ILaiyaraaja – The Concordant Musician

 

There is rhythm in life. There is rhythm is nature. There is rhythm is every living being. There is rhythm in every art form. There is rhythm is poetry.

Yes, I have stated the obvious and surely not something which is not known to a connoisseur. But what is rhythm? Is it a pattern? Is it what is called ‘beats’? Is it the TaaLa?

Rhythm is all these and also much more than all these.

Look at this verse:

 

கண்ணொடு கண்ணிணை நோக்கொக்கின் வாய்ச்சொற்கள்

என்ன பயனும் இல.

 

It simply means – When two pairs of eyes meet in unison, is there any need for words?

What is rhythmic about this?

Let me try deciphering the syllables in music parlance:

Ta ka dhi mi/ ta ka dhi mi/ ta ka ta ki ta/ ta ki ta/ta ka/ta ka/ta ka.

Raja4376 · ThirukkuraL - recited by Raj(me)

Am I talking about this rhythm alone? Not really.

As mentioned in the beginning, rhythm is not just the beats or the count, though these too are part of it. It is the inner meaning, the subtler one.

One pair of eyes meets the other pair; Silence.

Visualise the above-mentioned line. You will feel the rhythm, the rhythm of love.

And this is what immortal works do for us- make us see the unknown through the known. And that is why, ThurkkuRaL is still popular even after 2000 years.

What I am going to discuss now is on yet another work, which though is not that old-compared to ThirukkuraL- will surely fall under the category of ‘immortal works’, a fact which will be known 2000 years from now. Needless to say, whose works are being referred to here and so let us move on and look at one of the compositions under this category.

Without a doubt, ‘Kalise prati sandhyalo’ from ‘Aalapana’(1985) is rhythmic in the literal sense because of the role played by the rhythm. But beyond the obvious rhythm, there is something subtle as well.

Based purely on Mayamalavagowla, the composition starts directly without a prelude. SPB sings the first phrase just at samam(the first beat of the taaLa cycle) and leaves a gap for 3 beats. What happens during the 3 beats?

The mridangam sounds the four syllables-ta ka dhi mi- during the second and the third beats subtly and sounds the first and the third micro-beats during the fourth beats. Alongside, the flute plays the ascending swaras of Mayamalavagowla with finesse. When the next phrase is rendered, one sees the same pattern, except that now the flute plays the descending swaras(Sa ni dha pa). The same pattern gets repeated during the next two cycles, but here one also gets to hear the subtle sound of the bell.

The next two phrases witness subtle overtones, first from the violin which plays along with the vocals ever so subtly and from the keys which give some special sound, making us also see some different shades of the raga.

The same pattern is seen when Janaki joins, but this time it is just half as she sings only the first four phrases.

The first interlude starts with a catena of rhythmic phrases in Chatushram with the tabla and the mridangam involved in a healthy competition. With flourish and buoyancy, the twin-veeNa gives some beautiful shades of Mayamalavagowla. The flute swirls with unobtrusive energy unmindful of the interjections of the sympathetic strings followed by the veeNa. The rhythm in the melody of the twin-veeNa and the flute, cannot be missed if one observes with perceptive ears and the heart.

What happens then is a cascading progression.

In Classical music, there is something called yati. Rather than delving into it, this being a deep subject and would require a lot of explanation, let me just say that it is an arrangement in a particular pattern. There are 5 different yatis. What we hear in this composition now is what is called a Srothovaka yati with the syllables moving in ascending numbers:

1 2

1 2 3

1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Once this is completed, there are three beats and this is followed by ta ka ta ki ta( 1 2 3 4 5) 6 times, to make the total count 60.

Note that the yati stops at 1 2 3 4 5 6 7.

The CharaNams have four segments. In the first segment, SPB sings for one and half avartanams(cycles) with the akaaram of Janaki occupying the next two beats. In the next segment, the flute sparkles for the two beats with the first six beats(one and half cycles) being sung by SPB. The third segment goes plain. Or does it? Don’t we hear the subtle strings and the bell along with the vocals?

The fourth segment is a rhapsody of sorts. Janaki sings the akaaram reminiscent of the janta varisai and SPB who joins in the next cycle sings along but in a different octave.

Harmony and rhythm flow like a bright stream in the second interlude. The veena plays a melody with the ankle bells backing it. Just after one cycle, the sitar interjects giving a quiet glow. With rounded mellowness, the flute plays the same melody as that of the veena even as this is on. The santoor takes a meandering stroll and plays the melody played by the sitar. This concatenation and the blending of delicate and sonorous sounds, seem like paradise on earth.

The group of veena and the flute glide through with deftly interwoven swaras in Mayamalavagowla. The veena plays the ascending swaras and as if to show that beautiful things never end, the veena and the flute weave a small ‘korvai’ a la Carnatic music concert.

There is rhythm in life. There is rhythm is nature. There is rhythm is every living being. There is rhythm in every art form. There is rhythm is poetry.

What is that rhythm?

 

ILaiyaraaja – The Maayaavi

 

What is Magic?

Is it an art or is it science or is it esoteric?

Of all the definitions on Magic, this one – having a special quality that makes something seem wonderful – appeals to me the most not least because it completely ignores the second question. Magic is an experience and therefore the debate on what exactly it is – art, science, history, geography, maths- is unwarranted. We feel good when something magical happens and this is more than enough.

Now, imagine this scenario. The young prince along with his brother and a rishi, steps into a city. The moment he steps in, the creepers by the side of the road, get up and sway vigorously. It seems as if they extend their hands and welcome the prince with a smile and say ‘That great lady who was once sitting on the lotus, came here because of our penance. Come fast’.

On the face of it, this would seem like a normal poem because after all aren’t poets known for their imagination which mostly borders on exaggeration? Scratch the surface and you will see that M word.

First of all, the prince went by the name Rama. The city he entered went by the name Mythila. The lady is Sita. The last mentioned is supposedly an avatar of Lakshmi, the consort of VishNu, while the first mentioned is considered one of the avatars of VishNu, as per mythology. With this introduction, let us see the full poem in its original form:

மையறு மலரின் நீங்கி, யான் செய் மாதவத்தின் வந்து

செய்யவள் இருந்தாள்!’ என்று செழுமணிக் கொடிகள் என்னும்

கைகளை நீட்டி அந்தக் கடிநகர், கமலச் செங்கண்

ஐயனை ‘ஒல்லை வா!’ என்று அழைப்பது போன்றதம்மா!

 

Raja4376 · Verse of Kamban - Recited by me

Why, creepers and not trees? Creepers coil around something and this itself is a great sight. To me, this symbolises love. It also symbolises Time. It is just to ‘remind’ the man that there is somebody who has been waiting for you. But beyond all this, it is one word in the third line which adds that extra power to make this poem extraordinary. 

கமலச் செங்கண்  (kamala cheNgaN) – the one with the lotus eye.

Note that the verse starts by saying ‘the one who was sitting on the lotus flower’. By bringing in that lotus here again, doesn’t it say that she has always been part of you?

This is what we call magic. And yes, the magician here goes by the name Kamban.

 Time now to see magic in music.

Before I start describing the song, I must say a few things which might help in understanding some of the technicalities in classical music. It is a well-known fact that there are 7 notes in music, with each note, except the first one and the fifth one having two variants(and I am not going to talk about the third variant here for a reason!). Indian classical music has the concept of a raga which is defined as a set of notes which go ascending and descending(a raga is something more than a set of notes and yet again I am not getting into this now!).

It is not necessary to have all the 7 notes for a raga to be complete. There are ragas which have 6 notes, 5 notes and in different combinations. The swaras(Indian name for notes) are defined by the shruti. There are many techniques as well, and one of these is ‘Gruha bhedam’, which is the shifting of the tonic. Since I have elaborated on this in some of my earlier posts, I am not delving into this now. Suffice to say that if one of the swaras is made the ‘sa’, it becomes some other raga following the principle of Gruha Bhedam(‘Gruha’ – House; Bhedam – Shift). At times when a song is composed in a particular shruti, it becomes tough for a listener to exactly place the raga(which in a way is good!).

‘Vaa Vaa Anbe Anbe’ from ‘Agni Nakshatram’(1988) is one such song. Many say this song is based on Shivaranjani. But yours truly feels it is based on Sunaadavinodini. Is it an illusion? Or is it real? Is this the only magic in the song?

Let us strive to find answers..

The guitar sounds subtly. The piano responds with grace. The strings move like waves. The bass guitar, which generally is a silent participant, observes all this quietly and joins the celebration. Meanwhile, the drums enter as well making their presence felt now and then.

The guitar sounds the same melody repeatedly while the piano expands on its melody. The bass guitar goes around with its task unmindful of everything around it. The brass flute vivifies the atmosphere and trots up and down playing staccato notes even as the strings play in higher-octave, making a nuanced statement in the process.

How does this prelude sound?

Poignant? Romantic? Peppy?

And what scale does it follow?

At least I get an answer to the second question in the Pallavi itself. It starts with the lower octave kaakali nishadam and touches the antara gandharam, and though this does not suggest any specific raga, if one juxtaposes this with the prelude, the puzzle is solved because these swaras are non- existent in Shivaranjani. The last line in the Pallavi goes on the descent(Sa ni dha ma ga) confirming the fact that it is Sunaadavinodini. The last phrase probably has the rishabham but it occurs just once and can be called an accidental note.

Keeping all these technical details aside, taken as a musical piece the Pallavi excels in the voice of Yesudass and Chitra with the strings playing a melody along with the vocals, which is in the same scale but is different from that of the vocals in terms of the combination of notes.

With relentless assiduity, the guitar moves in the beginning of the first interlude bespattering droplets of melody. The piano gets drenched and gives a brief repartee with coy. The flute allures us with its melody which also has a tinge of poignancy. The strings continue from where they left(in the prelude) and draws a wavy pattern, which seems like the high tide.

The first two lines in the CharaNam move with sobriety as if to give us a hint about the magic that is likely to follow. And yes, it happens..

There is a sudden tonal shift and the scale suggests Shivaranjani. How did this happen?

As mentioned earlier, Sunaadavinodini and Shivaranjani are in the same Gruha Bhedam group. If the note ‘dha’ of Sunaadavinodini is kept as the ‘sa’, it transform to Shivaranjani and this is what happens here. It gets back to the original raga(scale) after two lines. Just for academic interest, if the ‘ga’ of Shivaranjani is kept as the base, it becomes Sunaadavinodini.

There is now a knock on the door. And it opens…Then there is a conversation. This is how one can describe the second interlude. The keys knock. The guitar responds. The drums move. The strings flow. The flute surrounds. It seems as if this conversation will never end. And we don’t want it to end as well.

It seems like the creepers, the lotus and the eyes converse with each other.

After all, it is a spell cast by a magician.. rather two magicians from two different eras.