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IR Creativeness in Composing Tunes and Handling Ragas

Topic started by Solo (@ 203.145.184.178) on Sat Jun 28 03:57:00 EDT 2003.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

An abstract from classic article of IR.

"One of the greatest achievement of Illayaraja is that he appropriately used the best of the western and eastern classicism. To wield a huge orchestra is no joke. In many of his carnatic songs he has shown an uncanny skill in organising the orchestral music with a classical splendour. Handling of Carnatic Ragas is a childs play for him.

For instance,Vasantha is a fantastic ragam. Its arohanam and avarohanam are Sa Ma1 Ga3 Ma1 Da2 Ni3 Sa; Sa Ni3 Da2 Ma1 Ga3 Ri1 Sa. While traditionally it is believed that Boopalam is the ragam suitable for the dawn, Vasantha is the ragam suitable for the dusk. So, no wonder Illayaraja used this ragam for a duet which talks about the rain pouring during the dusk! "Andhi mazhai pozhigi- radhu" is a great song in the movie rajapaarvai. It is one of those early songs that showed the full fervency of Illayaraja's mind for creativity. The classical orchestral grandeur of this song was unbelievable.

Illayaraja starts the song with a prelude of "pop pop pop poboppo" by the chorus. The sudhdha madhyamam in Vasantha has served as the starting point for many classical krithis. Illayaraja too starts his "pop pop" in the madyamam like "Ma Ma Ma Ma Ga Ma Da". Classically, the transition from Ma to Da is not a straight one. There is a subtle Ni in between. That is, when the musicians say Da they go all the way to Ni and then drop down to the daivatham. Illayaraja starts the pallavi "andhi mazhai" like Ma Ma Ma, Ga Ma Da Ma Ga, Ga Ma Da Ma Ga Ma Ga Ri, Ma Ga Ga Ri Ri Sa. It is a beautiful start. All the hidden melody in the swaras of Vasantha are extracted in the pallavi itself. Even in the charanam his mind seems to be bent upon extracting all the melody in the Ga Ma Da transition. He starts the charanam like Ga Ma Da Ma, Ga Ma Da Ma, and the tune lingers there for a while!

Illayaraja has given many more Vasantha songs Recently he has tried Vasantha in a partial way in Paatu paadava. The song starts like "nil nil nil". It is a very different tune.

Nowadays Illayaraja makes a tune for Songs / BGMs in just a matter of few minutes. He writes the tune not only for the song, but for the entire orchestra in just a matter of few minutes! He doesn't seem to follow the primitive way of playing his tunes in the harmonium and seeing how it sounds. He seems to hear the tune in his "mind". It is amazing how these minds in the creative industry could be used in such an intelligent and time efficient manner."
Let us discuss some of his numbers

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Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: V (@ 212.38.69.200) on: Sun Jul 6 09:22:16 EDT 2003
  
  I will add few more:
  
  The only music composer who can contribute even in a comedy movie:
  
  Arangetra velai - look out for sequences where revathi, prabhu and VKR get into a tangle. funkiest use of violin. I dont think any new MD can produce a small bit like this, which interwines with the movie very well.
  
  Michael Madhana ... - he has different bit for each kamal in that movie. especially the cook kamal. funky use of instruments.
  
  and Aboorva sagodharagal -- theme music.
  tik tik tik -- unique trend setting BGM
  mydear kuttichathan - A movie thats forgotten. I dont think the BGM is.
  
  All these have mind boggling BGMs.
  
  
• From: raj (@ 203.164.84.162) on: Tue Jul 8 08:52:32 EDT 2003
  
  All forgoten abt Rajani movie bgms,
  Thalapathy, Padikathavan, Velaikaran, Nalavanuku nalavan, Joney (got 3 types of bgms) all are beautiful piece of work...
  
  
• From: raj (@ 203.164.84.162) on: Tue Jul 8 08:58:23 EDT 2003
  
  and a few more Kadal meenkal, Kadalora Kavithaikal, Sipikul Muthu, Thai padum thalatu, aman koyil kilakaley, EEramana rojavey etc etc..
  
  
• From: prashanth (@ 63.75.203.222) on: Tue Jul 8 22:31:42 EDT 2003
  
  Usha, a renowned Telugu singer has her experiences on singing for Raaja for the first time. Visit the link also to listen to her.
  
  http://www.idlebrain.com/news/2000march20/usha-ilayaraja.html
  
  
  
• From: Mythila (@ 208.220.245.72) on: Wed Jul 9 06:49:06 EDT 2003
  
  IR has used female humming very effectively as recurring bgms in movies like kizhakkepogum rail(Jency's humming in scenes where Radhika misses her lover), the final female chorus when the 2 lovers unite, Pudiyavaarpugal - the melodious hum of Jency when the heroine is lost in thoughts about her lover, the final female chorus in Madhyamavathi raagam in Salangai oli , when Kamal is already dead and it is raining outside .
  All these have a very haunting effect which no other MD has accomplished so far.
  
  
• From: V (@ 160.83.32.14) on: Wed Jul 9 08:20:50 EDT 2003
  
  He is very creative in that sense. He is one guy who can enhance the mood of watching a movie (even if its ordinary) with his BGM. As I said in my earlier posting no one has given great BGMs for comic situations, leave alone serious situations.
  
  
  V
  
  
• From: Solo (@ ) on: Mon Aug 11 07:12:13 EDT 2003
  
  How to Name It?
  
  The Album has a beautiful piece of Maya Malaval Gowla Song in Wester Classical, which is just amazing. A beautiful example of IR's Creativeness.
  
  
• From: purv (@ ) on: Thu Sep 4 16:36:33 EDT 2003
  
  Today I heard 'Anba Sumanthu Sumanthu', which I reckon I've told you is available online (in jukebox format) in the IR's New Albums thread. Yes, the raaga is Dharmavathi, which doesn't sound like such if you only listen to the pallavi. I'm glad I could have listened to that underrated gem.
  
  
• From: purv (@ ) on: Sun Sep 14 20:26:56 EDT 2003
  
  I noticed that in his sad songs that he sets to raagam Mohanam, Ilayaraja includes the Kakali Nishaadam in the charanam. Par example, 'Ithayam Oru Koyil', 'Orukanam Oru Yugamaaga', 'Malligai Maalaikkatti', and so forth.
  
  
• From: purv (@ 65.219.208.74) on: Tue Sep 16 19:13:48 EDT 2003
  
  Hi. Today, I got a chance to listen to an older IR song, 'Kaali Perungaaya Dabba' in the film Manthira Punnagai. As most of you know, the song's raaga is Rishabapriya, which is simply Charukesi with ma2 in place of ma1. I have tried writing songs in both raagas, and it seems to me much easier to do the latter raaga than the former. Yet, IR has done a nice melodious dappanguthu song in a raagam that is difficult to handle properly, at least in my opinion.
  
  

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