Malaysian Deepavali Show - RAJANNA RAJA THAAN - From Annak..

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Topic started by Manisekaran (@ 202.156.2.8) on Sun Nov 7 05:23:27 EST 2004.


Last year I did a show on Ilayaraja for Deepavali. IT was so great a hit that the ASTRO Private TV Station is repeating on 9 NOvember at 4.00 pm Malaysian time. This is called RAJANNA RAJATHAAN- covering 25 years of Raja's music contribution. From Annakkili to Azhagi. A great hit. If you can, pls do catch it. You can post your comments on the show here, and I'll respond to them.
Thanks.

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Old responses



Archive: http://forumhub.lunarpages.com/hub/viewforum.php?f=13

[Manisekaran]

Dear Friends,

Plese do not welcome me back. I notice that there have been many hits, presumably waiting for me to come back. I happened to be free today and visited the thread. I have given a list of possible songs for you to start off the third round- this time with you taking the lead and I joining occassionally. But that has not materialised. So I am kicking off this third round, with the hope others would continue.


I dedicate this song to tvshanker from Hosur- Coimbatore and CSRamasami



33.IDHAYAM ORU KOVIL

The film Idhaya Kovil (1985) took Tamilnadu by storm, as all the songs were soul stirring. That was yet one more movie of Raja that further strengthened the relationship between Maniratnam and Raja. The movie was the talk of the industry and the South Indians all over the world. Raja was back to his old tricks, he made it almost impossible for music lovers to choose the best or the favourite. All songs became favourites. Just look at the list:


1. Idhayam Oru Kovil - by SPB

2. Idhayam Oru Kovil - by Ilayaraja

3. Koottathile Koyile Pura - SPB

4. Naan Padum Mouna ragam- SPB

5. Oor Orama Athupakkam –Ilayaraja and Chitra

6. Pattu Thalaivan padinaal -SPB , Janaki

7. Vanuyarntha Solaiyellaam- SPB

8. Yaar Veetu Roja -SPB


The movie had a strong storyline. It is said that behind the success of any man is a woman. The hero becomes a famous singer with the backing coming from his girl. As she is killed, he is heartbroken and drags on his life singing in her memory. He becomes a habitual drinker and that is when he becomes philosophical in life, singing many songs. He is then being rehabilitated by one more lady and the story flows. In real life too behind the success of many poets there seem to be love failure(s)....

More than the story line, we see a powerful message in the movie. We see the opening of the heart of Ilayaraja- to almost the fullest extent on music. He has mentioned in passing on music. but here, he writes the lyrics, and composes a music that would always go down in our hearts. Again Raja sings with all his heart, filling the ears of the listeners with emotions. The description "RAAJAVIN PAATENRA POTHINILE INBA THEN VANTHU PAAYUDHU KAATHINILE could well be attributed to this song. It is in this song that Raja brings out clearly what he considers music. All along he maintained that “Music is not my occupation; but my breath.” More than any other MD, Ilayaraja has spoken most of music. He is not only an MD, but worshipper of music descending from the Heavenly Father, our Creator. This is what the MAESTRO says about music. All of us have observed that Ilayaraja has taken music as his life breath itself. Those who had worked closely with Raja, such as Valee would have witnessed the full devotion and deep commitment in scoring music of quality that would live forever and ever. To Raja, music does not stop at composing alone. To him lyrics must be of value, and that had deteriorated after the unfortunate and untimely demise of the greatest of all time Kannadasan. Pronunciation too must be clear, and Raja has set example when he himself sang the songs he composed. Vairamuthu, at a time when he was almost completely dependent upon Ilayaraja for his image and future, openly said that whatever Ilayaraja breathed out was music.

Raja's press interviews, special essays, his travels to Europe to pay tribute to the immortal musicians, all build upon this strong fact that Ilayaraja considered music divine and even beyond that. He often said that good music should not merely be composed, but should compose by itself- almost spontaneously. Any forced composition would be artificial. And music must have some basic carnatic touch.

Ilayaraja is reported to have said “Music is the repetition- of seven notes, while poem is the repetition of a few words.”

1. Let us go through the lines of Idhayam oru Kovil”. To him music is not an occupation but breath. The appropriate line is:
“ISAIYAI MALARAAY NAANUM SOOTTUVAEN”

2. Music to him originates from one’s soul, and the line is :
“UYIRIN JEEVA NAADIDHAAN RAAGAM THAALAM AANADHAE
UYIRIL KALANDHU PAADUMBOADHU EDHUVUM PAADALAE”

3. To him no one is able to create new music. God is the only creator. The MDs are merely magician-like who retune and recycle the seven swaras. The only new creation is his life. This is it:

“PAADALGAL ORU KOADI EDHUVUM PUDHIDHALLA
RAAGANGAL KOADI KOADI ADHUVUM PUDHIDHALLA
ENADHU JEEVAN ONRUDHAAN ENRUM PUDHIDHU”

4. Ilayaraja shows to us the level of respect and reverence he has for Saint Thiagarayar. In a world that seeks lust for the flesh, Thiagarayar used the living music as a divine path. He used that divine music to light up his own life. He and music became inseparable, as he was music itself. Thiagarayar's life was nothing but music. Likewise Raja too equates that the life for his own songs was also music, as in the case of Thiagarayar. He too, like Thiagarayar is inseparable from music. These are those thought provoking lines:

KAAMAM THAEDUM ULAGILAE JEEVAN ENNUM GEEDHATHTHAAL
RAAMA NAAMAN MEEDHILAE NAADHATH THIYAAGARAAJARUM
OONAI URUKKI UYIRIL VILAKKU AETRINAARAMMAA
AVAR PAADALIN JEEVAN ADHUVAE AVARAANAAR
EN PAADALIN JEEVAN EDHUVOA ADHU NEEYAE
NEEYUM NAANUM ONRUDHAAN ENGAE PIRIVADHU

I have seen Ilayaraja singing this song at all concerts where he was present. This song was very dear to his heart. I would say that this is one of my own favorites. I see a few things in this song, rarely seen in other songs of his- excellent music, good lyrics and emotion in the song, and of course the message and heart of the MAESTRO.


The full lyrics:
idhayam oru koavil adhil udhayam oru paadal
idhil vaazhum dhaevi nee
isaiyai malaraay naanum soottuvaen (2)
(idhayam oru)
aathma raagam onrildhaan vaazhum uyirgal enrumae
uyirin jeeva naadidhaan raagam thaalam aanadhae
uyiril kalandhu paadumboadhu edhuvum paadalae
paadalgal oru koadi edhuvum pudhidhalla
raagangal koadi koadi adhuvum pudhidhalla
enadhu jeevan onrudhaan enrum pudhidhu
(idhayam oru)
kaamam thaedum ulagilae jeevan ennum geedhaththaal
raama naaman meedhilae naadhath thiyaagaraajarum
oonai urukki uyiril vilakku aetrinaarammaa
avar paadalin jeevan adhuvae avaraanaar
en paadalin jeevan edhuvoa adhu neeyae
neeyum naanum onrudhaan engae pirivadhu
(idhayam oru)
neeyum naanum poavadhu kaadhal enra paadhaiyil
saerum naeram vandhadhu meedhith thooram paadhiyil
paadhai onru aanapoadhum dhisaigal vaerammaa
enadhu paadhai vaeru unadhu paadhai vaerammaa
meeraavin kannan meeraavidamae
enadhaaruyir jeevan enai aandaayae
vaazhga enrum valamudan enrum vaazhgavae
(idhayam oru)

Listen to 'Idhaya koyil' songs: http://www.musicindiaonline.com/l/26/s/movie_name.4478/

Dear Readers, please keep the thread flowing.


Vanakkam

Vaazhga Valamudan.
Manisekaran

[rajasaranam]

nandri manisekaran avargale
ungal thodar mutru petradaal varuthangalodu

[csramasami]

Thanks a lot for your wonderful bottom-of-the-heart expressions about Raaja ! As you rightly said, it is difficult to pick and choose from this film album. Whether the heartfelt rendering of Idhayam Oru kovil, or the Swaraproyagam of Kootathile kovil pura, the racing violin pieces of Yaar Veettu Roja, the simplest but prickling violin + guitar strums interludes of Naan Paadum Mouna Raagam, the stunning and soulful female humming in the Vaanuyarndha Solaiyile.... ! what can we leave.. nothing! Raaja at his effortless best stroke !

I appreciate your sincere efforts to encourage everybody to contribute to this wonderful page. Readers will cetainly carry further, I strongly believe !

CSR

[jaiganes]

Thanks mani sir for giving us a lead to the next chain of songs.
Idhayam Oru koil ruled when the movie was released. Every tea shop. every cassette shop and every bus had this song , so much so one felt that there were two "rajyas" at that time. One was Rajeev Gandhi's Panchayath Raj propaganda and the other was our Raaja's musical Raajya.
When I heard the song first couple of times, two things were striking:
1. The words chosen had no rhyme when the lyric was read. I used to wonder that ther must be a "sandha p pizhai" , a mistake in the sandham. But when I heard SPB's voice sweetly pushing the song into my heart, I realized that critical analysis is possible only if the song originated as a thought. Any work of art that arises as a feeling transcends thought and associated criticism! This song is a classical example. In kumudam that year (1986 I guess) there was an interview by Vairamuthu or some other Thamizh poet who lashed out at this song saying that the song had grammatical errors and it became popular only due to music. It was quite a controversy at that time and Kumudham was at its "sindu mudinjufying" best. IR kept quite but the resounding success of the music and the soul it projected was simply his answer.

2. In all film songs, the percussion like mrudangam and tabla were only 'meter' instruments, an index of the speed and the jadhi. Apart from that they had no value. But listen to this song carefully. When SPB's voice stops "Endrum Pudhidhu.." the tabla takes over from where he left and joins the interlude music, a way IR had used flute in "annak kili onnai thedudhe". It was another dimension of usage of tabla, where it provides continuity and enhances the melody. My friends used to practise this song vigorously and it was in short a tabla player's dream to play this song in a kutcheri!

[nkv]

And moreover, at that time there was a common beilief among directors/producers that if Ilayaraja sings teh Title song, the film will become a hit.. I think this song is one good example for that..

[Manisekaran]

rajasaranam, csramasami,jaiganes and nkv,

Thank you for the response. There is a saying "Izhukudaya Paattukku Isai nanru" meanig, should there be grammatical errors in the lyrics composition, the melody or tune would come in to rescue the situation. Cine songs are composed for the santham. Music directors provide the tune first and lines are given by the song writers. This is called Thaththagaram. Where songs are written independantly with no presence of the MDs ths songs and the tunes come out well. Most fo Kannadasan's songs for KVM were composed without they meeting together, and KVM has that great ability to compose without changing even a single line, unless Appu-(Pugazhendhi) an ardent Tamil lover detects any mistake. That may explain why songs by KVM and Kannadasan are still ab out the best. MSV cannot compose without the presence of the song writer. He would demand for change of words to suit his tune.

Vairamuthu is one more who composes only in the presence of the MDs. I do not want to speculate anything else. When I met him in his house in December 1999, he told me that there were only 2 songs that he composed in advance and passed them over to the MDs for music.

So paadal varikalil mayakkam is always there in all lyrics.

1. Kathum Kuyilosai Satre vanthu Kathil Vizha VEndum- BHARATHY- Should be "Koovum Kuyilosai" critics say.

2. Neerodum Vaikayile Ninraadum Meene
Neiyoorum Kaanagathil Kai Kaattum maane? - good tune, but unable to grasp the meaning.

3. Kathirunthu Kaathirunthu Perumai Izhanthen(paarthu Paarthu NInrathile)
- should be PORUMAI, not Perumai. PB Seenivas tried to justify this when we met along with Vairamuthu in Woodlands Drive Inn in December 1984.

4.Madhavi Pon mayilaal Thogai Virithaal-

Thogai Viruppathu Aan mayil, not female as indicated in PON MAYILAAL.

So once again, cinema songs are composed for the santham. kavithai is different from cinema paadal.


manisekaran

[Manisekaran]

One fan emailed me to say that the song Ithayam Oru Kovil, like any other song sung by Ilayaraja has some speciality. It appears as Ilayaraja speaks directly to the listeners. I do agree with this particular song, where I feel Ilayaraja is singing and conveying his thoughts direct to us.

manisekaran

[nkv]

Dear Mani Sir & Others,
Though a deviation from IR topic - just wanted to pass this info. The 'Appu' you were mentioning about, known as Pukazhenthi, expired yesterday.. He has been assistant to KVM for more than 600 movies..