ILaiyaraaja- The Tender-Hearted Musician

Quite often we come across terms like- ‘it touched my heart’ ‘oh, it was a moving rendition’, ‘melting..’, ‘heartwarming’, ‘soul stirring’..

What makes one say all these? Is it because of their emotional quotient? Is it because of their sensibility? Is it because of their aesthetic sense? Or is it simply because of their predisposition to certain things?

Before I go further, let me tell you that the fact that we human beings are guided by our emotions cannot be refuted or denied. What makes us more emotional and what makes us less emotional or even what makes us emotionless (!) depend on various factors. At times, it is ingrained in our DNA. At times, our environment and our upbringing influence this. At times, what we read, what we see and what we listen to and what we have experienced so far have an impact on this. Many a times, it is a combination of all these.

That is why, what appeals to one may not appeal to somebody else. After all, didn’t the Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius say ‘what is food for one man may be bitter poison to others’ as early as 1^st Century BC? Is it then true that everything in this world is relative and subjective? If yes, is there nothing like ‘refined tastes’ and ‘sophistication’ in this world?

Any great work of art has the capacity to ‘move’ us. But again, if we do not find anything great in a work considered to be great by many, is it the problem with us or is it with the work? Or worse still, is it the problem with the majority?

Point to ponder..

In my view (and this itself sounds subjective!), if a work touches our heart, makes us emotional in a genuine way and also makes us explain as to why we are moved by it, then it is a great work.

Rather than elaborating this, let me quote a poem from the Sangam literature:

 நின்ற சொல்லர் நீடு தோறு இனியர்
என்றும் என் தோள் பிரிபு அறியலரே;
தாமரைத் தண் தாது ஊதி, மீமிசைச்
சாந்தில் தொடுத்த தீம் தேன் போல,
புரைய மன்ற, புரையோர் கேண்மை;
நீர் இன்று அமையா உலகம் போலத்
தம் இன்று அமையா நம் நயந்தருளி
நறு நுதல் பசத்தல் அஞ்சிச்
சிறுமை உறுபவோ? செய்பு அறியலரே!

Here is a girl who talks about her man to her friend who says he might go away very soon.

Says she,

Sweet in nature, he keeps his words always. Never does he leave my shoulders. His Love is as great as the honey from the cool pollen of the lotus kept on top of the sandal tree. The world cannot exist without water. I cannot exist without him. Can he even think of afflicting my fragrant forehead with green sickness? No, he can’t even imagine doing this!

This of course is a loose translation and I have tried my best to give the essence. The poem is replete with symbolism, allegories and similes. Take the one related to the lotus pollen for example. Lotus flower as such is known for balance, calmness and for its sense of duty. By specifically mentioning lotus and not just saying any flower in general, the poet emphasises the character of the man (of course as seen through the eyes of the girl). The pollen is symbolic of his heart, the sandal wood indicates the girl’s heart and the honey is their love. The symbolism of water and the world is of course too obvious to be explained (in fact, later on, ThiruvaLLuvar adapted the line in one of his kuRaLs).

But what defines the poem and moves me or touches my heart is the last line where the girl says ‘can he think of doing this to me?No, he doesn’t even know how to do it’. One sees the love of the girl, her unshakable trust in him and most importantly her innocence in these four words, making one even wonder as to what happened after that.

Did he go away? Did she cry? Did he come back?  

This is what a great work can do to us. Not only does it make us appreciate the beauty but it also melts our hearts. Of course, it makes us raise some questions which remain unanswered.

That poem was written by Kabilar more than 2500 years ago and is part of ‘NatRiNai’, one of the works during the sangam era.

It is not that only poetic works and that too composed two millenniums ago, move my heart. Many contemporary works -and not necessarily poems- too melt my heart. The musical composition I am taking up today is one such work.

In fact, there are many reasons for me to be moved by ‘Yenaadu vidiponi mudivesene’ from ‘Sri Kanakamahalakshmi Dance Troupe’(1987).  First of all, it is based on Ahir Bhairav. Next, it is set to the 5-beat Khandam. Then, it is the magnificent (should I say soul-stirring?) rendering by Janaki and SPB(see for yourself as to how different the latter sounds). Of course, how can I leave out the brilliant, thoughtful and spontaneous orchestration?

Let me first say a few words about the raag. As the name suggests, Ahir Bhairav is a Hindustani raag. Though some (or even many) call it as the counterpart of the Carnatic raga ChakravAgam, the fact is that the two raagas differ in the way of rendering. There are some prayogas in Ahir Bhairavi which give it a distinction. For example, the ‘ga ma ri sa’ and ‘ga ma pa ma ri ri sa’ are used frequently in this raag. Moreover, the vaadi swar(the strongest note) is ‘ma’ and the samvaadi(strong though not the strongest) is ‘sa’. The rishabh(‘re’ or ‘ri’) is made to oscillate while the ‘dhaivat’ (dha) is plain.

This grammar is followed in most of the places in ‘Yenaadu..’

I mentioned about the taaLa and that the composition is set to khandam. Generally, khandam is used in dance for aggression especially in mel kaalam. But this taaLa when used in the keezh kAlam gives an amazing feel and I cannot think of any film music composer other than ILaiyaraaja for effectively using this taaLa like this.

Can we now look at the other aspects too of the composition?

The composition starts rather very differently with the sound of the breeze and the chirping of the birds.  A brief humming of Janaki to the backing of a subtle violin and the bass guitar leads us to the Pallavi. No, there is something before that. The humming itself follows khandam (4 cycles) though there is no percussion. The humming stops and the percussion sounds now with a unique sharpness.  In fact, there are two sets- bell sound and the tabla, with the former sounding all the 5 syllables ta ka/ ta ki ta and the latter sounding the first, third, fourth and the fifth in the first cycle and only the last three in the next cycle. Coming to think of it, the prelude itself underlines the emotional base of the composition.

The Pallavi is captivating and brims with beauty. The emotional overtones in the second and the third lines cannot be missed. Generally in his compositions, the instruments in the Pallavi or in the CharaNams either play after each line (at times after each phrase or after a couple of phrases) or along with the vocals( bass guitar for example). But these bits will play different sets of notes. In ‘Yenaadu..’, the violin which backs the vocals, plays the same notes as that of the vocals. This is somewhat unique.

The first interlude is different too. The swaras rendered at a leisurely pace give perceptive insights into the raag. The sustenance at the shadjam for two cycles is meditative while the swaras that follow-with the flute and the guitar nodding their heads- heighten the experience. So tranquil is the atmosphere that even the percussion decides to remain silent. The profoundly pleasant sitar follows now with the percussion entering slowly and the flute and the guitar nodding again. Janaki now renders swaras again-this time to the backing of percussion- and the sarod repeats the swaras with passion. But what happens after this is stupendous. The bass flute glows with iridescence and after a while it is silence for one cycle followed by the guitar which plays the descending notes.  Isn’t this mesmerising?

His classical compositions are enchanting not so much in the way he sheds light on its beauty as on how that aesthetic beauty evolves in his hands. This composition is a classic example. If he gives the sketch of the raag in the Pallavi and an insight into the raag in the first interlude, he expands the raag in the CharaNams with emotions being the bedrock.  All the three parts of the CharaNams are evocative and provoke the deep seated emotions hidden somewhere inside the heart. Musically too it is elevating with the sympathetic strings appearing after the first, second, third and the fourth lines. The backing of the tabla and the way it plays khandam gives a ghazal feel.

We see the percussive flashes and the playful Laya Raaja in the second interlude. The mridangam sounds ‘ta ka’ and a very different instrument sounding like a moving bell replies ‘ta ki ta ta ka/ta ki ta. 2 cycles of khandam shown very differently and this happens 4 times. A unique bass sound now emanates (probably from a bamboo flute) and plays a kind of infatuated melody with the jaalra alone backing it. The latter in fact plays only the third syllable(ta) leaving others blank. Now, even as this bass sound continues charting a melodic path, there is a call and response between the sitar and the guitar first and between the flute and the guitar next. Finally, the sitar plays a slithering coruscating melody with the resonant bass guitar backing it. The guitar replies. The sitar plays again and then they join together.

Moving.. Stirring..Heartwarming..

Is it or is it not? Or is it just my perception and feeling?

You tell me..

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ILaiyaraaja- The Cosmic Musician..

It is without a form; and yet many forms are part of it. It does not move; and yet a lot of movements happen on it. There is nothing in it; and yet everything is on it.

What is that?

Well, before we find an answer, let us look at this Tamizh verse:

வாளவரி கோளபுலி கீளதுரி
               தாளின் மிசை நாளும் மகிழ்வர்
ஆளுமவர் வேள் அநகர் போள் அயில
               கோள களிறாளி வர வில்
தோளமரர் தாள மதர் கூளி எழ
               மீளி மிளிர்தூளி வளர்பொன்
காளமுகில் மூளுமிருள் கீள விரி

            தாள கயிலாய மலையே.

How does this poem sound to you? What are the things that strike you the most?

Rhythm? Metre? Sweetness? Tamizh? Beauty?

Beyond all these, there is something else also. But let us first see the meaning of this verse:

‘The one who wears the skin of the tiger which has bright lines; The one who is always blissful; The one who blesses people; The one who is blemish less; The one who killed the elephant which had huge tusks; The one who carries a powerful bow on his shoulders; The one who dances to the rhythm of the Bhootas; the one who smears His body with the shining white ash; the one who resides on the Mountain whose white golden rays dispel the darkness caused by the clouds.’

Sounding rather simple now. Or does it?

Look at the contrasts. ‘Tiger’ and ‘Elephant’; ‘One who blesses’ and ‘One who killed’; ‘Darkness and ‘Shining light’(note that the words indicating ‘shining’ appear thrice in the poem).

Apart from these contrasts, what should not be and cannot be missed is the fact that the Dance of Shiva is mentioned in the middle part-that is the 4^th line- of the poem.

This verse was written by one of the greatest Tamizh poets Thirugnansambandhar.

Now, let us go back to the riddle asked in the beginning. The answer is ‘the cosmos’. The verse also indicates the same.

How?

It is a well-known fact that the cosmos comprises of atoms. Electrons, Neutrons and Protons revolve around the nucleus which is at the centre of an atom. The Dance of Shiva indicates this only. I must mention a couple of things here. Shiva and the concept of Nataraja go beyond any religion. These are symbols and my effort here is to try and explain the symbolism and place the scientific facts. There is absolutely no religion involved here. Atheists, agnostics and people practising different faiths can look at this from the science angle.

So what does the Nataraja symbol tell us?

The circular flame surrounding the icon represents the Universe, the consciousness and the cycle of birth and death. The four arms represent the 4 directions. The ‘damaru’ on the upper right hand symbolises the sound from Creation and also Time. The agni on the upper left hand is symbolic of Destruction. The lower right hand showing the ‘abhaya mudra’ indicates blessing. The lower left hand is held across the chest like a trunk of an elephant and this symbolises liberation from ignorance. Snakes that uncoil from his head, arms and legs are symbolic of the Ego while the snake which is tied to his waist indicates the KuNdalini Shakti. The dwarf under his right foot represents the confusion, forgetfulness and the ignorance. Note that it is bound to the Earth. While the right foot represents the victory over ignorance, the raised left leg represents the grace and the upliftment of the soul. The icon rests on a lotus pedestal which is the symbol of the creative forces of the Universe. Inner peace-that is the lotus- countered by aggression-which is the Vigorous dance.

This is what this dance-which is also called as the cosmic dance- signifies.

Now read the verse, think of the atoms, the Universe and then look at the Nataraja icon. You can correlate the three.

Each and every particle in the cosmos is interconnected as they are made of atoms. This is the reason for something called Telepathy. This happens when two souls are in the same frequency.

Music is also a group of atoms. In some of my previous special posts, I had mentioned that it is music which makes even agnostics and atheists realise the divine. Music is omnipresent in the Universe. However, only some humans are able to get and give the right combination of atoms. When this happens, melody multiplies. Others tuned to this frequency get attracted to it; make them forget themselves. One such human who does this spontaneously is ILaiyaraaja. That is why, his music makes many happy. We laugh, cry, dance and sing.

The special song of the day too is one such composition.

‘Nataraazu nayanaala jeevinsaga’ from the film Aalapana (1986) is yet another special composition which unravels the mystique of raga and taaLa. The Maestro has brilliantly tuned it in Dharmavati, a raga known for its spiritual powers.

Let us now try and look at the hidden beauties of the composition.

It is a stately setting with the drone of the tanpoora surrounding us for 6 seconds. These 6 meditative seconds prepare us for the divine shower which follows.

The prelude is interesting and is different too. It starts with a viruththam rendered by SPB in a voice laden with devotion. It talks about the all pervasiveness of the divine force and finally about the Naatya.We see the contours of Dharmavati in the last phrase ‘Naatyaatma’. As if taking a cue from that word, natya jatis start flowing now.

These jatis are not only classical but also symbolise something.

The first half of the first two aavartanaas is in ‘keezh kaalam’, the next half and the third aavartanaa are in the next kaalam and the last one is in the third kaalam. Doesn’t this signify the ‘Tri kaalam’ and also the ‘Three eyes’?

Let us now see as to how the Laya Natana Raaja has divided the syllables.

In the first two aavartanaas, 16 is divided as 3, 3, 3,1, 2, 2, 2(the second half is taken as keezh kaalam and therefore the total maatras of that part is divided by 2).

In the third one, it is divided as 4, 3, 5, 4 for one half (note that in literal terms it is in vilomam  and has one misram and one sankeerNam). The total count in this kaalam is 32.

The last one goes as 3, 3, 3, 4/ 3, 3, 3, 4 but as it goes in the highest speed, the total is 64.

The raga now starts dancing with the repetitive jatis- ‘ta dhi ta ri ki ta thom ki ta nam ki ta’ as the jatis are superimposed on the akaaram. After a while, swaras ascend in groups of three and finally descend even as the jatis continue .In fact it is an ascent to heaven.

It ends with ‘taaam-‘ in the last half avartanaa and the Pallavi starts.

The short Pallavi glimmers with beauty showing the graces of the raga. The sound of the bell at the end of each line makes the experience more divine.

The jatis appear again with the violins responding briefly to each group of syllables. In the first avartanaa, the jatis appear for 8 micro- beats followed by the violins. This happens twice. In the second avartanaa, the jatis go as 6 micro-beats and the violin is played for 2 micro-beats. This happens thrice and then the last jati has 8 micro-beats. The violins take over playing some melodic phrases. A touch of poignancy is added with another group of violins joining and showing some very different dimensions of the raga.

 The twin- veena joins to the backing of tabla tarang and shows illuminating facets of Dharmavati.The violin group which appears very briefly  at the end of each avartanaa, plays ‘ta ri ki ta taam’ melodically at the end of the interlude and leads us to the first CharaNam.

The CharaNam has sequentially interesting phrases. The first part has depth and sensitivity while the second part which starts with ‘gada seema’ picks up pace. The akaaram for half avartanaa is beauty personified. The last part moves with a sense of purpose finally culminating in ‘tadheengiNathom’.

The first half of the second interlude sees the dialogue between the violins and a host of percussion instruments. It also shows the versatility of the composer. The violins sound for 2 beats and the percussion group replies in the next 2 beats..This pattern repeats in the next half avartanaa. The violins then sound for one beat, a group of percussion for two beats and yet another percussion for one beat. After one avartanaa, the violins and the percussion alternate for each beat. The two finally merge. 

It is the merger of creativity and expertise.

The solo violin then gives slices of silkneness with the flute repeating the nuances caressingly. The two join together giving classically delicious music. It is then the turn of the tarangams with the jalatarangam and tabla tarang glimmering with beauty.

A unique pattern follows then. The jatis are rendered and each line is followed by description of Nataraja. Feelingly expressed by SPB , this entire segment resonates and takes us to spiritual heights. The composition takes a breezy complexion with the violins and the percussion moving with ferocity. After 2 avartanaas, the jatis take over again but this time these are ‘magaNa jham’ ‘ragaNa jham’, which are classical jatis mentioned in the ancient texts. The patterns ooze with passion, are stoic and sturdy and are regal.

At the end of the jatis, the gait changes to khandam with the higher octave violins and the resonant percussion dancing with intensity. SPB continues in khandam but this time the invocation is on Durga as if to indicate ardhanareeswara. The violins then continue the dance with percussion underpinnings and we reach empyrean heights.

Logical transcendence which defies logic..

Yes, that is what is cosmic dance all about!

PS: This post and the previous post in Tamizh were read out to an invited audience on the 9th of August 2015 as part of an Event dedicated to ILaiyaraaja. Incidentally, this post happens to be the 150th post in this blog!

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ILaiyaraaja- The Ingenious Musician

Are creativity and inventiveness mutually inclusive?

They are not mutually exclusive surely, but is it true that all creative people are inventive as well?

Sometime back, I described the differences between creativity and innovation. Let us now see all the three together.

Creativity is seeing what everyone sees and thinking what no one else has thought before. Invention is putting these thoughts into tangible ideas. Innovation is introducing these ideas to others by different means.

All genuine artistes are creative. But are they inventive too? Isn’t inventiveness a trait of a select few?

Being creative does not necessarily mean being inventive or innovative. On the other hand, to be inventive or innovative, one necessarily has to be creative. A person having all the three in abundance is a great artiste. These three in fact very well apply to management as well and I used the word ‘artiste’ because management is an art.

Now, having these in abundance is one thing. But having these in equal proportions (though these are not tangible and one cannot measure these) is the mark of a genius. Not many can boast of this though.

Bharati was one such genius. If his poetic ability came to him almost naturally, he had the uncanny knack of channelising it and also presenting it. To start with, he simplified poetic Tamizh so that even a common man could understand it. Then, he composed poems in a wide variety of subjects presenting these very differently and in the process gave a new dimension to each and every subject.

As an example, let us take his ‘KaNNan Paattu’. Until then, Aazhwars have had treated KaNNan as their child, guru, lover and god. As ‘lover’ they considered KaNNan as male only and they assumed the role of a ‘nayika’(AandaL anyway was a girl but others like Nammazhwar and Thirumangaiyaazhwar considered themselves as a Heroine pining for the Lord).

Bharati considered KaNNan as his friend, his mother, his father, his servant, his king, his disciple, his guru, his child and his lover. The last two mentioned needs special attention. The child was a girl child –KaNNamma- and the ‘Lover’ was KaNNan first and then ‘KaNNamma’-the female version of KaNNan.

Now, tell me if any poet had thought like this before?

Not only did he think differently but also presented it differently and beautifully.

I am just giving a sample here - some lines from one his very popular KaNNamma poems:

வெண்ணிலவு நீ எனக்கு, மேவு கடல் நான் உனக்கு;

பண்ணு சுதி நீ எனக்கு,பாட்டினிமை நான் உனக்கு; 

வீசுகமழ் நீ எனக்கு, விரியும் மலர் நான் உனக்கு;

பேசுபொருள் நீ எனக்கு, பேணும் மொழி நான் உனக்கு; 

காத‌ல‌டி நீ என‌க்கு, காந்த‌ம‌டி நான் உன‌க்கு;

வேதமடி நீ எனக்கு வித்தையடி நான் உனக்கு; 

‘You are my Moon, I am your Sea.

You are my Shruti, I am your melody.

You are my fragrance, I am your blossoming flower.

You are my speech, I am your language.

You are my love, I am your magnet.

You are my Vedas, I am your art.’

Can love get better than this? Can a poem be more beautiful than this?

I doubt!           

We have been seeing as to how another genius by name ILaiyaraaja has been enthralling us with his magnificent compositions that shine with creativity, sparkle with inventiveness and smile with innovation. Like Bharati who simplified poetic Tamizh, ILaiyaraaja simplified classical music so that it reached even the common man. But it was done without in anyway compromising on the classicism or the quality of music. That is why, Tamizh writer Jayakanthan, who passed away recently remarked in his documentary that ‘We all respect ILaiyaraaja because he made classical music accessible to all. In a way, Raaja is a socialist’.

This ‘simplified music’ has a lot of complex intricacies too and that is where the inventiveness and innovation come into play.

The song of the day ‘Kalise prati sandhyalo..’ from the Telugu film ‘Aalapana’(1986) is another perfect example. Based on the classical raga Mayamalavagowla, the composition n gives the essence of the raga and also shows its deep beauteous shades in a matter of 4 and a quarter minutes. Apart from inventing new designs in orchestration and presenting the designs innovatively, he has also played with the Laya in his inimitable style keeping the tradition alive.

The composition starts directly without a prelude and this itself has its own attraction. The Pallavi is beautifully structured with the coaxingly gentle voices of SPB and Janaki taking us to a different plane. There are many significant features in the Pallavi itself.

1. The Vocals sing the first phrase ‘kalise’ for one beat and then the instrument play for the next 3 beats. The next phrase ‘Prati Sandhyalo’ is sung for 2 beats and this is again followed by the instrument. That is, in the Adi taaLa cycle, ‘Kalise’ is sung in the first thattu in samam, ‘prati sandhyalo’ is sung in the first veecchu. This happens twice with the next phrases ‘kalige’ and ‘pulakintalo’ following the same pattern. The lines that follow are sung continuously up to the first veechchu (6 beats) with the last veecchu being taken over by the instruments.

2. The instrument-Keys made to sound almost like a Flute- that back the Vocals in the first four lines, go on the ascent (arohaNam) in the first instance and then come down descending (avarohaNam) in the next phrase. A very subtle Violin plays along with the Vocals in the next line ‘Naatyaalanni’ and a special sound from the Keys touches some unique sancharas in Mayamalavagowla. All along, one hears a constant bell sound too.

3.The Mridangam that accompanies plays the chatushram ‘ta ka dhi mi’ as ‘ta – dhi mi’ four times and a second Mridangam appears in the fourth ‘ta ka dhi mi’ sounding the ‘ta’ and ‘dhi’ only with a special resonant sound. The constant ‘Chaapu’ sound enhances the experience.

The First Interlude begins and ends with Laya Vinyasa, albeit with two totally different sets of patterns.

The Mridangam and Tabla move with salutary greatness and go as  5, 5, 5, 3, 3, 6, 5 in the first aavartana and then go as 5, 5, 5, 3 3, 6 in the second aavartana. The last 5 is played by the VeeNa and the Sitar. Innovatively inventive!

The combination of VeeNa and the Sitar is another beauty here as both weave tassels of swaras for the next two aavartanas. The Flute takes over and plays with felicitous fluidity for the next two aavartanas.The Santoor intercepts after every 3 beats in the first cycle and the Sitar-VeeNa combination intercepts at the same interval in the next cycle. The beauty here is that each time a different set of swaras is played showing the depth of creativity of the composer.

The second part of the Laya Vinyaasa follows now.

The Mridangam first plays a yati. Yati is a structure with arrangement of aksharaas/syllables in a specific pattern. Here it goes in the ascending order as 4, 4, 5, 7. This yati is called as the Srotas Yati. It then follows 6, 4, 5, 5, 5, 4, 5, 5, 5. A total of 64 in two cycles but following very different patterns.

The innovation continues in the CharaNam though in a different way. The first segment has Janaki singing the ‘akaaram’ for two beats after each line with each ‘akaaram’ being different.

In the next segment, the Flute plays after each line-yet again different sets of swaras.

One hears the Mridangam alone in the next segment while the last segment has the akaaram alone- first by Janaki for half aavartana followed by SPB and Janaki in the next half aavartana and need I say two different akaarams sung in perfect harmony?

The Second Interlude sees some beautiful harmonic progression. The VeeNa first glides gracefully. The succulent Sitar joins in the next aavartana. Even as this is on, the Flute joins and plays exactly the same swaras played by the VeeNa. The Santoor joins after half-aavartana and plays the swaras played by the Sitar. Like a silent observer and a karma-yogi, the ankle-bell keeps backing all the instruments throughout the interlude.  

A collage of melody indeed!

The VeeNa and Sitar continue to show the resplendent shades of the raga with vigour and vibrancy with the immaculate Flute interjecting now and then. Finally, the three join together, weave a small ‘teermaanam’ akin to the one done towards the end of a swara-singing segment in a Carnatic Music Concert.

Creativity, Innovation and Inventiveness in abundance and in right proportions..drenching us with classical melody.

Do we need anything more?



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