- can be easily understood if one listens to the Rare Gem of the day and then ‘watches’ it.

I have said many times that it indeed is next to impossible to find out what runs in his mind while composing a song. I have also suggested that scientists should invent a special machine, connect it to his brain and monitor the creative thought process. 

While it is a fact that he composes the tune and subsequently the prelude and the interlude(s) after the Director explains the situation, it is also a fact that a majority of the directors are musically illiterate. So, his imagination runs riot while composing the tune on the harmonium and more so while writing the notes for the orchestra. It is here that he starts experimenting not to get appreciation from anyone concerned but purely for self-actualisation. Otherwise, how can one explain his playing with the rhythm, his use of master techniques like cross-rhythm, usi, gati bhedam, graha bedam etc..?

But this has a flip side too. Since our directors are musically illiterate(a majority of them), neither do they understand the nuances and the techniques nor do they appreciate the subtleties. Because of this, there is a mismatch between the music and the visuals. But he cannot be blamed for this, though I wonder how he would have felt each time he watched the visuals for his music on screen.

‘NenjukkuL Poo Manjam’ (Saattai Illadha Pambaram-1983) falls in this category without a trace of doubt. In fact, one of the most significant features of this song is the rhythm and the sharp percussion in the beginning which was totally chopped off while picturising.

But without worrying about all that, let us look at the song.

It starts with the percussion playing sharp beats, but that is not all. The composition is set in tisram(3-beat cycle). The Master divides 3 into 6 micro-beats- as ta ka dhi mi ta ka- and makes the percussion play only the first, third and the fourth leaving others blank. See (listen) as to how it sets the mood for a romantic song.

After four repetitions, the trumpets and the bass guitar join even as the percussion continues in the same pattern in the background. The bass guitar sounds sharp too, albeit in its own inimitable style, and acts as an additional rhythm. After a while, the guitar joins, indulges in a brief call and response with the piped instruments with the flute joining later and charting its own path. The guitar family finally plays the melody of the first line with the percussion sounding sharp once as if to signal the end of the grand prelude!

The Pallavi which starts with the humming of Janaki is yet another rhythmic feast. There are three (at least) sets of percussion. The first one plays ta ka dhi mi(1 2 3 4) twice in mel kaalam(fast pace). The second one starts after a gap of 4 beats(it is left blank!) and plays ta ka dhi mi twice. The third one plays ta ka dhi mi once. This pattern continues in both the CharaNams.

But the composer, who is known for giving variegated patterns, thinks differently in the interludes. Let us see this as we go along.

The first interlude starts with the guitar sounding the bass, giving that Spanish feel. Then, just one string of another guitar for every first beat of Tisram. Mind you, no percussion is used here and just  one string of the guitar acts as percussion. This is followed by a melody by the same guitar with a different sound(from the keys?) accompanying it. The piped instruments make an entry and only now do the drums(percussion) sound. The friendly banter between the bass guitar and the piped instruments makes it more exciting. The excitement continues in the next segment too when the flute plays a beautiful melody.

The lines in the CharaNams call for an interesting study too. The first two lines rendered by Malaysia Vasudevan have a touch of nonchalance. The next two lines of Janaki suddenly touch the higher octave. The scale changes in the next two lines of Malaysia Vasudevan while Janaki continues in the higher octave in the original scale in the next line. The last line continues in the male voice almost sounding similar to the previous line but is wound up with the ‘pa pa pa pa pa’ giving a feeling of completeness.

To be honest, the entire CharaNam is a tight rope walk and all the three come up trumps.

There is more in store in the second interlude.

The trumpet sounds in higher octave giving a pause in between. The team of piped instruments joins and until now there is no percussion. The trumpet gathers steam and as if to add more spice, the bass guitar joins. So do the drums. It is a jazzy feel with the guitar and the bass guitar taking over. The flute appears in the end again, playing a rather unusual and different melody.

The sensuous ‘pa pa’ towards the end of the song makes it even more special.

Books are to be read by the individual.

Songs (like this) are to be listened to and are not to be watched.

The first statement could be subjective. But not the second one..If you have any doubts, go, watch and then decide.

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VIBGYOR

Do swaras and ragas have colours?

This may sound abstract or even absurd but I feel it is a valid question. Long back, two very popular carnatic musicians (sisters in fact) raised this question to another musician. This was part of an item in a Tamizh magazine (yes, those days Tamizh magazines had more aesthetic sense and sensibilities) in which musicians interacted. One musician would ask a question to a fellow musician, who after answering the question would ask a question to another fellow musician. This chain was as interesting as the questions and answers and revealed a lot to a layman like me who wanted to learn more and more about music.

The duo who asked the question even named some ragas and the colours associated with those. What they meant was this- Whenever they played a particular raga, they visualised a particular colour. They wanted to know if other- musicians that is- too had similar experience. Though I don’t remember who answered this question, I found this to be very interesting. Nearly 15 years after this, I happened to interact with a musician- a child prodigy who plays a very beautiful instrument- in a Dance camp and asked him this question. He paused for a moment, looked at me and said ‘It is a very interesting question. Why don’t you ask me in the forum after I finish my lecture?’

Unfortunately, I couldn’t due to reasons I don’t want to get into now. But I have always related colours with music and vice versa.  Coming to think of it, the basic swaras are seven and the rainbow has seven colours. I don’t mean to say that each colour corresponds to one swara but this coincidence (or is it?) is striking.  Colours are dynamic, full of energy, and at the same time give a sense of calmness. Music does the same.

Let us now celebrate Colours and Music with a song. Surprisingly enough, the word ‘colour’ appears only in the first line and yet I feel the song is very colourful.

I really don’t know as to ‘Rangulalo kalavai’ from ‘Abhinandana’(1987) giving me visions of various colours and I am sure the reason has to do more with the whole composition and just a little with the first word. It is a composition with many specialities.

1.Janaki- In some of my earlier posts, I had mentioned as to how he has used Janaki’s voice as an instrument. In ‘Rangulalo..’, Janaki renders only the Pallavi and that too only twice-after the first charaNam and in the end. Otherwise, she just hums. Indeed, this ‘just humming’ has the capacity to take us to the heaven. The composition starts with her humming. To start with it seems like a plaintive cry of a bird. But this is just an illusion. The moment the next part of the humming starts, we spot the romance in that voice. The final ‘akaaram’ makes it classic and classical.

The ‘akaaram’ appears in the second part of charanams too and the rolling of the voice…isn’t it amazing and mind blowing?

2.SPB- That this gentleman can change the voice to suit the occasion is a known fact. Here, his voice is shrill and gets shriller in the higher octave making it a thrilling experience.

3.Acharya Athreya- Not many in Tamizh Nadu know about this genius. Known for his aesthetic sense and his word plays, this legend shows yet again that he is a romantic at heart. Look at these words- ‘Colourful dream’, ‘Art inside the heart’, ‘Sculpture’, ‘Embodiment of art’ ‘Swinging imagination’, ‘Beauty like the blooming spring’, ‘Honeyed arrow’ ..

This is how he describes the Lady Love. He even calls her as his ‘viraha taapam’.

Height of beautiful imagination (or is it swinging imagination?).

What he does in the end is a masterstroke. Throughout the song, he asks questions- ‘Are you this/that’. But at the end-when the Pallavi is rendered, he affirms that ‘yes, you are that’. Not many songs end like this.

I am also told that generally Athreya gaaru wrote the lyrics and these were later set to tune by the music composer. I believe this song also was written first. That brings us to the gentleman who set this to tune.

4.ILaiyaraaja- What can one say about this tune in Hindolam? Sorry, can’t find a suitable adjective. Even the accidental note in the CharaNams enhances the appeal. The structure of the CharaNams is a lesson for all aspiring music composers. Look at the last line where he splits the chatushram into 16 maatras as ta ki ta/ ta ki  ta/ ta ki  ta/ ta ki  ta/ta ka dhi mi almost like a pure classical composition.

Ah yes, the rhythmic pattern almost throughout the song is a kind of leitmotif. One set of percussion sounds the first 4(ta ka dhi mi) and then sounds only the first syllable(ta) thrice while the second set(vamping of guitar) sounds all the 16 albeit subtly. Both these happen simultaneously!

If I say that the orchestration is beautiful, it is like saying ‘The moon is beautiful’ or ‘the flowers give beautiful fragrance’. Stating the obvious may sound clichéd but in the case of Raaja sir, this cannot be helped.

The Prelude has the rhythm guitar backing Janaki’s humming. The ankle bells follow during the second part of the humming with the tabla tarang and jalatarangam showing subtle shades of Hindolam. The bass guitar winds up the Prelude in its own style.

The sitar responds to the first two lines of SPB with elan.

The first interlude starts with the call and response between the strings and the tabla tarang. The strings then go up the stream to the backing of the percussion(playing in the pattern explained before 3 paragraphs). The percussion decides to take a break with the strings taking a straight path and the flute that follows blows with joy. The keys sounding like a stringed instrument guide us to the first CharaNam.

The flute now follows SPB in the first section of the CharaNam(the following sections of course have that original instrument called Janaki’s voice as explained earlier!).

The second interlude is a class by itself and has some variegated patterns which can be conceived only by one gentleman in film music. It starts with the flute-sans percussion- which plays an amazing piece in Hindolam to the backing of the bass guitar with brief repartee by the tabla tarang. We then see the western contours of Hindolam with the strings showing some glistening strands. The harmony between the violins and the cello has to be heard to be believed. After drenching us with honey, the sitar and tabla tarang take us on a blissful journey to the backing of the percussion.

It is indeed a spiritual journey. Don’t I see the white colour now?

And after all, what is white?

Probably, this answers my question..

https://soundcloud.com/raja4376/rangulalo