G.Ramanathan

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Topic started by Udhaya (@ 207.218.76.4) on Fri Dec 18 22:03:13 EST 1998.
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http://tfmpage.com/forum/12249.19:43:36.html
This is just a reference since it mainly talks about his filmography.

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I want a separate thread for Creativity of GR. It's not asking for much since the DF landscape is entirely smothered with IR and ARR. This would make people realize that Thamizh Film Music was around before these two contemporaries.

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Udhaya: I too support it. I just posted this link so that people can remind themselves of his films, if needed and not start a discussion on that again.

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I was recently listening again to 'yaaradi nee mohini' from uthamapuththiran. WOW! A real foot tapper.. one of the best such songs I have heard. I cannot comment on the styles he has adapted in this etc.. maybe some one more knowledgeable can help out here... I am sure there is some kind of western influence in this song. I really mean influence and not "influence" .

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munnazhagu kanniyargal is a fantstic seduction type song of those days. i like the in between stanzas too. the tune is really pleasing. u get seduced too along with sivaji ganesan!!!

G.Ramanathan also effectively uses kaanada in the song'mullai malar meele' from the same film. another pleasing melody!

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Well, if you're looking for comparisons to contemporary composers - he too recycled his tunes (creatively).
e.g. dheena karunakarane nataraja neelakantane (MKT, ashok kumar) reappeared in madurai veeran as yEchi pizhaikkum vaazhve sarithaanaa ennippaarunga (TMS, PLeela).

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GR was AFAIK, the first MD to use the raga Charukesi in film music. The song 'manmadha lIlaiyai venRAr uNdO' was acknowledged to be a good charukesi even by renowned musicians. I think he used a lot of Maand, and I can recall at least 3 instances of Kurinji in his compositions. His BGM was very ordinary, IMHO.

G.Ramaswamy

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GR: During most of GR's era, people had to score BGM while the movie was being filmed i.e. live BGM, not to mntion live recording of songs. That might have hampered his style and might not have allowed him to develop his BGM skill during later days also. (I am sure duirng Uththamapuththiran days, re-recording was available.)

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GR followed it up with a another great Charukesi number, "Vasantha Mullai pole vanthu" sung by TMS. His Maand creation that comes to mind is "Ulavum thendral kaatrinile" with a waltz beat.
Did you notice that some of his songs had just one charanam ie one large stanza only like the above song, "Vaarai Nee Vaarai", "Ullam rendum ondru" (sung by CS Jayaraman and Jikki) in "Puthumai Pithan".

His "Varaamuthe" in "Ambikapathy" is the first love duet set to Mugari.

His "Kangalaal kaathal kaaviyam" in "Sarangathaara" had a fastish waltz beat with very short "santhams", a very good song.

An interesting fact to note is that GR and VR scored music for some movies together.