Raja '09 - A summation

[Sureshs65]

I guess we have got all the music from Raja this year. No more movies awaited. It is time now to sum up all the discussions we have been having till and see what sort of year it has been for all of us.

(Given that many of us work in IT industry our habit of annual appraisal doesn't leave us, does it :lol:

[Sureshs65]

Background: First some background to 2009. That obviously has to be the year 2008. So how was 2008, from a Raja fan's perspective.

In Tamil, Raja had given music for three movies in 2008. Uliyin Osai, Dhanam and Kanagalum Kavi Paduthe. None of them really made a great impact on the masses. Dhanam was a washout. The music also had limited impact on Raja fans. KKP did not release. Uliyin Osai had a decent run but the songs did not catch the imagination of the general public, though those who loved classical music appreciated it a lot.

In Malayalam Raja did 'Innathe Chinta Vishayam' and 'SMS'. SMS was a total washout. Innathe was not as big a hit as Sathyan's earlier 'Vinodayatra' and the songs too did not reach the masses the same way the 'Vinodayatra' did.

Raja also did one devotional album, 'Manikanda Geeta Mala', which was released in multiple languages. This too was appreciated only by a small set of people and didn't become a big hit.

Given this background, all Raja fans were praying that 2009 be a good year but no one would have thought in 2008 that God would have answered the prayers as she did. As they say in Hindi, '2009 mein chappad padke diya' or to paraphrase in Tamil, 'kurayai piythukondu kottiyadu'

[Sureshs65]

2009 - From a commercial angle

Tamil (Mixed Bag) : Raja had one major hit in 'Naan Kadavul', a decent run movie in 'Azhagar Malai', total washouts like 'Kannukulle', 'Valmiki', 'Madhiya Chennai' and 'Jaganmohini' and a non starter in 'Nandalala'. "Om Shivoham", "Pitchai Patiram", 'Karugumani" were the songs which got lot of air time compared to the other songs. "Ennda Pandi" was also played a bit. More of Namitha was shown than the songs of 'Jaganmohini', though that did not help in the box office returns. Raja was not a major box office factor in Tamil. Harris, Yuvan, DSP and Vijay Antony ruling the roost.

Kannada (Mixed Bag): Songs of 'Prem Kahani' got good air time and 'Rangu Rangu' and 'Hodadavane' were liked by people. The movie unfortunately was a colossal failure according to reports. 'Balegara' and 'Nannane Noduvanu' were liked by Shivrajkumar fans. The movie probably did not have a great run but fared better than 'Prem Kahani', though 'Prem Kahani' songs were more popular. 'Nannavanu' has not yet been released and 'Suryakanthi' should be released anytime now. It will be a good year for Raja in Kannada if 'Suryakanthi' is a hit.

Telugu: The jury will decide only after the movie 'Om Shanthi' is released. As of now, we cannot comment.

Hindi (Major Hit): Yes, I do know about 'Chal Chalein' and like Jai had earlier said, I too believe that less than a dozen people know about this movie. Still it was a major Hit year for Raja in Hindi due to 'Paa'. The music of this movie has reached a larger audience, much more than any of his earlier Hindi movies. 'Mudi Mudi' is a certified hit and 'Gum Sum Gum' is being appreciated everywhere. Balki's marketing has also help. I am sure everyone will agree that it was great year for Raja in Hindi. BTW, two of our MDs were involved in opening and closing ceremony of HFM this year. Rahman started it off with a rocking 'Delhi-6' and Raja brought down the curtain with a rollicking 'Paa'.

Malayalam (Super Hit): Two superb movies, which did well at box office and whose music reached the masses, make Malayalam as the best language of Raja commercially. And artistically as well. 'Bhagyadevatha' was another hit in the Sathyan Raja combination. 'Pazhassiraja' was the piece de resistance of 2009.[/i]

[Sureshs65]

Raja 2009: From a Fan's point of view

I am trying to sum up what Raja fans felt about the music of 2009. The commercial review would have given us an idea of how the general public reacted to his music. So what follows are the views of those who followed his music keenly.

Tamil : 'Naan Kadavul' which opened the innings was a great hit without any debate. It was liked by everyone. Most of the songs of 'Nandala' too were liked by almost everyone. 'Valmiki' showcased a new Raja, especially 'kooda varuviya'. The inherent melody in most of the songs in this movie ensured that slowly everyone liked the songs. 'Azhagar Malai' was instantly liked by those who wanted to see the 'old' Raja again and that was probably a reason why some did not like it much. 'Kannukulle' and 'Madhiya Chennai' were initially dismissed as junk but slowly some of the songs are making their way into the playlist of many Raja fans. 'Jaganmohini' was loved by a section of fans and left some fans confused since they were looking for a classical score, while Raja scored exactly the opposite!!

Kannada: 'Prem Kahani', as I stated earlier was a decent hit with the public. Most of Raja fans loved this album. 'Bagyada Balegara' had a mixed response. Some songs were liked but some sounded 'too old fashioned'. 'Nannavanu' too got some mixed reactions. Songs like 'Yenidu Yenidu' and 'Muthalane Baari' were liked but other songs did not get the same attention. 'Suryakanthi' though had touched the right chords (and the wrong chorus :lol: Couldn't resist it irir123 :) ) 'Edaya Bagile', 'Mouni Nannu' are extremely lovable melodies.

Telugu: Only one movie this year but that has caught the imagination of the fans. 'Chinna Polike' has bowled everyone. 'Flying on the Moon' is picking up speed. If the movie does well I am sure the songs will reach the general public as well.

Hindi: 'Chal Chale' was initially dismissed by most Raja fans except for a few. Slowly fans have started re-evaluating the songs of this movie and now more positive views are surfacing. 'Paa' on the other hand has bowled everyone over and all the success of the music has rendered all debate on whether a classical like 'Thumbi Vaa' should be remade totally irrelevant.

Malayalam: As is generally the norm, I have reserved the best for the last. If there was consensus amongst fans right from the beginning, then that movie was 'Pazhassiraja'. 'Bagyadevatha' too got a good response from all the fans with its melodic touches.

[Sureshs65]

Raja 2009: Musically

So how was the music of 2009. This is one area which is difficult to sum up. If one word is all I get to sum it up, that word would be 'variety'. One thing Raja proved again is that when stakes are high, you can definitely depend on him to deliver. And deliver he did, be it the grand 'Pazhassi Raja', the spiritual tinged 'Naan Kadavul' or a touching 'Paa'. Whenever the expectations were higher, Raja easily crossed the limits that were set.

Musically I would like to think that we saw various Rajas this year. In my opinion they would be:

The Classical Raja: 'Om Shivoham', 'Maa Ganga', 'Unnai Vittal' revealed his classical facet

The Melodic Raja: 'Kannil Paarvai', 'Kunnathe', 'Swapnangal Kannezhudiya', 'Yenidu Yenidu', 'Jhoom Jhoom So Jaa', 'Chinna Polike' and many other songs showcased the melodious Raja we all love.

Freakout Raja: 'Nilavu Varum Neram', 'Mudi Mudi', 'Batla De', 'Illavayasu'. Songs such as these showed that Raja was enjoying himself.

Is this Raja?: Songs like 'Hodadavane', 'Ennda Pandi', 'Om Shanthi Om' made people ask, "hey, are you sure this is Raja?'. Another facet of his was revealed.

Wow. This is so new Raja : Songs like 'Edaya Bagile', 'Gali Mudi', 'Kooda Varuviya', 'Kai Veesi' , 'Rangu Rangu' made people wonder how this man can still come up with such new structures and orchestration

The Laya Raja: The whole of Pazhassi Raja was an ode to rhythm. So was 'Om Shivoham'. Songs like 'Kai Veesi', 'ilavayasu' showcased his new rhythm.

The 'tullal' Raja : 'Shringara Bangara', 'Kogile Koogu Baa', ' Nilavu Varum Neram', 'Ponmani Theril', 'Karugumani', 'Chanchanre', 'Mudi Mudi', 'Yarialu Yarivalu' are some examples. Did you notice that the 'tullal' in most cases are female solos? The ladies were obviously doing a better job in expressing their joy compared to guys like Tippu, Sriram and co.

The 'old' Raja: Liked by some, not liked by some. Many songs of Azhagar Malai had the old touch of Raja, as did some songs from 'Bagyada Balegara' and 'Nannavanu'.

Remix Raja: 'Mata Un Kovilil' was redone as was 'Thumbi Vaa', the theme music of 'Paa' and 'Putham Pudu Kaalai'

Overall I can say that this was the year of 'Unexpected Raja'. When everyone thought 'Pazhassiraja' would have a score like 'Guru', he came up with a rhythm dominated score. While people expected classical music in 'Jaganmohini' he came out with a freak out score. When people thought Tamil remix will be dominant in 'Paa' he came up with 'Mudi Mudi' which turned out to be a chartbuster. For a slum movie like 'Madhiya Chennai', he gives a heavily jazz tinged score and still it sounds so very good. [/i]

[Sureshs65]

Raja 2009: Musical trends

Here are some trends which I think happened a lot in 2009. Please do give your views about what trends you saw in 2009.

- Jazz was probably the most used genre this year. It appeared in most of the movies. 'Paa' was probably the pinnacle of this trend this year.

- Keyoboard / Piano became the dominant instrument. Sax also got decent playtime. The violins appeared once in a while. Flute has taken a backseat and appeared briefly. The rockish guitar has started coming in more often. The bass is getting attention again. many interludes have been driven by the keyboard and the guy playing the keyboard is having a great time.

- The recording quality has definitely improved. We didn't hear many complaints about that. The synth usage has also become less irritating to fans and the complaint against it is not as vehement as it used to be. Infact in some songs the synth sounds very melodious. Slowly I see a trend of synth not being just being used as a replacement for natural instruments but also to produce new 'sounds'.

- Lot of new voices have been used. Bela Shinde, Rita, Ujjaini, Kunal Ganjawala, Sunidhi Chauhan, Rahul Nambiyar, Shilpa Rao etc. Some did justice and some didn't. Some regulars like Manjari and Chitra were used only in a couple of songs

- Some areas of concern for fans still remain. Need for better voices, need for better lyrics, more songs with natural instruments are some of the items on many fan's list. We will need to see if this reaches Raja's ears. Atleast some of the earlier complaints have been addressed. Bhavatharini doesn't appear often now and in the last few albums Raja has also not sung much. These were two complaints we heard often earlier.

[jaiganes]

Raja 2009: Musical trends

Here are some trends which I think happened a lot in 2009. Please do give your views about what trends you saw in 2009.

- Jazz was probably the most used genre this year. It appeared in most of the movies. 'Paa' was probably the pinnacle of this trend this year.

- Keyoboard / Piano became the dominant instrument. Sax also got decent playtime. The violins appeared once in a while. Flute has taken a backseat and appeared briefly. The rockish guitar has started coming in more often. The bass is getting attention again. many interludes have been driven by the keyboard and the guy playing the keyboard is having a great time.

- The recording quality has definitely improved. We didn't hear many complaints about that. The synth usage has also become less irritating to fans and the complaint against it is not as vehement as it used to be. Infact in some songs the synth sounds very melodious. Slowly I see a trend of synth not being just being used as a replacement for natural instruments but also to produce new 'sounds'.

- Lot of new voices have been used. Bela Shinde, Rita, Ujjaini, Kunal Ganjawala, Sunidhi Chauhan, Rahul Nambiyar, Shilpa Rao etc. Some did justice and some didn't. Some regulars like Manjari and Chitra were used only in a couple of songs

- Some areas of concern for fans still remain. Need for better voices, need for better lyrics, more songs with natural instruments are some of the items on many fan's list. We will need to see if this reaches Raja's ears. Atleast some of the earlier complaints have been addressed. Bhavatharini doesn't appear often now and in the last few albums Raja has also not sung much. These were two complaints we heard often earlier.
w.r.t Bhavatharini - the two songs in which she was heard, she did pretty well. And nice way to sum up this year - i hope this year is not a kurinji year, but a regular year for the future for Raaja fans like me.

[Sureshs65]

Raja '09: Some awards

These are my proposals for some awards. I am sure everyone will have their own list. It will be nice to discuss it here. As I said, these are just what I propose. Please feel free to oppose and vote against these :)

Best Album of the Year: 'Pazhassi Raja'. 'Naan Kadavul' comes a close second. PA wins due to more number of original songs in the album.

Best Song of the Year: 'Kunnathe' closely followed by 'Kannil Paarvai'. 'Kunnathe' wins by a whisker.

Alternate Best Song of the Year: 'Om Shivoham' followed closely by 'Adiushas'. While the earlier song was more for the melodic quotient, this one is for the 'power' quotient.

Most Popular Song: 'Mudi Mudi'

Best Male Voice: Vijayprakash for 'Om Shivoham'

Best Female Voice: K S Chitra for 'Kunnathe' and 'Swapnangal'

Best Duet: While 'Chinna Polike', 'Oli Tarum Suriyanum', 'Enge Nee Sendralum', 'Rangu Rangu', 'Edaya Bagile' all vie for this slot, they are let down by one of the two voices, either in terms of the voice itself or by the pronunciation. My vote goes to 'Swapnangal Kanneyudiya' where both Rahul Nambiyar and Chitra are perfect.

Best Debut in Raja's music : Shilpa Rao 'Mudi Mudi'

Most Underrated Score of the year: 'Chal Chalein'

Will be 'discovered' in later years: 'Enge Nee Sendralum', 'Pudhu POurnami Nilavu', 'Unnai Patri Sonnal', 'Un Vazhve', 'Kai Vessi' etc

Best Interlude : Can't fully make up my mid here but will go with 'kunnathe' and the first interlude of 'Kannil Parvai'.

Feel free to come up with more categories.[/i]

[Sureshs65]

Yes Jai. I also hope 2009 was not an exception. Let us hope some nice films come to him next year as well. As of now some unreleased movies like 'SRK', 'Mayilu', a Sathyan film which will come out during visu, Hindi film called 'Happy' are all that we have in front of us. Hope some major works happen soon.

[app_engine]

Excellent compilation, Sureshs65!

Why don't you open a poll for the best IR album of 2009 (or may be the best song of 2009)? We all can nominate ten albums / songs (as it happens in the TF section) and then vote for the top one:-)

One not-so-usual development happened this year, that of IR "clearing up misintrepretation of his words" (w.r.t ONV Kurup).

It is good, no two opinions about it.

However, per my observation, IR's scores are best when he is in a bombastic mood :-) I was mentioning earlier that when we keep getting outbursts / controversies etc, it's a good sign for getting great music. (It proved to be true this year - after the outburst during vAlmeeki days, IR followed up with PR & pA that scaled great success).

Now, if he is taking the "humble" route (sAmiyAr thingy?), will it affect the forthcoming scores or not one has to wait and see :-)

[Plum]

app, :=)
There is also the Indian Summer concept, when a veteran artist/player suddenly has one final burst of creativity and success, and fades away again in the following season. Hope that is not the case here.

Suresh, great compilation.
Even though I listen to PR more than NK now, I would rate NK as the best this year - Om Sivoham and Kannil parvai are enough. Everything else is a bonus - and what a bonus I loved both reworkings of Maadha unn kovilil. Bhagya devatha gets the Bronze bowl.

Song of the year has to be Kunnathe because all aspects come together here - melody, unique rhythm patterns, rhythm becoming part of the tune/melody, signature IR flute/Violin, flute backing up Chitra's vocals, and last but not the least, KS Chitra shows why she is among the best ever. More than IR, I'd want KSC to get a NA for this song. It is a lilting tune and a melting melody - with all the IR goodies as bonus.

I havent heard a lot of these albums so I guess my nominations are one-eyed but nevertheless, i am convinced he couldnt have bettered these extra ordinary output in any other album this year

Best interlude - now that requires some thought though Kunnathe, Sivoham and Kannil Paarvai should grab this between the 3.

[jaiganes]

app, :=)
There is also the Indian Summer concept, when a veteran artist/player suddenly has one final burst of creativity and success, and fades away again in the following season. Hope that is not the case here.

Suresh, great compilation.
Even though I listen to PR more than NK now, I would rate NK as the best this year - Om Sivoham and Kannil parvai are enough. Everything else is a bonus - and what a bonus I loved both reworkings of Maadha unn kovilil. Bhagya devatha gets the Bronze bowl.

Song of the year has to be Kunnathe because all aspects come together here - melody, unique rhythm patterns, rhythm becoming part of the tune/melody, signature IR flute/Violin, flute backing up Chitra's vocals, and last but not the least, KS Chitra shows why she is among the best ever. More than IR, I'd want KSC to get a NA for this song. It is a lilting tune and a melting melody - with all the IR goodies as bonus.

I havent heard a lot of these albums so I guess my nominations are one-eyed but nevertheless, i am convinced he couldnt have bettered these extra ordinary output in any other album this year

Best interlude - now that requires some thought though Kunnathe, Sivoham and Kannil Paarvai should grab this between the 3.

neenga chal chalein paththi enna nenaikireenga?
idhukku munnaadi solli irukeengannu nenaikaren - but still.
If any IR album has grown on me significantly, it is this one.
I made a good decision of burning the mp3s onto a Audio CD through Windows media player and the reward is the discovery of very subtle but consistent bass lines in 'Batla De' . I keep discovering such stuff every day from this album.

[Sureshs65]

app_eng,

I am not able to figure out the poll thingy. Can someone who knows how to do it setup a poll so that everyone can vote for their favorite album / song / singer etc? My thanks to that person in advance :)

[AravindMano]

Suresh :notworthy:

For setting up the poll, we need to give the poll options. Adhukku namma mudhal layae should decidde on the nominations for best album, best song etc.,

[Bala (Karthik)]

Suresh,
Commendabuzh :thumbsup:

[raajarasigan]

Suresh

Excellent compilation :clap: :clap: :clap:

For me, PAA is the best album of the year :thumbsup: . PR & NK comes very close to this...

[kiru]

Great work Suresh. I award you the Best IR Fan of the Year award. Team, second me please :-)

[AravindMano]

Great work Suresh. I award you the Best IR Fan of the Year award. Team, second me please :-)

I do :)

[Shankar.P]

Sureshji's annual appraisal is amazing. It looks more like a thesis submitted for phd and very impressive. So, the 'Doctorate' is the ultimate thing for this great work. My sincere thanks/wishes/congrats to him on behalf all IR fans.

[Plum]

Yes folks. Suresh does deserve the recognition :-)
As a reward, avarai inga moderatora-A pOda solli Hub sr mgmt kitta manu pOdalAm? :good-idea: - idhukku oru thread open pannungappa.

[Sureshs65]

kiru,

Thanks but I think the honor should be shared by Rajasaranam and Hulk. RS for his incredible generosity is putting up rare Raja clips and Hulk for his constant and unceasing defense of Raja.

Plum: I am happy as I am :) Anyway I will probably be out of touch for the next week or more due to my being out of here. So don't open any new thread.

[Bala (Karthik)]

Rajasaranam, Hulkster or Suresh for Thimingalam post - moonu perula yaar vandhaalum sandhosham :)

[Hulkster]

Sureshji, Amazing summation, the way you have done it sounds like a summation of his entire career but we have to believe that this is just for one year. :clap: :notworthy:

Thalaivar does not like awards so do we fans. In the quote of thalaivar.,"We are all sapthaswaras and he is the sruthi". Yellorrukkum(fans) different soundu anaal ondraa inaivethu sruthiyin(thalaivar) laiyangalil thaan. :D

[Sanjeevi]

Suresh :thumbsup:

happy to read your posts always :)

[dakaltiz]

Suresh: Awesome analysis. Though i've been a silent reader (admirer) of some wonderful IR fans here. This post prompted me to post a note. This has been a terrific year for Raja for us and as always the gems will treasured for years to come. :)

[Saagar]

Suresh,

Great Summation! Worthy of the PhD suffix mentioned in this thread.

Looking at posts today, a lot of "contentment" is visible among IR Fans for what they've got this year & the hope for 2010 is reflecting - Most seem to be in very high spirits.

[Saagar]

For Best Album: Pazhassi Raja.
Naan Kadavul & Paa would both come a close second. (Difficult to place one second and the other 3rd!)

[Shankar.P]

Dear friends, I'll send the hard copies of Sureshji's & Rajasaranam's write ups to IR. I hope that he will definitely enjoy the hardcore fans' version on his 2009 musical treat.

[Punnaimaran]

Excellent write-up Suresh. Best IR fan award ungaLukku thAn.

[raagas]

Wonderful posts Suresh. I am very restless to respond to each every section of each post. But time constraints. also, i have a blogpost, looming in my mind, about Raaja in 2009. So, I want my thoughts to end up on my blog rather than in separate replies here :)

[raagas]

Raja '09: Some awards



I protest. No award for 'Kooda varuviya'!.No award for "Shrungara Bangara"!! I hurt! I protest (but not with hunger strike, which has become a great weapon these days ;) )

[keeravaani]

All Ilayaraja fans, I know that Ilayaraja's fans are willing to give their lives for IR's music. I'm wondering why when ask them to vote they pay less attention. Without delaying lets vote for Maestro Ilayaraja.......Below is the link,

www.whopopular.com/Isaignani-Ilayaraja

Thanks,

[Raj4376]

[tscii:bd1dc57a72]How fascinating it is to watch the Moon!

Can there be any creature that is not attracted by the moon?

Astrologically, the placement of the moon in one’s horoscope determines the mental stability of a person. It is not without any reason that insane people are called lunatics(lunar-moon in Latin).As per Indian astrology, the moon also determines the looks of the person because the moon is supposed to be a very handsome man in Indian mythology-though the poets compare the moon with the face of a woman!

‘'There is something haunting in the light of the moon; it has all the dispassionateness of a disembodied soul, and something of its inconceivable mystery’' said the famous British novelist Joseph Conrad.

Moonlight is dispassionate; but it makes all of us passionate and there lies the beauty.

I cannot think of any famous poet who has not sung about the moon and the moonlight.

‘Sangam poets’, ‘ILango AdigaL’, ‘Kamban, ‘Bharati’, ‘Bharatidasan’, ‘Kannadasan’, ‘Vaali’..the list goes on..

One sees the different dimensions of the moon from the poets.
For example, in ‘Kamba Ramayanam’, Sita curses the moon since it evokes the viraha feeling- ‘neekkamindri nimirntha nilaakkadhir thaakka , venthu, thaLarnthu sarinthanaL’(the moonlight attacks her, and she falls unable to bear the heat).

The same Sita while describing Rama says ‘face like the moon’.In this context, the moon is beautiful and cool!

One can go on and on about the moon and the poets.

One of the most recent songs of Raaja sir strikes us like the cool rays of the moon.

It is ‘Nilavu Varum Neram’ from Jaganmohini(2009).

The opening is very interesting and we see the moonrise on a full-moon night.

The haunting light is depicted musically and as we get drenched in the beauty, the moon slowly begins to rise. It is imbued with grace and invested with spirit.

Pristine beauty!

We involuntarily vibrate to the beats(or is the rays?).

The Pallavi-in the fresh voices of Ujjaiyini and Swetha- makes us sway as the silver shell called the moon shines musically.

The first interlude is dexterous and colourful with the strings and the synth.We see the moon playfully passing through the clouds and emerging out with glee.

The CharaNam is full of honeyed phrases.

We see the reflection of the moon in the sea.
The child in us makes us chase the beam of light.

It waddles now(change in gait) and we enjoy each and every moment of it!

The second interlude is delectable.

The cool rays become intense and are now incandescent. We twirl and swirl.
The coruscating shafts of light mesmerize us.
It is now tranquil and serene.

A grand Spectacle!

Musical Moon..

ps:I know this is the '2009-Summation ' thread but I could not find a better thread to post about a lovely song of 2009.[/tscii:bd1dc57a72]

[tvsankar]

Raj,
Lovely write up for a lovely song.

இளையராஜாவும் இரவுப் பாடலும், எப்பொழுதும் தனிதன்மை வாய்ந்தவை.

அதில், இந்தப் பாடல், மயக்கும் நோக்குடன்,ஒரு மோஹினி
பாடுவது, அவளின் உணர்வுகள் என்பதை இசையில் உணர்த்தும்
இளையராஜாவும்.

அவரின் இசையில் இருக்கும் உணர்வுகளை எழுத்தில் உணர்த்திய நீங்களும் நிச்சயம் பாராட்டுக்குரியவர்தான்.

இதை போல, இன்னும் பல அரிய கட்டுரைகளை உஙக்ளிடம் இருந்து எதிர்பார்க்கும்,
உஷா சங்க்ர்.

[Punnaimaran]

உஷா,
பொதுவாக ஆங்கிலத்தில் இருக்கும் உங்கள் இடுகைகள் இன்று தமிழில் இருப்பது கண்டு மிக்க மகிழ்ச்சி. தொடரட்டும் உங்கள் இடுகைகள் தமிழில். :thumbsup:

[Raj4376]

How many of you have watched the Sun rise?

First the sky prepares itself and turns orange in the east.Then we see the white light gradually enveloping us chasing the darkness away.We now see flashes of red in the east.The other sides of the sky give an envious look to the blessed east.Even the waves in the sea go up and down slowly to watch the grand spectacle.

As we watch, a very small stream of orange light emanates and slowly....we see the orange ball..

No doubt Little Hanuman mistook it to be an orange fruit and flew to eat it.

Today as I came back from my work listless and haggard , I decided to switch on my i-pod and randomly chose a song from one of the new releases.

The song gave me a very different experience and that is what I have tried to describe in the beginning.

As I listened to the first interlude, I felt I was standing on the beach looking at the sun rise.Sun rise during dusk?

Yes..And all my tiredness was chased away by that glorious sunlight in the form of music..

Three beautiful and magnificent pieces in Western Classical with the piano base and very different sounding CharaNams that are as soft as the breeze.

The Bharati song in the beginning sounds so apt.

It is 'OLi Tharum sooriyan' (Valmiki).

Your music gives me the energy(like the sun) and is as beautiful as the moon..

[app_engine]

How many of you have watched the Sun rise?

என்ன சார் தமிழர்களைப்பார்த்து இப்படி ஒரு கேள்வி கேட்டுப்புட்டீங்க? :-) Just kidding :-)


Nice description for the "oLi tharum sooriyan" song.

I really love the 2nd interlude (this song also skips repeat of pallavi I think).

[Raj4376]

ஹஹாஹா!மிகவும் சரி!!தமிழர்கள் காணாத 'சூரியனா'?

பதிவைப்பற்றி எழுதியதற்கு நன்றி ஐயா!

[Sureshs65]

app_eng,

That is frozen sunrise :) Raj's question can be addressed to my room mate in olden days perfectly. Infact it could be addressed to many room mates :)

Anyway, lovely writeup by Raj on two of my favorite songs of last year. (Actually last year was full of favorite songs). 'Nilavu Varum Neram' has amazing energy and very good singing as well. The guitar which suddenly strums to finish a phrase adds so much color and energy to the song.

app_eng: You are right. 'oli tharum' skips the singing of pallavi the second time and proceeds to the second interlude directly. I think this was the song that kiru told would have been a super duper hit for its piano interludes had it been a western pop song!!!

[Raj4376]

The Music of Bengal is unique.

Rabindra(pronounced as Robindra) Sangeet is part of the culture of Bengal.Written and composed by Tagore, these songs are very deep and touch one's soul even if one does not understand the language.

The songs deal with varied themes and form the foundation of the Bengali ethos.

Apart from Robindra Sangeet, there is Baul Geet- a kind of gypsy/folf music-that deals with the philosophy of life in a go-easy manner.Bauls are people who do not believe in any particular religion and who believe that God resides in everybody's hearts and not in temples/mosques.

There are also Boatman's songs and general folk songs in bengali.

The Burmans adapted some wonderful songs and used them in Hindi films.

ILaiyaraaja, a great fan of S.D.Burman paid tribute to the culture of Bengal in 'Odam Ondru'(ThuNai IruppaL Meenakshi-1978) , and 'Soorai kaatril aaduthe'(Poottaatha PoottukkaL-1980) or for that matter the 'Ganga maa' song in Mahanadhi(1994).

His more recent song 'OnnukkoNu ThuNai Irukku' from Nandalala has a beautiful Bengali flavour.

Listening to this song gives a sense of peace, calmness and tranquility that is rather difficult to explain.It has to be experienced.

The prelude with the subtle but powerful percussion(a combination of ghatam and modern instruments) and the flute-again a combination of long and small sets the tone.

Yesudass' charming voice(though it sounds strained, it is not jarring!), the very simple and beautiful interludes, the special Raaja effect of the Flute playing in between the lines, the meaningful lyrics...all these make this another jewel in the crown of the Emperor!

The song reminds some people of 'Kanne Kalaimane' maybe because of the similar rhythmic pattern and the Raaja-Yesudass combination.

But it would surprise many if I say that the same pattern was used in that eerie song 'Vaazhve Maayama'(Gayatri-1977).

That is Raaja!!

[Plum]

raj, nice enjoyable post.

[Raj4376]

Thanks a lot Plum :D

[naarayanan]

welcome rajendra, to tfmpage. It would be great if you migrate some of your great posts here.

[Sureshs65]

Raj,

Nice perspective about Rabindra Sangeet. Never thought that way but once you mention it, it makes sense. Yup. You can hear the strain in the voice of that great singer but he effectively conveys the emotion. 'Nandalala' is an album which grows slowly and steadily, occupying a special place in your heart.

Waiting for you to write about 'edeya bagilu', 'rangu rangu' and 'chinna polike'. Three unique and fresh songs from Raja's stable.

[app_engine]

Yup. You can hear the strain in the voice of that great singer but he effectively conveys the emotion.

I read somewhere that there's going to be a charity show in a few days to collect funds for doing heart surgery to 70 people, to commemorate the 70th BD of KJY. (MSV / SPB / IR and many celebrities to attend).

For that age, he sounds a lot younger!

[Raj4376]

Thanks Naarayanan..Nice to know that you are following my writings in other forums :) .

Thanks Suresh!Shall write about those songs soon...

[Raj4376]

[tscii:40d8204e97]Situated at the edge of the Western Ghats in North Karnataka, Dharwad is a very interesting place.It is at the cusp of two geographical divisions-Hilly land with red soil and Plains with Black soil. .

Because of its unique location, it acted as a resting place for people climbing the mountains and therefore was called as the ‘Door to the Town’.Dhwara, meaning Entrance or Door and Wata or Wada, meaning Town combine to form Dharwad.

Maybe this unique location is also responsible for the rich Culture the region is known for.Yes, at least two Gnanpeet award winners hail from this region.

And some of the greatest legends of Hindustani Music hail from Dharwad.
Sawai Gandharwa, Kumar Gandharwa,Bhimsen Joshi, Gangubai Hangal, Mallikarjun Mansur..
The very mention of these names gives me goosepimples.

A very different nasal tone coupled with a very deep voice..That is what make the music of Dharwad unique.

‘Budu Budu Kayya’ from ‘Bhagyadha Balegaara’reminds me of the Dharwad music.One could even call it as Dharwad folk.

L.N.Shastri has done an admirable job in rendering the song.

‘Budu Budu Kayya’ is the tamizh equivalent ‘Gudu Gudupaikkaran’(where are these people now?).

The song set in Mayamalawagowla has an air of poignancy.The repetitive interludes are simple and have the native flavour.

The high-pitched plaintive rendering, the rhythm with pauses, the string instrument that follows the voice in the Pallavi, the rather continuous Charanam and above all the ‘Budu Budu Kayya’-that makes us sway- make us listen to this song again and again and again..

The Pallavi starts with the line ‘I shall tell you the future..’

Is it not a fact that the past(from 1976), the present and the future belong to the one and only Raaja? [/tscii:40d8204e97]

[jaiganes]

The Music of Bengal is unique.

Rabindra(pronounced as Robindra) Sangeet is part of the culture of Bengal.Written and composed by Tagore, these songs are very deep and touch one's soul even if one does not understand the language.

The songs deal with varied themes and form the foundation of the Bengali ethos.

Apart from Robindra Sangeet, there is Baul Geet- a kind of gypsy/folf music-that deals with the philosophy of life in a go-easy manner.Bauls are people who do not believe in any particular religion and who believe that God resides in everybody's hearts and not in temples/mosques.

There are also Boatman's songs and general folk songs in bengali.

The Burmans adapted some wonderful songs and used them in Hindi films.

ILaiyaraaja, a great fan of S.D.Burman paid tribute to the culture of Bengal in 'Odam Ondru'(ThuNai IruppaL Meenakshi-1978) , and 'Soorai kaatril aaduthe'(Poottaatha PoottukkaL-1980) or for that matter the 'Ganga maa' song in Mahanadhi(1994).

His more recent song 'OnnukkoNu ThuNai Irukku' from Nandalala has a beautiful Bengali flavour.

Listening to this song gives a sense of peace, calmness and tranquility that is rather difficult to explain.It has to be experienced.

The prelude with the subtle but powerful percussion(a combination of ghatam and modern instruments) and the flute-again a combination of long and small sets the tone.

Yesudass' charming voice(though it sounds strained, it is not jarring!), the very simple and beautiful interludes, the special Raaja effect of the Flute playing in between the lines, the meaningful lyrics...all these make this another jewel in the crown of the Emperor!

The song reminds some people of 'Kanne Kalaimane' maybe because of the similar rhythmic pattern and the Raaja-Yesudass combination.

But it would surprise many if I say that the same pattern was used in that eerie song 'Vaazhve Maayama'(Gayatri-1977).

That is Raaja!!

It never struck me to connect rabindra sangeet with this song.
One thing that always has my mind on a tizzy while hearing this song is the way the soft cymbal crashes on the drum set are programmed. The beat pattern is very unique for a slow melancholic song and yet is being employed here.

[app_engine]

the way the soft cymbal crashes on the drum set

Raja is a specialist in employing this kind of high frequency sounds in unexpected places (either the way the instrument is combined with others which could be unconventional or the mood that the sound creates which is opposite to the traditional employment).

My cousin used to get a huge kick out of the "ching-chaw" instrument being played along with electric guitar (orE nAL unai nAn 2nd interlude, AnandhaththEn kAtRu thAlAttudhE 1st interlude for e.g.) :-)