The experience of listening to songs during sunset is just something else. V_S sir and skr, I too could feel the mystical vibe through this song. V_S sir, your analysis just adds more intensity to the glory of these songs.
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The experience of listening to songs during sunset is just something else. V_S sir and skr, I too could feel the mystical vibe through this song. V_S sir, your analysis just adds more intensity to the glory of these songs.
Maalai Sevvaanam... what a wonderful song... and yet again a never heard one for me. Beautiful writeup V_S, take a bow :notworthy: The pleasure of listening to the song along with reading your writeup is truly exceptional.
The imagery painted in this song by the Maestro through his orchestration is totally spellbinding :notworthy: The interludes along with that lovely choir just soaks you up in bliss. I can keep listening to this gem continuously for a long time, it's that addictive of a song.
Thank you Sunil and rajkumarc for your wonderful comments. Yes, the choir and interludes are fantastic, but it's unfortunate that these brilliant melodies were/are not much heard. Mainly because the movie is unknown to many. I too discovered this rare gem recently.
V_S'ji, beautiful pick... :D first time hearing.. ipdi oru padam irukkarathe theriyathu :sad:
Thanks raajarasigan. Very glad you like it :D
Maalai Chevvaanam is still lingering in my heart.. indha paattu ennamo pannuthu.. :D
That can never be reproduced elsewhere but in our minds. A sensation that science cannot discover the reason behind. An agnostic by faith, but a spiritualist when it comes to music this grouch is. V_S, taking time to produce those writing, I know its labour of love, but giving your all and generosly in sharing it with us...that's totally something. I have run out of praise words, and can only say that your writing is awesome :smile:
Well said grouch! It is always my pleasure to write about his music, whatever little I know, as he has given me those awesome moments. Can't thank you enough for encouraging me always with your great and motivational comments. Thank you so much:smile:
ThOppiloru Naadagam Nadakkuthu - KallukuL Eeram
Those who spent their childhood/youth in villages or towns can relate these songs very much and can feel how special these songs are for them. Thinking of this song evokes lot of childhood memories. The setting of the song takes me to one of those places where we spent hours singing, dancing, climbing on every tree around, right from Banyan tree, to the tallest cocunut tree, make beautiful swing out of the 'thaambu kayiru', stealing fruits and get caught, running behind and attacking lizards with the surukku kayiru made from thin coconut tree leaf stick and what not. Bharathiraja made the visuals more interesting and arresting. It is good fun to see young Vijayashanthi, Janakaraj, Sudhakar, Aruna and of course Bharathiraja with lot other kids. I never watched this film, but heard a lot about this film from my chithi. My mother, her sisters were very crazy about any new films those days. Since we were kids, they will mostly leave us with our grandmother and go for many films only to come back and get scolding from my grandfather. We used to enjoy the fun. :smile: Siru Ponmani was most famous (still it does thanks to James Vasanthan) followed by ThOppiloru Naadagam. Even when I was a kid, I could feel something new and fresh and never heard kind of feeling those days. Especially ThOppilloru Naadagam gave that feeling, mainly due to unconventional start, hard rustic voice of Maestro, and the playful tune with some unique sounds. During later years, when we grew up, we could understand why these songs were considered classics.
Actually this song is not a Raja - SPS duet, it is Malaysia Vasudevan - SPS duet, with Maestro giving his voice only at the start, for the director (BR). Yet didn't want to miss this song and the fun mainly for S P Shailaja. Even when we have two male playback singers, this song totally belongs to S P Shailaja. Again no one can replace her in these songs, and no replacement for her till today in these circumstances. She has sung hundreds of songs for Maestro. She is very versatile, she can sing erotic Saamakozhi, melodic MalargaliL Aadum, sober SOlai Kuyile, classical Aanandha ThEn Kaatru, and many fun and peppy songs like this one. She has the perfect voice which suits every mood. It is unfortunate that she was under the shadows of PS and SJ those days and not utilized at all today. Still she sings the same. Due to her striking voice and rendering all her songs were instantly likable and became big hits. One of my favorite play back singers of all time.
Guessing the song situation. Aruna sees a film shooting session in her village and tries to mimic like the director (BR). So she rehearses a make-belief dance sequence with his team on a beautiful location under shades of banyan and peepal trees. The song also has a dream sequence of her (friends) actors with their lovers. Aruna as a director guides her team for a dance sequence when she encounter a series of fun moments and disruptions. Maestro has a serious challenge now. The location is a village and the song is more of a event driven rather than a plain situation song.
Let's see what instruments he picks up. For percussion he chooses two instruments; folk drums and tabla with Guitar, keyboard, flute and shenai/clarinet. Flute is used just for 8 seconds in the whole song. That is negligible. Apart from folk drums, no native instruments were used for this out and out folk kuthu song. What is he going to do with guitar, keyboard and shenai? We know Maestro always choses guitar for the bass. If you think that way, you are wrong. Please see why he chose guitar. Out and out daring, this guy is!
Let us see how Maestro approaches this song.
I would even go the extent of saying this one as Maestro's first acapella (playful I mean), if not full fledged like the Naan Poranthathu from Maaya Bazaar. During our childhood many of us might have mimic'ed like various instruments while playing. Maestro takes that as a cue and develops this song. This shows that Maestro never forgets basics when composing any song. He takes those emotions of our life and constructs this wonder. In that respect, I was saying this as the simplest acapella as all the sounds in the prelude are from vocals (with the folk drums which appear later). Since acapella was introduced during the Renaissance period, this prelude can even be considered as that style of music, but just a precursor for Maaya Bazaar song.
The song starts with 'Ready'aa and 'start soundu'. Some beautiful and all kinds of voice rhythms given by SPS I think. That's amazing!. When SPS starts 'ThOppiloru Naadagam nadakkuthu YelelangkiLiyE', the director (Aruna) tells 'cut'. Then she adjusts her voice to that of the actual director. That's where Raja's voice comes in and teaches how to sing the song with his rustic voice. After he finishes teaching the first line, everyone laughs and Raja says 'Silence'. I love when Raja utters 'Silence' with that dramatic touch. Then the actual shot takes place with SPS taking over the rest of the pallavi. Lot of events already. Till now he has used only percussion (with bass guitar of course) in the pallavi.
Each interlude is of 1 minute (in the video) for a 4.30 minute song. Very rare these days. Hear the starting of the first interlude. Few seconds of guitar shower (counterpoint with bass guitar). Then comes the keyboard (or is it harmonium? beautiful sound that is) followed by an abrupt stop there and a chorus lazy cry. Video tells us why there is a pause there. BR might have worked with IR on every nuances. The flute even though it comes for very short duration, steals the show. Again guitar showers to end the interlude. Except for a short duration flute, he almost covered the entire interlude with just guitar and keyboard for this kuthu song. Maestro demonstrates how to play guitar and instruments and make it sound folkish. Unless we take a close notice, we can no way say it is a guitar, because he joins two of them at different octaves giving different melody on its own, but the combined sound is astonishing to hear. This is the sound of authentic folk from a western instrument. Brilliant is the least word to say!
Maestro keeps charanam shorter to compensate for the interlude. There is also a reason for that. Both the charanams are for the dream sequence. In first charanam, it is a dream sequence between Vijayashanthi and Sudhakar with VS thinking about him, while the second charanam, Janakaraj dreams about Vijayashanthi. Maestro cleverly switches the percussion from drums to tabla here in charanams. That's where the real melody comes in the song. He chose Malaysia Vasudevan to sing the charanams with SPS. Even for an outright kuthu song, Maestro never compromises on melody. This is an excellent proof for that. Since this is a dream, it has to end soon as they are in the middle of rehearsal. So Maestro keeps the charanams short. There is a reason for every second of his composition. Despite beautiful melody in charanam.
He switches to drums in pallavi and again there is a pause there with 'cut'. Vijayashanthi is still unable to come out of her dreams. Maestro employs a variation in the percussion there while the director approaches her. Then the second interlude starts with the chorus. Next 25 seconds we are going to be in a state of bliss. We have come to the best part of this song. First Guitar cuts through while adding another hard hitting rock guitar in tandem. If this is not enough, we have shenai following it, for a dream run. Yes it is for Janakaraj's dream, imagining his lover dancing to this western rocking guitar. Then he joins her when shenai plays, when flute also joins.
It is also interesting to hear how the song ends (video does not have this). Haan…Ayyayya…Cut with the chorus laugh. Simply brilliant! I can go all the way to my childhood here!
With this composition, we have seen the oldest Renaissance style of music, WCM concepts, rock classic. It would also be based on some carnatic raagam as well. All these genres and styles joining and giving hands to this tremendous TN kuthu song. We also witnessed how Maestro develops a full blown song from a small cue. We also saw the list of events, pauses, rhythm variations et all. We almost saw a shooting rehearsal in the form of a song. With this we also saw various emotions. Starting from fun elements to the love dreams. Have we ever heard anything like this before?
But to enjoy this song, we don't need to know anything about renaissance, baroque, WCM, rock, carnatic classical or anything. How that is possible? That is the best kept secret of every Maestro's compositions. The recent example is the Idhayam POguthe which was essenced out of Schubert’s symphony. Until we know this, this was just a sober folk number. After we knew this, what difference did it make? Nothing at all, except the song would have reached greater heights in our hearts. Still it is the same composition, nothing changed.
Unlike many assume, he uses WCM technique and all complex stuffs which they don't understand. I too don’t understand. The problem is only when you come to know that Maestro has used all these techniques, you become perplexed. But in reality when you actually hear the song, you can never say that. His music is always as simple as this song. On the whole, the composition will look richer due to all these elements, that is all. Maestro keeps all these techniques and elements behind and only brings/stresses the melody and its associated mood in front. These techniques are visible only when you are willing to open your windows to get more sunlight. This is his style right from his first days till today, nothing changed at all. Only his techniques have changed. Unfortunately this is not well understood recently.
Maestro's music is all about emotions, all the emotions right from our birth till our death, not just our emotions, emotions of the people, nature and the world, no exceptions. Maestro only requests us to just sit back and enjoy and bring back our glorious childhood memories through this song!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6eamWWvHcA
http://thiraipaadal.com/album.php?AL...R00255&lang=en (Etho Ninaivugal is listed wrongly here, it is from the film Agal viLakku)
Exactly!Quote:
Originally Posted by V_Sji
Great write-up, V_Sji!
One of my school-age favourite albums / songs!