ILaiyaraaja-The Instinctive Musician..

One of the many virtues a genius possesses is spontaneity.

A genius does not waste time in breaking his/her head. Yet, the output is something unimaginable.

ThoNdaradipodiyaazhwar, one of the 12 great Vaishnavite saints, looks at the reclining posture of Lord Ranganatha and decided to sing ‘PaLLi ezhucchi ’to ‘wake him up from sleep’.

‘Blowing gently from the East, the wind embraces the jasmine creeper spreading the fragrance. Flapping the dew-soaked wings the swans get up from their flower beds. Oh, the one who saved the elephant(Gajendra) from the poisonous and gory teeth of the crocodile! Please wake up’.

கொழுங்கொடி  முல்லையின்  கொழு மலர்  அணவிக்

      கூர்ந்தது  குண-திசை  மாருதம்   இதுவோ

எழுந்தன  மலர்  அணைப்  பள்ளிகொள்  அன்னம்

        ஈன்பனி  நனைந்த  தம்  இருஞ் சிறகு  உதறி;

விழுங்கிய  முதலையின்  பிலம்  புரை  பேழ்வாய்

        வெள்  எயிறு  உற, அதன்  விடத்தனுக்கு  அனுங்கி,

அழுங்கிய  ஆனையின்  அருந்துயர்  கெடுத்த

        அரங்கத்தம்மா!  பள்ளி   எழுந்தருளாயே.

This is one of the 10 ‘ThiruppaLLi ezhucchi’ verses sung by the Aazhwar and is part of the ‘Naalaayira Divya Prabhandam’.

‘Waking up the Divine’ is of course symbolic as the Divine is always awake. But what should be noted here and appreciated is the description done with fertile imagination. We feel the aroma of the ‘mullai’ flowers, we watch and listen to the flapping of wings of the swans feeling the wetness of the dew, we experience the excruciating pain of the elephant as the wily crocodile holds its leg and finally we feel the compassion and love of the divine.

The contrast-pleasant fragrance/ dew against poisonous teeth/sorrow- cannot be missed. Nor can the poetic usage and description be not appreciated.

It is said that the Azhwar sang these verses in the sanctum sanctorum even as he was looking at the Lord.In other words, he did not sit down, think, refer any tamizh dictionary and then wrote. Words flew from him instinctively.

And yet, the entire verse is a poetic beauty.

‘Arjuna mantram’ from ‘Sitara’(1984) is a musical beauty.

Composed spontaneously by ILaiyaraaja and rendered by SPB and Shailaja, the composition is classical, is folksy shows the contrast, shows the similarities and is melodically superior.

We see a pentatonic raga changing to a sampoorNa raga, a native Andhra folksy tune followed by a rare raga, all seamlessly done.

The composition starts with the divine Omkara.  The sloka is set in AmritavarshiNi, and the omkara being rendered as the ‘Shadja’ at the end of each line ( upper ‘Sa’ before the sloka, and after the first and third line and lower ‘sa’ at the end of second line) symbolically suggests that the PraNava mantra is the basis for everything in the Universe.

With aesthetic spontaneity, the Pallavi moves in Pantuvarali(AmritavarshiNi plus ‘ri1’ and ‘dha1’).The Veena that appears between the two lines shows flashes of brilliance as it shows the ‘chaaya swaras’ of the raga.

The Veena continues its journey in the first interlude as the zestful Jalatarangam joins it with splendour.The dainty flute takes over and the musical spectacle is rounded off with a ‘saval-jawab’ of Veena and Jalatarangam.

The first CharaNam has some enlivening patterns. The first two lines are felicitously fluid while the following lines move like a beautiful breeze.

The raga’s resplendent domain is shown in the akaaram that lasts two full avartanams. The beauty of this segment is the superimposing of the female voice over the male voice with each singing a different set of swaras.

The charming swaras alternate with the dance jatis towards the end.

The song now acquires and aromatic flavour. Andhra folksy tune in Tisram beats. The dainty Shehnai and the dexterous Flute are followed by the vocals. Fertilely imaginative!

The Veena now gives a classical touch playing ‘Karnataka Khamas’. It is a janya of Harikhamboji and avoids ‘ri’ totally. It may be noted that this is different the more popular raga ‘Khamas’ which has some very distinct phrases.

The Veena and the flute have a brief conversation in Karnataka Khamas before the beginning of the next CharaNam.

The CharaNam rendered by SPB gives a soft veneer and is fascinatingly attractive.

With a classical comeliness, the flute moves daintily and the veena nods with awe.

The last CharaNam is invested with considerable ardour with the male voice singing the sahitya while the female voice singing the swaras.

It is astonishingly beautiful!

Music of the ‘Omkara’.

Apuroopa sangeetam..

 

ILaiyaraaja-The Bonhomous Musician..

‘Slicing through the dark clouds, the charming crescent moon reaches the cool hillock (of ThirukkodudumkunRam), the holy town where the one who bathes in ‘Panchagvaya-a mixture of five substances obtained from the cow resides accompanied by His Lady whose voice is as sweet as the honey’.

VaaniR poliveythum mazai megam kiziththodi
koonaR piRai cerum kuLir caaraRkodukunRam
AaniR poliainthum amarnthu Aadi ulageththath
theniR poli moziyaaLadum meyaan thirunagare

வானிற் பொலிவெய்தும் மழை மேகம் கிழித்தோடிக்
கூனற் பிறை சேரும் குளிர் சாரற்கொடுங்குன்றம்
ஆனிற் பொலி ஐந்தும் அமர்ந்து ஆடி உலகேத்தத்
தேனிற் பொலி மொழியாளடும் மேயான் திருநகரே

This is a verse composed by one of the greatest Tamizh poets Thirugnanasambandar about whom I had elaborately written in some of my previous posts (Natana Raaja-Part II and Natana Raaja-Part V).

Yes..It is a bhakti poem dedicated to Lord Shiva, but what is to be noted here is the way the poet has used the things in nature and of course his intelligent word play (the word ‘பொலி’ used in different contexts to give different meanings) which was literally a child’s play for him( as some of you may have known Thirugnanasambandar started composing poems since a very tender age).

He looks at the beautiful crescent moon which is peeping out from the dark rainy clouds. The moon looks like a sickle that slices through the dark clouds to land at the Hillock.

If one looks at it from a poetic angle, one can appreciate the description of the moon, clouds, hillock and the cow.

Philosophically speaking, one can say that the moon is our mind that wants to purify itself from the dark and filthy things (simile here: the dark clouds) to attain salvation. If one delves deeply, one can deduce that the poem talks about the harmony of nature.

Dark clouds, Moon, Hillock, Cow, Honey-all these exist in nature and though they have different qualities (some even contrasting) there is a perfect harmony or bonhomie between these natural elements.

If Samabandar did such magic with his words, ILaiyaraaja has been doing this with his music.We see the perfect harmony and bonhomie between the different instruments, between the different genres, between the singers …

The song of the day is a classic example of the bonhomie of the different contrasting sounds.It is ‘Aadai KoNdu Aadum’ from ‘KeLviyum Naane Badhilum Naane’ (1982) sung by Unni Menon and S.P.Shailaja.

The composition uses many modern western instruments including synthesizers to the accompaniment of Mirudangam, a traditional South Indian percussion instrument.

It is based on Dhenuka, a very classical raga.

Dhenuka is the 9th melakarta and its swaras are
sa ri1 ga2 ma1 pa dha1 ni3 Sa/Sa ni3 dha1 pa ma1 ga2 ri1 sa.

Scalewise, it is very close to Todi and it is the Sudhdhamadhyama counterpart of Subhapantuvarali, a raga known for pathos. Moreover, if the variant of ‘ri is changed, it becomes Keeravani and if the variant of ‘ga’ is changed, it becomes Mayamalavagowla.

But despite all these factors, Dhenuka does not resemble any of the aforementioned popular ragas and has a special identity of its own.

Let us now look at the composition.

The prelude itself is grand and is a forerunner to the musical edifice.

The air is resonant with the robust Mirudangam playing ‘Ta ka dhi mi’ with stress on the first and the third syllable. The scintillating piper moves reposefully. The synthesiser allies with the strings and we see a ravishing beauty. Enthused and energised, the flute sweeps us with a wave of excitement.

The Pallavi that starts in the higher octave has clusters of flowering phrases. The first line is dynamic, and the second line lilting. The last line gives us gliding aural images with the ‘Ta ka dhi mi tathomta’ dancing like a peacock.

The first interlude juxtaposes pace and the mood. First, the synthesizer moves with a gentle wave of vigour. The impeccable saxophone then takes over with a flourish.The short pauses and the ‘gumki’ of the Mirudangam breathe charm.Finally, the razor sharp stringed instruments and the Flute sustain the glory.

The CharaNams have insightful phrases.

The first part is benign while the second part shows us the beauty of the raga strata by strata.

The first two lines with the interweaving of instruments shine with emotive glints. The third line is fluent and exhaustive while the last line is simply mesmerising.

The composer weaves a beautiful soft fabric in the second interlude.
The Bass guitar splays the colours expansively with the Mirudangam brimming with exuberance. The guitar and the synthesizer that follow provide a serene edge evoking a totally different colour.

It is soft and sublime.

It is graceful.

It is meditative.

It is a chiaroscuro as the flute, and the other instruments join now.

It is a perfect harmony..

எழில் ராஜாங்கம் இசையே..அதன் ராஜாவும் அவரே..

He is the undisputed king of the beautiful Kingdom of Music..