This post was instigated when i tried to find the raga/ragam/scale of a particular Hindi track and, after scouring the internet up and down was left with nothing. this made me realize how myopic most people's vision of anything was. Anyone, anything. astigmatism, rather. You see whats in the center, what's brightest and makes most noise, but nothing that's on the periphery.. And then, there's the very important role of familiarity. The Indian mind set so far has bee going through a period of steriotypia.. where the audience accepts something, especially with regard to music, only if it conforms to a certain set criteria.. and that certain set criteria is postulated by what people feel comfortable with, which results from familiarity.. This closed mindedness results in a formulaic, hackneyed product, that predictably wins the hears of people, because, really, thats what they wanted to hear.. it's like people put themselves in a box, and desire to be fed with the exact same thing, which is not, bad, but where is the creativity, where is the experimentation, where is the curiosity?? After all, isn't that the key to intellectual growth??..
This lack of appreciation for anything new, anything different, has resulted in most serious musicians and artists, either selling out and going mainstream, or remaining on the peripheries with an uncertain destiny.
Now that i have stated the background to my argument, let me come to the crux of the issue.
Everyone who has heard of A.R.Rahman has fallen in love with his music.. Why? one may ask. And i think the answer is simpler than it seems. What is the source of his popularity and the fact that everyone likes his music? even the most hardcore Raaja or Burman fan likes Rahman's music. Carnatic stalwarts, hindustani pundits and sufi ustads all enjoy his music.. why?
It's just because he always has something to offer that satisfies each and each and every category of his listeners. not to mention his penchant for experimentation, where genres collide and cultures hit head on.. it's a jugalbandi of mass proportions in the Rahman camp, something that all othe musicians of our present time have caught onto an dare utilizing to their advantage. But the result?? I still find that most composers of Hindi music, still use this worldliness to feed to the people what they expect to hear, rather than to feed them something new, and see if they like it.. it's a risk that they are unwilling to take. That i feel is the biggest difference between the two biggest composers of the North Indian film industry, Shankar-Ehsaan-loy and A.R.Rahman. This also reflects on the directors they work with and the projects they take up.
i have since also realized that in the Hind film arena, the only Rahman tracks that have hit platinum are those which, though experimental/new/fresh and provide a new dynamic to sound, still fall into a small pool of predictability. sure the songs a great, and are on my all time favorites list, because, lets face it, no once can blend carnatic classical/hindustani classical/tamil fol/rajasthani folk/sufi/ middle eastern/rock/jazz/blues and western classical like rahman can.
So, in an effort to get my friends who have never heard the real rahman to experience some of it, here is my attempt to prepare a list of rahman tracks that you've probably never heard of, or chances are, that didn't stick in you're peripheral memory, either because of the lack of advertising or the lack of open mindedness on the hand of the masses.
To be continued...
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Aaromale!
This is a spontaneous post, primarily due to the gripping and moving nature of the song that's enraptured my mind and that's been playing non stop since it released in early 2010.. Initially, when the music for the movie vinnaithandi varuvaaya came out, the world was still reeling from a.r.rahman's Oscar hysteria... He was at the pinnacle of achievement for anyone of Indian soil, at least in teams of the magnitude of the impact created by the novelty and uniqueness of the subject of slumdog millionaire and at how effectively the musical score communicated the spirit of the film.. So much so, that the soundtrack propelled the film and acted as an acute medium of communicating the raw emotions demanded by the movie..
In the wake of this slumdog mania, the core fan group was left perplexed as to how a song like 'jai ho' could have won the Oscars over..
None the less, the effect of global successes had an emperical affect on rahman's music... Particularly the first soundtrack of 2010- vinnaithandi varuvaaya... This soundtrack is up there in terms of holistic appeal and completeness.. From the melodious r&b/ soul theme of omana penne, to the uplifting effervescence of hosanna... The album hit the right chord... But Rahman reaches the zenith of innovativeness and novelty with the experimental aaromale..
Completely acoustic, the track features exceptional vocals and a fine guitar performance by alphons joseph, a malayalam music composer. The song is based completely in raag bhageshree... Which is exemplified by the exquisite violin piece and by shreya ghoshal's exploratory aalaps in the female version/instrumental (Broken Promises).
Raga bhageshree creates images of darkness in the darkest of night... Invokes a deep degree of despondency and longing..
When I close my eyes and listen to an aalap in bhageshree.. My first thought is that of the dead of night.. Of loneliness.. Of a deep sense of longing.. A yearning to be united with the beloved, with ones true soul mate.. The sheer depth of the found off this ragas when sung, intentionally brings to mind the thought of the all pervading universe, of its immensity, of its sheer volume, size and grandeur.. it brings to mind a the image of vrindavana, on the banks of the yamuna.. with the shadow of radha waiting in a shady grove in the silence of the night.. waiting, longing for the arrival of her dearest.. of her kannaiyah.. krishna..
The most popular carnatic rendition of this raga is the song saagara shayana vibho, prabho.. dedicated to he who floats on the endless sea of the universe maintaining the precarious balance needed to sustain it.. narayana..
Choosing raga bhageshree was a stroke of pure genius.. the song aaromale was meant to represent angst, frustration, bereavement, and most importantly despondency and pathos, with a fatalistic touch.. the composition, along with the singers delivery achieved all of those emotions and more..
The guitars in the male version denote a sense of frustration, fear and anger, which reflects the emotions in the singers voice.. the chorus requires special mention.. the chorus portion is in pure bhageshri and has a very mantra (prayer chant) like feel.. identifying almost completely with the fatalistic nature of the track.. one associates it with the sounds of milestones in a persons life.. of upanayana, of marraige, and finally, of death..
The violins that play as an anti thesis to the guitars reflect the tumultuous nature of the characters mind at the time.. the violins play almost like a ship stuck in a stormy sea, with no place to seek solace..
Although, in the female version, the opposite effect is observed. The floating aalaps of shreya goshal in pure bhageshri, brings out the melancholy and pathos of the song, but devoid of the negative energy of the male version.. this version is placid, resigned to fate.. the female character in the movie is inclined to go with the flow of the winds, rather than to resist it in stormy waters.. thus the song has almost an ethereal feel.. like a lullaby.. only a lullaby of resignation to life, while the male version appears to be a battle with the same emotions..
Regardless, these tracks are some of the best rahman has come up with in recent times.. and will continue to be a milestone in Indian music for years to come..
In the wake of this slumdog mania, the core fan group was left perplexed as to how a song like 'jai ho' could have won the Oscars over..
None the less, the effect of global successes had an emperical affect on rahman's music... Particularly the first soundtrack of 2010- vinnaithandi varuvaaya... This soundtrack is up there in terms of holistic appeal and completeness.. From the melodious r&b/ soul theme of omana penne, to the uplifting effervescence of hosanna... The album hit the right chord... But Rahman reaches the zenith of innovativeness and novelty with the experimental aaromale..
Completely acoustic, the track features exceptional vocals and a fine guitar performance by alphons joseph, a malayalam music composer. The song is based completely in raag bhageshree... Which is exemplified by the exquisite violin piece and by shreya ghoshal's exploratory aalaps in the female version/instrumental (Broken Promises).
Raga bhageshree creates images of darkness in the darkest of night... Invokes a deep degree of despondency and longing..
When I close my eyes and listen to an aalap in bhageshree.. My first thought is that of the dead of night.. Of loneliness.. Of a deep sense of longing.. A yearning to be united with the beloved, with ones true soul mate.. The sheer depth of the found off this ragas when sung, intentionally brings to mind the thought of the all pervading universe, of its immensity, of its sheer volume, size and grandeur.. it brings to mind a the image of vrindavana, on the banks of the yamuna.. with the shadow of radha waiting in a shady grove in the silence of the night.. waiting, longing for the arrival of her dearest.. of her kannaiyah.. krishna..
The most popular carnatic rendition of this raga is the song saagara shayana vibho, prabho.. dedicated to he who floats on the endless sea of the universe maintaining the precarious balance needed to sustain it.. narayana..
Choosing raga bhageshree was a stroke of pure genius.. the song aaromale was meant to represent angst, frustration, bereavement, and most importantly despondency and pathos, with a fatalistic touch.. the composition, along with the singers delivery achieved all of those emotions and more..
The guitars in the male version denote a sense of frustration, fear and anger, which reflects the emotions in the singers voice.. the chorus requires special mention.. the chorus portion is in pure bhageshri and has a very mantra (prayer chant) like feel.. identifying almost completely with the fatalistic nature of the track.. one associates it with the sounds of milestones in a persons life.. of upanayana, of marraige, and finally, of death..
The violins that play as an anti thesis to the guitars reflect the tumultuous nature of the characters mind at the time.. the violins play almost like a ship stuck in a stormy sea, with no place to seek solace..
Although, in the female version, the opposite effect is observed. The floating aalaps of shreya goshal in pure bhageshri, brings out the melancholy and pathos of the song, but devoid of the negative energy of the male version.. this version is placid, resigned to fate.. the female character in the movie is inclined to go with the flow of the winds, rather than to resist it in stormy waters.. thus the song has almost an ethereal feel.. like a lullaby.. only a lullaby of resignation to life, while the male version appears to be a battle with the same emotions..
Regardless, these tracks are some of the best rahman has come up with in recent times.. and will continue to be a milestone in Indian music for years to come..
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Wednesday, March 2, 2011
midweek melencholy
Its wednesday afternoon, and the atmosphere at work is rather relaxed for the middle of what started off as a pretty hectic week.. the bosses are away, so, its quite reasonable that us minions are at play.. one would assume that the balmy weather outside would add a spring to everyones step and help them add impetus to their work.. it seems to have had quite the contrary effect.. Voices fill the air.. Gossip, chit-chat and the ex
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