ILaiyaraaja - The Virtuoso

Why is Kamban considered as a genius?

After all, he ‘retold’ what was already written centuries ago in Sanskrit. Moreover, it is just a mythology about a form of God who is believed to have taken an incarnation as a human.  And did the poet not indulge in eroticism too?

Well, I am not going to get into these and many other points put forth by the so called rationalists to ‘prove’ that Kamban was just an ordinary poet. But what I can do it to quote just one of his verses and try and explain it. One can draw their own conclusions after that.

This sequence is well known. Soorpanaka, the sister of RavaNa sees that handsome man called Rama in the forest. Well aware and conscious of her (non- existent) beauty, she decides to take a form of a beautiful woman.

This is how the poet describes her:

பஞ்சிஒளிர் விஞ்சுகுளிர் பல்லவம் அனுங்க

செஞ்செவிய கஞ்சம் நிகர் சீறடியள் ஆகி

அஞ்சொலிள மஞ்சை என அன்னம் என மின்னும்

வஞ்சி என நஞ்சம் என வஞ்ச மகள் வந்தாள்.

Glossy hands in lustrous red, feet like the dark coloured lotus, body like a cool creeper, uttering words like a sweet-talking peacock, moving like a swan, here she comes, that loathly lady full of venom.

This is just the literal meaning. However, there is more to this poem than meets the eye and I am not talking just about the mention of the artificial red and the ‘sweet-talking peacock’.

People familiar with the language of Tamizh must have noticed the ubiquitous occurrence of the letter ‘ஞ்’ (pronounced as ‘inj’). For the benefit of non-tamizh people(and of course tamizh people too), I am rendering the poem now:

                   

                 

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Hope you have all noticed as to how that particular letter gives that nasal tone. Now, people who know the story of RamayaNa know that LakshmaNa cut off Surpanaka’s nose after her ‘proposal’ first to Rama and then to him. The brilliant poet suggests this even as she walks towards them. Moreover, ‘nasal tone’ is generally considered to be artificial. So, he symbolically shows her artificiality using that letter, which is part of the mellinam group in mei ezhuththukaL.

Isn’t this why Kamban is considered as a genius?

Time and again ILaiyaraaja too has hidden such intricacies in his music. His use of ragas is well known and one gets to see too many lists (sorry to say, many are wrong) of the ragas used by him. But as I have repeatedly been saying in many forums, the name of the raga is not as important as the way it has been used. In any case, my focus today is not on this, but on his brilliant use of a very rare raga in a romantic song.

By definition, the word ‘rare’ is too deceptive. The reason is because of the subjectivity factor. For example, recently while I was watching a live performance of a carnatic singer on You Tube, there was a volley of comments-not unexpectedly- and somebody mentioned about a particular ‘Javali’ being very rare. But this ‘javali’ is often performed in a Bharatanatyam recital. Therefore, ‘rarity’ depends on the context and the level of exposure of a particular person.

However, at the same time, ragas/pieces which are generally not heard or which are heard for the first time by a majority should definitely be classified under ‘rare’. ILaiyaraaja has used the most number of such rare ragas as far as I know in film music. Many examples have been quoted in this blog itself.

What makes the song ‘Nilladha VeNNila’ from ‘AaNazhagan’(1995) unique is not just that the raga is very rare but also the fact that it is a vivaadi raga. The concept of vivaadi has been discussed in the past in this blog and therefore I am not going to explain in detail again, at least in this post. Suffice to say that vivaadi means dissonance(as opposed to vaadi, which means consonance) and the use of vivaadi notes gives a kind of intriguing and even a mystical feeling.

The song under reference follows a pattern whose arohaNam and avarohaNam are – sa ri3 ga3 ma1 dha1 ni2 Sa/Sa ni2 dha1 ma1 ga3 ri3 sa. As per the raga text, this raga is called as ‘Swara Vardhini’ and is derived from the 32^nd Mela Ragavardhani. In fact, this is Ragavardhani sans the panchamam(pa). I am not aware of any other musician (classical and films) having used this raga.

To use such a vivaadi raga in a purely romantic situation calls for gumption, courage of conviction, and a firm grip over classical music. And yes, a genius mind!

This genius mind is seen not just in the use of the very rare raga but also in the use of percussion and we shall see this soon.

The prelude looks like a shirred fabric. The guitar rustles. One set of strings plays softly while the second set responds with intensity. Even as the second set responds, the third set plays delicately. Now, all the three join together playing different set of notes without in anyway sounding cacophonic. And yes, the vivaadi note ‘ri3’ is perceptible too but there is no dissonance here!

The Pallavi in the magnetic voice of the Maestro moves with poise and dignity showing some beauteous light and shades of the seldom heard raga. Swarnalatha follows and repeats the line in her own style. What makes the Pallavi more attractive is the use of the guitar-like instruments which sound off-beat literally and figuratively.

The purity of the first interlude is striking. It starts with the lucid long flute whose melody goes deep into our heart. The carnatic flute responds and it is like a luminous spiritual arc. The Shehnai pours its heart out with the melody moving with fluidity. The brilliant aspect here is that the vivaadi notes is totally avoided by the Shehnai giving a feel of Malkauns(hindolam)in the uttaraanga(ma dha ni Sa). The backing of bass guitar and a couple of very subtle instruments gives a totally different feel. So does the melody from the strings-first in the mid-octave and then in the higher octave. Doesn’t this give a WCM effect?

The short flute smirks and leads us to the first CharaNam.

Sometime back, I mentioned about one more speciality. It is time to reveal that now. Right from the prelude, through the Pallavi and the first interlude, the percussion is totally absent though the composition follows the tisram pattern!

I can hardly think of any other composition in this format.

Now, as if to compensate for the absence, there are two sets of  percussion with one set playing the 6^th beat with ebullience and then splitting the first beat of the next cycle into 2 and playing the following beats with passion. This pattern is repeated alternately.

Both the sets play all the three beats in the last line.

The lines in the CharaNams also bring the creative instincts to the surface with the judicious use of the vivaadi note gelling so well with the other notes resulting in a heady mix of intrigue and sobriety.

Creativity and innovation are seen yet again towards the end of the first CharaNam when the Pallavi is rendered again. The percussion takes a break and the vocals are backed by the pizzicato and the bowing sound and thus touching ecstatic realms of music.

The pizzicato continues in the second interlude and is joined by the bass guitar even as another group of strings plays with power and majesty showing some varied hues of the raga. The brass flute enters at the end of the piece changing the complexion. The strings then move in western classical style with another piercing instrument intruding and playing a different melody parallely. It is a kind of maze even as the two melodies scintillate and sparkle. A sudden stroke from a very different instrument towards the end says it all..

Isn’t it like the letter tamizh letter ‘ஞ்’?

Why is Kamban a genius?

Why is ILaiyaraaja a genius?

Answers lie within us!

                   

                 

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ILaiyaraaja- The Perceptive Musician

That young and beautiful girl sees that man from the balcony and instantly falls for him. That man along with his brother and a sage, looks at her too and disappears Somewhere deep inside she feels she knows him for eons.. She rushes back inside and falls on her bed. Tormented by the thoughts of the man, she is unable to move, unable to talk, unable to sleep. She sweats. Looking at her condition, her friends start fanning her.

Let me stop here for a minute, introduce the girl, the man and most importantly, the poet and then continue.

The girl’s name is Sita, the man- Rama and the poet, Kamban.

This sequence is of course very familiar to many but what may not be familiar(or known) is the fact that in Valmiki’s Ramayana, Sita sees Rama for the first time only during the swayamvara when Rama breaks the Bow. But the great innovator that he is, Kamban adds a lot of imagination to the sequence in Bala KANdam to make it more romantic. Not only is it romantic but is aesthetic too and is a treat for all lovers of poetry in general. In fact, much later, AruNaachala Kaviraayar followed the footsteps of Kamban and incorporated the same sequences in his Rama Nataka kritis. Who can forget the most popular ‘Yaaro ivar yaaro’ in Bhairavi?

Going back to Kamban and his verse, let us see how he describes Sita now.

She is burning inside. Her friends ‘fan’ her to make her cool. Now, the fan rather than cooling her down, spreads the fire (recall what happens in a Hindu ceremony where a agni kuNda is kept and the pundits fan the smoking wood to make it burn intensely!). Her garland burns. Her ornaments burn. And she melts. It seemed as though a golden statue was melting.

அருகில் நின்று அசைக்கின்ற ஆல வட்டக்கால்

எரியினை மிகுத்திட, இழையும் மாலையும்

கரிகுவ, தீகுவ, கனல்வ காட்டலால்,

உருகு பொற்பாவையும் ஒத்துத் தோன்றினாள்.

We feel the smoldering heat in the first 3 lines. The last line is like a snow fall- a sudden one at that. This is one of those poems where the contrast appears only in the last line and that alone is enough to make it shine with beauty.

But apart from the decorative poetic words, where Kamban excels is in the art of understanding his characters. A poet (or for that matter any writer) of course understands his characters well. After all it is he/she who creates the characters. But geniuses like Kamban make the readers ‘feel’ the character and situation as if it happens to them. This is because such geniuses get into the skin of the character as they say! The result ? Ecstasy for connoisseurs!!

The same logic applies to ILaiyaraaja. The reason for his songs sounding so beautiful is because he understands the situation (at times even better than the director. That is why, the picturisation doesn’t match the quality of the songs) so well, assimilates everything and then gives the tune and writes the notes for orchestra.

On this special day, let us see a composition which is very different and even be called as outlandish. Generally, we the listeners expect a duet song to be peppy. We love the beats. We love the steps. In a kind of fantasy mood, we even tend to substitute the hero/heroine with us. Imaginations are always wild you see..

For geniuses too, imaginations are wild but the difference is that while our imaginations are mish-mash, that of the geniuses are beautiful. We saw Kamban’s imagination which was running wild in the first three lines and suddenly changed track. In a similar vein, the song we are seeing today has a very different beginning. It does change track soon, but what makes it a composition par excellence is something else.

Viraha runs as an undercurrent throughout ‘Unnai Edhirpaarththen’ from ‘Vanaja Girija(1994). Such songs can be peppy too. But the composer chose to make it as sober as possible with the result that it leaves us in a state of calmness. We feel the calmness not just while listening to the song but long after it stops playing.

The choice of the raga is interesting too. Madhukauns is a simple audav(pentatonic) raga in Hindustani Music. Surprisingly enough, despite it being the pratimadhyama counterpart of Suddha Dhanyasi-which is a popular raga in Carnatic Music- this raga has been more widely used in Hindustani Music than in Carnatic Music. It goes by the name Sumanesa Ranjani in Carnatic Music and there are very few compositions, these too composed in the latter half of the 20^th Century. In film music, only Raaja sir has used it more prolifically.

Yet another different feature of ‘Unnai Edhirpaarththen’ is that the male voice (SPB) appears only in the second CharaNam and continues till the end.. The female voice (Swarnalatha)sings the Pallavi and the first CharaNam and does not appear at all again. Unique indeed! Probably we can call it as two solos in one song!! But again, the ubiquitous chorus which is superimposed on both the male and the female voices stop us from saying so. Without a doubt, a new genre.

If one listens to the first part of the prelude, he/she can be excused for believing that it is an eerie song, probably sung by a ghost. We hear the sound of the breeze first and this is followed by a sustained sound of the keys and a humming. The latter is backed by the rhythm guitar but still the thought of the ghost lingers in our minds. It is the stringed instrument- which sounds like a cross between a mandolin and a guitar- which brings us to the mortal world. The fading effect before the Pallavi is exciting and enticing too.

The Pallavi is sensitive and elegant and has a mesmeric quality. While the suppleness is not a thing which can be easily missed, what should not be missed is the rhythmic pattern. There are two sets of-one giving a very subtle sound and the other, a soft ‘whip like’ sound. The 4- beat chatushram cycle is divided as

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

(4                 /4                  /3          /3           /2)

But the percussion plays only the first syllable in the first part, the first and the third in the second part, leaves the entire third part blank, plays the first and second syllable in the fourth part and leaves the last one blank.

This ‘kaarvai’ has the desired effect in the composition and our heart beats too are in sync with these beats.

This pattern is maintained throughout except in some phases and we shall see that soon.

Another aspect of the composition is the chorus which backs the vocals humming different sets of notes. Of course, the instruments too back the vocals almost throughout the composition. All these take us to a dreamy world.

That this composer has an instinct to stratify different melodies is a known fact. In this composition, this is done so beautifully that it is like a façade of tranquility and peace. Musical architecture!

With felicitous fluidity, the strings move along with the other special stringed instrument in the first interlude. The keys give a smiling repartee. The chorus takes over and the ever-romantic recorder joins now playing in its usual shrill tone. The bass guitar and the rhythm guitar too show up now and then. A musical treat to be savoured gently without any interruption.

The lines in the CharaNams are etched with musical motifs and at the same time, are contemplative. These too create some special moments of solitude. Technically speaking, the prati madhyma(ma2) is used as a metaphor for viraha and this shows the brilliance of the composer(yet again).

The second interlude is a blend of delicacy and dexterity. The strings sound with regality. After a brief pause, the second set of strings replies gracefully. The tabla tarang enters now and sounds ‘ta ki ta/ ta ki ta/ ta ka’. Note that the percussion which has been there consistently from the Pallavi playing the pattern described earlier, is silent here. The interplay between the two sets of strings and the tabla tarang continues for 2 cycles.  The strings then repeat the same melody and this time the original two sets of percussion return with their pattern. The recorder plays a different melody even as the strings move. The chorus hums in lower octave with the stringed instrument playing the same melody played by the strings. It bubbles with emotional ripples.

Are we already melting like the Golden Sita?

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