ILaiyaraaja – The Heterogeneous Musician

 

Similar and Dissimilar!

Similarly Dissimilar!!

Can opposites co-exist?

Though this might sound absurd to some, it is this coexistence which gives that beauty to Nature and Life. When I say Nature and Life, does this not mean Poetry and Music or for that matter, any art form? Doesn’t this factor known better as ‘contrast’ give that sense of aesthetics? Doesn’t it give us feelings so profound that we search for words or even fall quiet, with this state itself elevating us to a level which at best can be called ‘spiritual’?

One of the classic example is this verse:

புள்ளது ஆகி வேதம் நான்கும் ஓதினாய், அது அன்றியும்

புள்ளின் வாய் பிளந்து புட்கொடிப் பிடித்த பின்னரும்,

புள்ளை ஊர்தி; ஆதலால் அது என் கொல் மின் கொள் நேமியாய்

புள்ளின் மெய்ப் பகைக் கடல் கிட த்தல் காதலித்ததே?

Raja4376 · Thirucchanda Viruttham

Taken from a work called ‘Thirucchanda Viruttam’ which is part of the Magnum Opus -Naalaayira Divya Prabandham-, this verse composed by Thirumazhisai Aazhwar talks about birds.

Just birds?

Let us get deeper. Addressed to Vishnu, the poet says – You took the form of a bird (swan) and recited the 4 vedas. You tore open the beak of a bird(crane) and killed a demon. You made a bird (Eagle/Garuda) to be part of Your flag and also made him Your Vaahana. But how is it that You are lying down quietly on a snake(Adisesha), a sworn enemy of the bird (Garuda) which is Your vahana?

We get to see three different species of birds- swan, crane, eagle- with each one being part of a single or multiple acts. The bird as an entity takes three different forms and indulges in positive and negative acts. Here we have similarities and dissimilarities. But the clincher is the last line which makes a mention of two sworn enemies.

What does this indicate?

Same, but different?

Same, same, different?

Different, Different?

Keep thinking and you will find an answer, well not the same answer but different answers!

Take this composition – Sangatamizh kaviye from Manadil Urudi VeNdum(1987). It is a composition in three different ragas. Is that the only attribute of the composition?

The veena sounds once. The bells respond. The veena sounds again. The subtle bells respond yet again. It seems like the lighting of the lamp with the spark gleaming and glittering. The veena continues its journey weaving simple and intricate patterns in Abheri. The melody from the flute which follows the veena, floats around and surrounds us like a gentle breeze.

In between, just before the journey of the veena begins, the tabla sounds ‘ta ka dhi mi/ta ki ta/ ta ki ta’-a count of 10. However, the composition is set in Tisram, which has a cycle of 3 counts. Is there a fallacy here?

Not really. There are 2 micro- beats before ‘ta ka dhi mi’, which are left as kaarvai, giving a total of 12 micro-beats which is divisible by 3.

The Pallavi starts in the voice of Yesudass, giving clear shades of Abheri. While the sketch of the raga is shown in just one line with descending and ascending notes, the brilliance and the aesthetic sense of the composer is revealed in the sudden appearance of lower-octave swaras -pa.ni.- in daagam, which in a way also reflects the thirst of the composer and in the interjection of flute between the lines -sung first by Yesudass and then by Chitra.

The violins move softly in the beginning of the first interlude, but there is a catch here. These play in Bageshri, a different raga, but using the same swaras. Let me explain a bit.

Ragas in the Indian system of music are formed by different sets of swaras which follow some set patterns while ascending and descending. The swaras may be the same but the way these are used are different. For example, the structure of Abheri is -sa ga2 ma1 pa ni2 Sa/Sa ni2 dha2 pa ma1 ga2 ri2 sa, the first one being the ascending notes and the second half being the descending notes. The structure of Bageshri is – sa ga2 ma1 dha2 ni2 Sa/ Sa ni2 dha2 ma1 pa dha2 ga2 ma1 ga2 ri2 Sa. The numbers against each swara denotes the variant and as you can see the variants of the swaras in both the ragas are the same, as both are derived from the same parent raga. Yet,  these sound different from each other!

Going back to the interlude, the veena sways as it responds to the violins and then moves majestically after the stream-like melody from violins. The flute which is reposeful as if responds to the veena after each line, gathers momentum when the energetic strings appear. The strings, flute and the flute combine together with pulsating vibrancy and play the tisram beats – ta ki ta/ta ki ta/taam- thrice, a la Carnatic concert.

The CharaNam continues in Bageshri with the lines encapsulating the beauty of the raga. What is of specific interest is the line ‘oru puram naan aNaikka’ for varied reasons, the foremost being the sangati after that line in the voice of Yesudass which lasts for 12 tisram cycles. The melodic charm, the sweetness and the softness, elevate us to reach vertiginous heights. As if this is not enough, the phrases in the lines that follow touch higher-octave swaras-even going up to ‘Ma’- which is a rarity.

When the Pallavi is rendered again, it is in Bageshri with the lower-octave swaras dha. and ni. Commingling with the mid-octave swaras giving that contrasting shades again!

The tabla sounds ‘ta tai tai taa’ thrice and the mrudangam responds with ‘ta ri ki ta taam taam’ thrice. With depth and crispness, the strings play Madhukauns, a totally different sounding raag which has the same ga and ni as Abheri and Bageshri but a different ‘ma’(prati madhyamam). This one swara makes a huge difference to the sound, the emotions and the feelings. The veena and the flute move sprightly in the same raag sketching some unforgettable musical images. These alternate. It is vibrant, vivacious and at the same time pensive.

The sounds coalesce finally spreading radiance.

The CharaNam continues in Madhukauns with the flute appearing between the lines oozing musical droplets and the higher- octave swaras making it a heavenly experience.

Three ragas, two with same swaras, one with almost the same swaras and with a different swara.

Similar and Dissimilar...

Birds and Snake..

Poetry..Music..Life..Contrast!

 

 

 

 

 

 

ILaiyaraaja- The Pacific Musician

Words are important for any language.

Can there be a language without words?

I shall leave this question unanswered for a while and move on to a tamizh verse.

‘சொல்லினால் தொடர்ச்சி நீ, சொலப்படும் பொருளும் நீ,

சொல்லினால் சொலப்படாது தோன்றுகின்ற சோதி நீ,

சொல்லினால் படைக்க நீ படைக்க வந்து தோன்றினார்,

சொல்லினால் சுருங்க நின் குணங்கள் சொல்ல வல்லரே?’

Written by the great poet Thirumazhisaiyaazwar- who is considered to be a revolutionary because of his radical views and because of his very different Thiruchchandaviruththam- this verse talks about the Divine in terms of words.

‘You create relations with words. You are the meaning of the words. You are the radiant flame of the unsaid words. Is it possible for mortals to describe Your glory in few words?’

Let me clarify that there are many interpretations to this verse and that this is my own interpretation. Isn’t it a fact that a poem becomes more beautiful with a multitude of interpretations?

In this verse, the Azhwar from Thrirmazhisai has used ‘word’ as the fulcrum to define the Divine. What is of utmost interest to me is the second line which talks about the ‘unsaid’. Can we call this as ‘silence’? Is silence just the absence of words? Or is it something more than that?

Let me now quote yet another tamizh verse from a poet belonging to a different era.

‘வேத ஆகம சித்ர வேலாயுதன் வெட்சி பூத்த தண்டைப்

பாத அரவிந்தம் அரண் ஆக அல்லும் பகலும் இல்லாச்

சூதானது அற்ற வெளிக்கே ஒளித்துச் சும்மா இருக்கப்

போதாய் இனி மனமே தெரியாத ஒரு பூதருக்குமே’

This was written by AruNagirinaathar, the Tamizh poet from ThiruvaNNamalai. Without getting into the detailed explanation of this verse, let me focus on just few phrases from the second, third and the fourth lines. ‘Forgetting all mundane things, let me move to a blank space and remain there doing nothing, in a state of quietude’.

In one of his other verses, the same poet wrote ‘சும்மா இரு, சொல் அற’  which means ‘Be quiet.Forget words’.

What are common to all these three verses are ‘ words, absence of words and action’.

Put in a simple term, these talk about ‘silence’.

Let me now go back to one of the two questions asked in the beginning- Is silence just the absence of words?

Now, take the spelling of the word ‘SILENT’. If the letters are rearranged, we get ‘LISTEN’. We need to listen to silence to understand its value. Silence is not just the absence of words or sound. There is silence in spoken words. There is silence in  sound. When we recognise this, we get to know the real value of silence.

And now to the first question- Can there be a language without words?

Yes, there is sign language, there is the language of nature, the language of rain, the language of crying, the language of laughing. This list is  huge but my focus on this special day is the language which is very close to my heart..

Music!

There is not one thing in this world cannot be achieved by this langauge. Most importantly, Silence and Music go hand-in-hand. And in the hands of a composer who understands this fact, the beauty is enhanced.That is, the beauty of music and the beauty of silence. ILaiyaraaja’s compositions shine with  radiance plainly and mainly because he respects silence and knows that silence is musical and music is silence.

The special song of this year’s Geetanjali stands testimony to this.

The song does not have any silent phrases. The song does not even have any interlude. The song does not talk about silence. In fact, it starts with the word ‘Sabtham’.

Then why am I linking it with silence?

The beauty of ‘Sabthamayee’ from the Malayalam film ‘Sooryan’(2007) lies in the way a vivadi raga is used. Literally translated, ‘vivadi’ means disonance. Vivadi ragas supposedly evoke an eerie feeling not easy to describe. There are some who do not enjoy listening to vivadi ragas. There are some who do not like to sing vivadi ragas.

Not only are vivadi ragas not easy on the ear, also these are not easy to handle. And yet, ILaiyaraaja remains the only film music composer to have composed the maximimum number of compositions in vivadi ragas. By now, it would have been clear that ‘Sabthamayee’ is based on a vivadi raga. This raga, Ragavardhini is the 32nd mela raga. It is said that Shri.Lalgudi Jayaraman, himself a legend, decided to compose a thillana in this raga after listening to ILaiyaraaja’s classical composition played by Mandolin Shrinivas.

Let us now look at ‘Sabthamayee’. With the drone of tanpoora enveloping us, we start listening to the silence. Kaavalam Srikumar starts the aalapana. Generally, alapanaas are rendered in a carnatic concert for a variety of reasons and the duration ranges from 2 minutes to 30 minutes. There were even times when a raga alapana was sung for hours together. All these achieve one singular objective- To give the essence of the raga.

Here, the alapana lasts just a few seconds. Yet, it gives us the total essence of the raga. Goes to show that quality and not quantity is the hallmark of a genius..

The length and breadth of Ragavardhini is traversed in this brief alapana. The Pallavi which starts after the 3/4^th point, is contemplative, evocative and vivid. The mridangam starts only after ½ avartana and goes on a full - fledged trip in the next avartana. The singing of ‘ikaaram’ and its extension for 4 beats followed by the mridangam sound for 4 beats drench us with silence. So does the sangati after ‘sabdham’ when the line is repeated the next time.

The subtle violin follows the vocals silently. A new voice too joins silently. The following line gives a caressing touch with the vivadi swara peeping in now and then. The new voice-which is that of Shankaran Namboothiri- repeats the line and one finds different dimensions in the same line when rendered by two different voices.

The composition seamlessly goes to the first Charanam with only the percussion -which plays the chatushram beats for a count of 4- acting as the interlude. The first line moves with an inherent sensitivity with the last phrase having the vivadi swara. The next line touches the higher octave swaras, brimming with feelings. But what makes this more beautiful is the intensive creativity of the composer.

Only two percussion instruments are used-mridangam and ghatam. The mridangam plays a pattern which is then repeated by the ghatam and in the next phrase, the mridangam plays the pattern played previously by the ghatam. If this interplay between the two percussion patterns show us glimpses of Laya Raaja, the following lines make us see the Laya Chakravarti.

It is a known fact that a classical composition is set to a taaLa, which is nothing but a repetitive cycle of fixed beats. This taaLa is maintained throughout the composition. Very few composers change the gait in the midst of a composition. OOthukkaadu Venkata Kavi was one such composer. This change of gait is called as gati bhedam. Here, while the taaLa cycle remains the same, the gait changes. For example, a composition following chatushram beats will suddenly change to tisram, at the same time following the same taaLa cycle. Just for information, chatushram is 4 and Tisram is 3.

ILaiyaraaja has done gati bhedam in many songs. In ‘Shabdhamayee’, the gait is changed to tisram in the third line and this goes on for one and half cycles. Isn’t this a breath taking twist?

The second CharaNam is different from the first CharaNam in terms of the structure of the swaras. The first line moves with meticulous purity. The second line has the subtleties and niceties of not just the normal swaras but of the vivadi swara as well.

What follows is a sudden torrent of swaras. Mathematics and Music combine together in this brilliantly conceived segment. The winding labyrinthine swaras are also oscillated gracefully. We reach empyrean heights when gati bhedam is done again.

Everything exists. Everything ceases to exist.

There are words. There are no words.

There is action. There is inaction.

There is Music.

There is Silence.

PS: This post was written specially for 'Geetanjali', an Event held every year as a dedication to the Maestro since the year 2008, and read out to an invited audience at Chennai on the 9th of September 2018.

Laya Raaja- 7

ஐந்தும் ஐந்தும் ஐந்தும் ஆகி அள்ளவற்று உளாயுமாய்,

ஐந்தும் மூன்றும் ஒன்றுமாகி நின்ற ஆதி தேவனே!

ஐந்தும் ஐந்தும் ஐந்தும் ஆகி அந்தரத்து அணைந்து நின்று,

ஐந்தும் ஐந்தும் ஐந்தும் ஆய நின்னை யாவர் காண வல்லரே?

அஞ்சிலே ஒன்று பெற்றான் அஞ்சிலே ஒன்றைத் தாவி

அஞ்சிலே ஒன்று ஆறு ஆக ஆரியர்க்காக ஏகி

அஞ்சிலே ஒன்று பெற்ற அணங்கைக் கண்டு அயலாரூரில்

அஞ்சிலே ஒன்றை வைத்தான் அவன்  எம்மை அளித்துக் காப்பான்.

What is this? Is it a word play? Or a number play? Or both?

The first one is from the Thiruchchandaviruththam of Thirumazhisai Azhwar and the second one is a Kamban verse.

Before we find an answer, let us look at the meanings first.

As per Sri Vaishnavite philosophy, the Lord governs 24 thathvaas. The great poet  Thirumazhisai azhwar poetically splits these  as four 5 s two 3s and one 1. The five elements comprise the first 5. The second 5 are the Gnaanendriyaas. The third 5 are the karmendriyaas while the fourth 5 has the subtle tanmaatraas. Ego, Mahaan and the avyaktam are the 3 while the single most thing is the mind. Finally, he says ‘who can unravel the mystery?’

If the Azhwar used the 5 to describe the mystery of creation, Kavi Chakravarti used the 5 to praise Anjaneya with just the five elements.

He was born to Vaayu, or the wind. He crossed the water - the Indian Ocean- taking the aerial route(aagayam), to see the lady  who was born to Bhooma Devi(the Earth), and set fire(  agni) to that place(Ashoka Vanam in Lanka).

The world revolves around numbers. Our life revolves around numbers. Is there anything in this world which is not governed by the numbers? Time, Place, Event, Procreation, Death..In fact, our life is a zero without numbers and there too we have a number. Now, all these apply to yet another thing in this world.

Rhythm!

Our life resonates with this. The ticking of the clock, the sound of the train, our laugh, our crying, our walk…in fact, scientifically it is proven that our body follows what is called as the circadian rhythm.

Numbers and Rhythm..Our life will be non-existent without these.

In the verses quoted, we saw that the numbers acquired different meanings when they were split. In the first one, 24 was split as 5,5,5,5,3,1 while in the second one the number 5 itself was used to denote a different element each time.

In Carnatic Music, numbers and rhythm are organised so well that not only do the compositions sound good but they also make us think and work, thus activating our grey cells. Our thinking becomes organised and our mental faculties are fine tuned. It is the meeting of the mind and the matter. Where the brain meets the heart.

That is why, the word Laya which in Sanskrit has multiple meanings like focus, togetherness, to cling on to something and peace, is aptly used to denote rhythm or taaLa.

In the previous six posts, we saw certain basic things and features of taaLas, the syllables and how a taaLa follows calculations and how the syllables are split .Most importantly, we saw as to how and why ILaiyaraaja is the true Laya Raaja with his imaginative, creative and innovative usage of the TaaLas and the patterns. We saw two different taaLas in the same composition simultaneously,  then one following the other and we saw how he constructed Pallavis and CharaNams using very unusual patterns.We saw the composition following a free flowing pattern and yet following a taaLa and saw how two taaLa patterns alternated very quickly leaving us with amazement.

The series comes to an end today with yet another special composition in another dimension. Nothing encapsulates and articulates Laya better than the classical dance in our system. Therefore, it will not be a surprise if the special song of the day is a dance composition of his.

The song ‘Naatya Kalaapam Navarasa Roopam’ from the Telugu film ‘Kunti Putrudu’ is one of his many classical dance songs which uses the dance syllables in accordance with the classical art and where the syllables are split and calculations done adhering to the rules of Carnatic Music.

The composition follows the 8-beat aadi taaLam and starts with the mridangam and the ankle bell drawing some beautiful patterns for 4 aavartanaas.

The Pallavi starts with the mridangam pausing for a moment and then playing ‘ta ri ki ta taam’ in the mel kaalam thrice and then continuing with the ‘ta ka dhi mi’ following the words.

In the first interlude, the dance syllables are uttered and are split thus:

Thajjonutha thathimitha tajjam is ta ka ta ki  ta/ta ka ta ki  ta/ta ka dhi mi-that is 2 khandams and one chatushram.. Therefore we have 5+5+4 which is equal to 14. To complete this half avartanaa, there is a pause for 2 maatras and this completes the 16.The orchestra repeats the same syllables melodically and the aavrtanaa is completed. This happens twice. In the following aavartana ‘taam’ and ‘ta ki  ta’ are added as prefix to ‘tajjonutha thaththimtha’ without the ‘tajjom’ and this is done twice to make it 32 in one aavrtana.

‘thom tha ri ki ta ta ka ta dheem ta’ –that is 16 maatraas are repeated 4 times and therefore we have 64 maatras in the next aavartana.

In the following aavartanaa which completes the teermaanam, we have ‘thom thari ki  ta ta ka taa’ twice and ‘thom ta ri ki ta ta ka’ once in the first half-which is 12+12+8 and in the next half ‘thom ta ri ki  ta ta ka taa’ thrice making it 36. Now, it is 32+36 which is 68 while as per simple arithmetic it should be a figure divisible by 8 and therefore 64 only.

This is where the beauty and brilliance in a composition lie. The Pallavi starts in samam and until the last aavartana, all calculations are from samam to samam. But here, the first line of the first CharaNam ‘Aadi umapati’ starts in the second beat of the taaLam and the first beat has the ‘taaa’ which is a count of 4 in mel kaalam!

The first charaNam however ends with the last beat of the taaLam and the Pallavi when repeated again starts in samam as before.

The second interlude mostly has the dance syllables and it starts with

‘ta ta ri/ta ja Nu/ta dhi  mi/ta ki ta/ taam/ tadheem/ ta ki  ta/ dheem/ dheem’ which is 32 split as

4 , 4, 5, 3, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4.

This is repeated twice. The orchestra repeats this twice too showing how melody and rhythm go hand in hand.

The very brief swara segment follows and swaraas  are rendered in one full aavartana.

The next segment follows joyously..

First it is ‘ta dheem/ tatadheem/ ki ta ta ka/ ta dheem ta’ which is 3, 5, 4, and  4 rendered twice in one aavartana.

Then we have typical dance syllables which go as 4, 4, 4 in keezhkaalam and 8 in melkaalam at the fourth and the 8^th beats.

It is mesmerizingly magical from then on with the ‘na dhin dhin naa’ being used brilliantly.

In the first aavartana, this appears in each beat for 3 beats with the ‘thom ta ri ki ta ta ka’ appearing in the last beat making it 16.

In the next aavartana, which is the last one before the second charaNam, ‘naa dhin dhin naa’ alternates between ‘thom ta ri ki  ta ta ka’  and ‘ta ri  ki ta ka’ with a small pause for 2 micro beats before ‘ta ri ki ta ka’. If this is the first half, in the second half we have ‘ta ri ki ta’ 7 times. It is finally wound up with the ‘ta dheem ta taa’ with the last ‘taa’ again in the samam of the second charaNam. So, it is 32+36 yet again.

The second part of the second charaNam is structured differently and follows

Ta ki  ta/ ta ki  ta/ta  ki ta /ta ki  ta/ta ka dhi mi-3 , 3, 3, 4 for two aavartanaas.

The last line completes the teermaanam with ‘4, 4, 4, 4, 6, 6, 4’.

Let us now look at the melody part.

The composition is based on Hamsaanandi, a shaadava raga with 6 swaras in the arohaNam and avarohaNam.

The lilting veeNa and the stirring Sitar join together in the prelude followed by the violins sketching the raga eloquently.

The serenity of the raga is shown in the imkaaram of Chitra while its vibrant contours raga are shown by the Sitar in the Pallavi. The navarasa roopam towards the end shows all the rasaas of the raga.

With melody wafting all over, the first interlude moves with the Sitar, VeeNa, Flute and the Violins. The clear voice of SPB adds lustre to the already shining composition. The VeeNa and Sitar echoing the dance syllables with agility in Hamsaanandi in the second half speaks volumes of the creativity of the composer.

Both the CharaNams are woven with imagination and are full of entrancing classical contents with the melodic instruments repeating the syllables with grace and unsullied dignity.

Rhythmic aesthetics with fluent patterns…perceptively pervasive brilliance.

Magic of numbers. Magic of rhythm..

Magic of Raaja.. Magic of ‘ee laya raaja..’

PS: The previous Tamizh post and this post were read out to an invited audience on the 24th of Aug 2014.