What makes a work exceptional, outstanding and impeccable?
Or to put it in other way- What makes an artiste exceptional?
There are many factors, both subjective and
objective. Is it more of the former and less of the latter or is it the other
way round are questions which can be discussed and debated hours together and
since my objective is not this, I decide to move on.
In my opinion, an artiste’s works can be called as perfect, ideal and meritorious if the works are novel,
different, and aesthetic. Most
importantly, the work must strike a chord not just on the cognoscenti but also
on the uninitiated or the common man.
By the way, my definition of ‘artiste’ does not
exclude poets and musicians.
Let us first look at a work of poetry. In this
verse, the poet describes the flow of
the river Sarayu.
மலை எடுத்து, மரங்கள் பறித்து, மாடு
இலை முதல் பொருள் யாவையும் ஏந்தலான்.
அலை கடல் – தலை அன்று அணை வேண்டிய
நிலையுடைக் கவி நீத்தம் அந்நீத்தமே.
Uprooting
the mountains and the trees, and therefore carrying different leaves on its
plane, the river reminds one of the army of monkeys which wanted to build a dam
on the sea even as it was helping Rama.
On the face of it, it sounds beautiful with rhyming words and the poetic description. But scratch the
surface and you can find gems floating deep inside. First and foremost, this
appears in the beginning of the Ramayana(Bala
KaaNdam to be precise). Rama is
not even born then. Yet, the poet makes
a flash forward and takes us to the Yuddha KaaNdam in which Rama and his army fight RavaNa. But it does not just stop with
this and there is more to it than meets the eye.
By making a mention about ‘Dam’, the poet subtly indicates the necessity of
having a dam to control the flow of a river. Wouldn’t a river in full flow
destroy everything on its way?
And the poet’s
aesthetic sense oozes out when he compares the huge leaves to the monkeys…
Any doubt now as to why Kamban is called as Kavi
Chakravarti, whose choice of words and narrative style is unparalleled in
the annals of world literature in general and Tamizh literature in particular?
Ah, yes we have an artiste among us whose works too
are considered extraordinary and immortal. Examples of his works are too
many, and that is why I take up one composition at a time. But the example I am
going to give today itself is enough to show why he is considered as an extraordinary composer.
‘Aananda Raagam’ from ‘Panneer PushpnagaL’(1981) is a song
known to almost all people in the state of Tamizh
Nadu and I am sure is liked by one and all, and this includes his
detractors. Because of the immense popularity of the song and also because of
the ubiquity of You Tube channels(and
its cohorts), many also know the name of the raga. For people who are still not aware of this, let me tell you
that it is based on a raga called Simhendra Madhyamam. But again, this is
just one aspect as I strongly believe and reiterate that raga is just a tool and it acquires its beauty in the hands of the
person who handles it. This is not dissimilar to the relationship between
different colours and the painter.
This composition
must be considered as one of the best in the history of not only film music but
music in general and there are many reasons for this sweeping statement, some describable
and the rest indescribable. For, if everything can be described in this world is
there any fun at all? Will the words ‘subtlety’ and ‘enjoyment’ not lose their
meaning and value then?
One of the reasons for that statement is the ‘layering’ in the composition. There are so many layers
and sub layers in the orchestration that it would blow one’s
mind off, if minute analyses were to be done.
Secondly, the permutations and combinations of the notes are so different and unique which
would surely make any classical musician
who believes in ‘manodharma’, proud.
Thirdly, not many compositions are loaded with so many higher octave notes, in the vocals
and in the orchestration. This
aspect alone is enough to make this composition
a distinct one.
Fourthly, even if there are compositions with ‘all of the above’ mentioned, those sound
cacophonic beyond a point. But ‘Aananda Raagam’ is polyphonic in the
truest sense.
There is a fifth aspect too, but this can be seen
later as we go along.
The strings
spurt out melody first in mid-octave
and then moving organically to the higher
octave. Even as these prance and canter, the second set of strings take over and play a brief repetitive melody.
The melody from the flute comes out
like a torrent with the repetitive strings
backing it. After a brief respite during which the bells play the ascending notes of the raga, the flute continues
with piercing accuracy. The two sets of
strings dazzle and this is like a musical hailstorm.
The imaginatively conceived Pallavi gives ornate images. As mentioned earlier, not many songs
start with the higher octave note,
but here the Pallavi starts with the
upper ‘Ga’, goes down and then goes
up. The flute backing in the last
line makes it lively not least because of the repetition of the same set of notes-pa dha pa ma ga ri. It also
meticulously follows the rhythmic pattern of tisram as ta ka dhi mi/ta ka.
The oboe-synth
combination in the first interlude
continues the dalliance with higher
octave notes. It in fact sounds like the pebbles rolling down a beautiful
hillock. The strings which follow
reverberate and the cello gives a
leonine roar. The munificent grandeur continues in the form of Shehnai whose piercing notes are limpid
and the melody shimmering and glowing like a mystical light atop a hill. Stuck
by this aura, the strings move
circuitously as if it were circumambulating the hill.
The lines in the CharaNams show the composer’s acuity of the raga’s nuances as one sees magnificent musical dimensions of the classical raga. If the first line is
dominated by the higher octave notes,
the second line is a beautiful amalgam of higher
octave and the mid octave notes.
The second half of the CharaNams has
only the mid-octave notes, but what
makes the CharaNams more special are
the interjections of the Bells, Strings and
Flute, with the last mentioned
giving caressing touches.
Let me now go back to the fifth aspect mentioned earlier and it is time now to reveal this.
The composition is in C minor in western classical parlance. Rather than going
into the details of this, let me just stop with saying that all western compositions follow a
particular scale and this one is in minor
scale.
Now, it is not an uncommon practice to straddle
between the minor and the major scale. In fact, this is a
technique and it enhances the experience. But what ILaiyaraaja does in this interlude is something which I feel not
many western composers would have even
imagined. Of course, the reason is because western
composers are not familiar with Indian music.
To start with, the strings play a melody in higher
octave with a second set responding now and then albeit briefly. The flute appears suddenly and first plays
the same set of notes, but in the major scale(G major to be precise). This, to a great extent gives brief shades
of Mohanam. To top it all, this
contrastive tone is played in the brass
flute, thus accentuating the indescribable feeling..I would call this
moment-which approximately lasts 10
seconds- as a moment of epiphany.
The oboe
shifts to C minor again with the strings following it. The flute joins again and unobtrusively and
rather innocently plays in the minor
scale now. Doesn’t this have a serenading effect?
What is to be noted is the absence of the percussion in the entire interlude!
The strings then go downstream, upstream and then
spiral up.
The entire composition is like a stream. Only
difference is that this does not require a dam.
