Saturday 23 May 2009

ILaiyaraaja-The Magician!

''Language is the Music of Nature'' said William Wordsworth.

I would like to modify this and say ''Music is The Language of Nature''.

There is Music in Nature.

Natural elements like Rivers, Mountains and the Sea not only produce Music but also have produced great Musicians.

Take River for example.The Great composer in Carnatic Music, Saint Thyagaraja grew up in Thiruvaiyaru(confluence of five rivers).

Bhadrachala Ramadasa lived by the side of the River Godavari.

The great Shehnai Maestro Bismillah Khan ‘s heart was Benaras , a city that is surrounded by the River Ganga.

Beethoven and Mozart lived in Austria where the River Danube flows.

Mountains too have produced great Music.

One of the greatest composers of modern era was born and brought up in an obscure village surrounded by Western Ghats.A quiet River also flows near the village.People who have been to Pannaipuram know how serene and divine the place is.The picturesque scene has to be seen to be enjoyed.

Having grown up in such an atmosphere and environment , is it any surprise that he is able to give enchanting Music to us?

His Music takes us from the Ephemeral to the Ethereal.

He has used popular Ragas, and rare Ragas;

He has used simple rhythmic patterns, and unusual /complex rhythmic Patterns;

He has used simple techniques, and complex Techniques.

Today let us look at yet another composition of his..

The Kannada film ‘Nee Nanna Gellalare’ is replete with some excellent compositions.

‘Anuraga Enaithu’ is one such composition.It is based on Dharmavathy-the 59th Melakartha.

Dharmavathy a magnetic aura.

The Raga evokes a feeling of nostalgia .

Though it is very close to some very popular Ragas like Simhendra madhyamam,Gowrimanohari, and Kalyani , the Raga is unique..

The structure is sa ri2 ga2 ma2 pa dha2 ni3 Sa/Sa ni3 dha2 pa ma2 ga2 ri2 sa.

Anuraga’ starts with the sweet sound of the Guitar.When Dr.RajKumar sings ‘I Love You’, the orchestra repeats it .

It is not just the Orchestra that repeats this. Quietly surrounded by the Grandeur of the composition, we also sing

‘I Love You’.

The Sweet Guitar appears again in the first interlude followed by the brilliant flute .

After this it is sheer Magic.
The Dilruba suddenly starts playing Chakravagam-the 16th Melakartha.

It is Gruha Bedam (or Sruti bedam) with the shift taking place from 'ri'.

The seamless transition is Mind Boggling!

The Charanam continues in Chakravagam until the last line where it catches up with Dharmavathy.

The second Interlude is another beauty.

The chorus sings in Dharmavathy and we quiver.

The Violin Orchestra takes over and we Sway..

And as we Sway, the shift takes place again.

The Flute plays Chakravagam!

If only we had the powers to see Raja’s Music in Visual Form, we would see Natural Beauty at its best.

We would see the Snow-Capped Mountains.
We would see the Azure Blue Sea.
We would see the Marble like River.
We would see the Trees in Verdant Green.
We would be in Nature’s Womb.
We would be Stranded in Paradise!

What an exhilarating experience!

Dhramavathy rains while the Chakravagam peeps out like the sun light!

We see the Rainbow.The seven colours seem like the Seven Swaras.

And that is the real Anuraga...

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