Re: Megha / மேகா

Raaga_Suresh Thu Sep 12, 2013 8:43 am

RajaDivine,

I especially love the bass portions in the 'enna vendum' song. He maintains a lovely flow throughout the song.

I suddenly start humming some part of interlude or prelude of any song from 'Megha'. They have entered deep into my mind, especially the guitar bit in 'jeevane jeevane'.

crimson king Thu Sep 12, 2013 5:24 pm

RaajaDivine wrote:I feel he is consciously leaving out not only indian classical instruments like veena, shehnai, tabla, mridangam, etc., he is also avoiding indian classical 'gamakkams' in the compositions. He is still using complex western classical gamakkams especially with wind-instruments (like the one where he corrects the instrument player in the teaser video).

This is especially applicable to NEPV and Megha. The one song I have heard from CNC, Kallale Senju, fits much more into traditional IR type of songs. I think he used to write songs without much carnatic gamakkams even in the 80s or so. Raja Raja Cholan, Kannan Vandhu, O Butterfly - and all three songs don't have Indian instruments either. But in the 80s he was still writing songs for urban settings that also involved Indian instruments like Nilave Vaa. That has changed now and he seems to have almost two different approaches for the urban films and the rural ones, respectively. That kind of fits into the developments in Indian film music over the last 2 decades. Up to the 90s, urban based songs still used to have a more Indian sound from time to time but in the current century, it has shifted much more to a Westernised approach. It seems in 2003, SRK asked Jatin Lalit to change dholak with octopad for the song Tauba Tumhare Ye Ishaare from Chalte Chalte because he felt dholaks were now outdated. They obliged and the rest is history.

app_engine Thu Sep 12, 2013 5:45 pm

crimson king wrote:
They obliged and the rest is history.

I often hear this "only western instruments and stripping off traditional Indian" being hyped.

Earlier, there had been many messages as to how Maniratnam requested rAsA to refrain from touching tablA for agni natchaththiram and he obliged. (This SRK thingy is just another variation of that).

While there must definitely be plenty of non-IR examples from IFM of "not-using-Indian", I can quickly point out to the 1980 movie 'moodupani' (IR's 100th and not 900th Laughing

) where he simply stayed with "western" for the whole album. EVK could be another example of unadulterated "western" (to be confirmed as I'm yet to listen to the high-q versions).

I guess MR - SRK kind of people prevailing over musicians as "pioneering / first-of-its-kind" stuff is just for making news and shouldn't be taken seriously Smile

app_engine Thu Sep 12, 2013 5:48 pm

The case of tablA not being part of NEPV / mEghA kind of albums could even be due to logistics Wink

(London recording / BSO musicians etc...why add additional Indian players-layers'nu irukkalAm)

crimson king Thu Sep 12, 2013 6:07 pm

app_engine wrote:
I guess MR - SRK kind of people prevailing over musicians as "pioneering / first-of-its-kind" stuff is just for making news and shouldn't be taken seriously

I was not aware of these MR claims. However, in the SRK case, I have heard one of the two of Jatin-Lalit, probably Lalit, confirm this in a TV programme and that is how I came to know of it. If he says so, I believe him. Jatin Lalit used to stick to a kind of RDB-derivative template throughout the 90s (and so did Anu Malik and Nadeem Shravan to a large extent). That was the defining Bollywood sound of the 90s and for better or worse it is practically gone. As someone who is regularly 'subjected' to the latest Bollywood songs on radio, I can confirm that when tabla or other Indian percussion/melodic instruments are used these days in a song, we practically sit up and take notice. What used to be the norm has become so rare now that it's a 'novelty'. I am talking about trends here and not one off films like Agni. The current trend heavily favours Western instruments, especially Western percussion, in urban based film songs.

app_engine Thu Sep 12, 2013 7:19 pm

crimson king,
I didn't question you. Smile

Neither do I question such news reports which could very well be true (MR / SRK are capable of telling their preferences to MDs definitely).

Just that I find it difficult accepting the "trend-setting-thingy" by these non-musicals to be a fact (i.e. MR or SRK decided / set the music world's trend once forever & history is changed etc are hard to buy)...

For e.g. IR didn't stick to AN format after that. We know what kind of score he gave for geethAnjali & thaLabathi to the same director that were post-AN. (Anjali was more in AN mould). Also, look at the kind of score he kept giving to others for years! Even his successors in TFM - including ARR - had to have tablA for years. (Going by the reality shows / success of kumki kind of albums, even now traditional sounds are not dead).

Same thing holds good for HFM as well. Though I don't listen to that music regularly, I happen to watch many big hit indhi movies of recent years that feature very many dhOlak songs. SRK or XYZ cannot simply create history that way!

I agree, however, that MAJORITY of city-based movies totally avoid traditional instruments.

That is MAINLY because of the technological changes in music industry. (Give major credit to ARR for setting "clear-sound" trend there).

Also, cost saving / non-availability of musicians / difficulty in getting quality sounds with live instruments etc. It's not just dhOlak or tablA, I don't think even jazz drums are played and recorded for the most part anymore Laughing

They all gave way to electronic gizmos (same case even with strings / winds that are generated by keyboards).

crimson king Thu Sep 12, 2013 7:31 pm

Oh, I was just kidding with the 'rest is history' part....of course I don't think the trend took root BECAUSE SRK said so. But that prod to JL to use octopad basically reflected the changing fashions at that time. Jatin Lalit were/would gradually give way to new composers like SEL, Pritam, Vishal Shekar, so many tried and trusted sounds of Hindi music began to get phased out. When a ghazal (Phir Le Aya Dil) was introduced in the Barfi soundtrack, it was like "oh, they are playing ghazal after a long time" whereas Hindi film music was full of ghazals from 50s to 80s and there were still the occasional ghazals even in the 90s.

I agree that most of the change was due to technological factors. Nowadays they create music almost entirely on their synthesizer so they don't use a large band of musicians anymore. The tabla is just one of the casualties of this.

Now, coming to the revival, we have seen tabla songs returning every now and then...esp in the Salman hits Dabbang and Dabbang 2. So there is a feeling perhaps that this sound is more suitable for the Hindi heartland. Maybe a similar thought process is at work w.r.t Kumki. It is interesting that you mention how ARR also used/uses tabla. At that time, I think the composers still had links to the traditional film music approach, which was very much Indian music-based. I think post ARR, the new crop of composers were less comfortable with the Indian medium. I confess I don't have the patience to note all the details of lots of HJ and Yuvan songs because I simply couldn't care less laugh

but their music gives the impression they are more at home with Western arrangements? Likewise...I don't remember what exactly was said, but in an interview with SEL, they said Shankar Mahadevan's role was to bring the raga connection and Ehsaan and Loy were more of "write-songs-through-chords" composers. So there was also an attitude shift at that time and with all the hype over multiplexes and 'multiplex movies', there was a major shift in the sound towards Western. Maybe Imman/Sajid-Wajid represent a reaction to that trend. Whenever there is a pull sharply in one direction in culture, there is also another one in the opposite direction...generally speaking, that is. For 40 years, people were so used to listening to tabla/dholak/sitar/veena that perhaps they took it for granted. After a hiatus, maybe these same instruments sound fresher to them.

app_engine Thu Sep 12, 2013 8:01 pm

dig

After a hiatus, maybe these same instruments sound fresher to them.

But, vAsikka AL kidaikkAdhu Smile

Even those available will struggle to play and composer has to "simplify" (so as to be not sadistic) Laughing

Hmmm...pudhusA "school" ellAm thodangi ALungaLa develop paNRangannu kELvippattEn Wink

end-dig

fring151 Thu Sep 12, 2013 8:06 pm

One point on Indian instruments - I think the flute has always been there, even though other instruments' use might have declined. And the Indian flute has a distinctly different tone compared to the the western flute, which again is mostly used only by Raja...

Raaga_Suresh Thu Sep 12, 2013 9:20 pm

CR,

SEL had a more Indian sound and after some time that became their template and ppl started criticizing them for that. They sounded the most 'Indian' amongst ARR, VS, Pritam et al.

'Dabang' has that lovely 'dagabaaz re' which takes us back to the Kishore Kumar era.

As app says, Raja has done only western type of films. Infact another not so true image which is spread by vested interest is that of Raja being a 'violin-tabla' man and that Rahman was the one who abolished tabla from the scene. This is patently untrue since RD had already done so many songs wherein he had not used tabla. And this was before Raja's entry into the scene.

Raja's philosophy is quite clear. He will give what the film needs. If it is an urban film, it will have sounds which reflect the current urban reality. Whereas a film which is more rural will get sounds which will touch the hearts of the rural listeners. In the olden days, this divide was not very deep but it has grown deep nowadays. Raja is probably the only one trying to patch up this divide.

RaajaDivine Thu Sep 12, 2013 11:58 pm

Raaga_Suresh wrote:RajaDivine,

I especially love the bass portions in the 'enna vendum' song. He maintains a lovely flow throughout the song.

I suddenly start humming some part of interlude or prelude of any song from 'Megha'. They have entered deep into my mind, especially the guitar bit in 'jeevane jeevane'.

I do the same as well Raaga_Suresh! It is impossible not to get immersed in the world of Megha and I don't see myself get out of it in the foreseeable future Smile

This speaks to the high density/richness in Raaja's music - musically rich preludes, interludes and the overall polyphonic nature of all of his compositions just allows you to plunge the depths much longer than with songs from other composers. Most composers hardly have anything to convey musically in their interludes and the awkwardness shows. They loop the simplest of progressions multiple times to force-etch the tune in your brain - and that's my biggest annoyance.
Most of raaja's songs have the musical content of at least a dozen songs by other composers. A recent example: Just one of the multiple streams of the song 'IvaL oru iLangkuruvi' from Brahma was re-packaged as a separate song 'Ayyayo Anandhamey' in Kumki. D. Imam isn't all that bad a composer, so imagine how many songs we could potentially get from the same Brahma song in the hands of an able 'looper' composer!

crimson king Fri Sep 13, 2013 4:23 am

Raaga_Suresh wrote:CR,

SEL had a more Indian sound and after some time that became their template and ppl started criticizing them for that. They sounded the most 'Indian' amongst ARR, VS, Pritam et al.

'Dabang' has that lovely 'dagabaaz re' which takes us back to the Kishore Kumar era.

As app says, Raja has done only western type of films. Infact another not so true image which is spread by vested interest is that of Raja being a 'violin-tabla' man and that Rahman was the one who abolished tabla from the scene. This is patently untrue since RD had already done so many songs wherein he had not used tabla. And this was before Raja's entry into the scene.

Raja's philosophy is quite clear. He will give what the film needs. If it is an urban film, it will have sounds which reflect the current urban reality. Whereas a film which is more rural will get sounds which will touch the hearts of the rural listeners. In the olden days, this divide was not very deep but it has grown deep nowadays. Raja is probably the only one trying to patch up this divide.

SEL did have a more Indian flavour than Pritam but less so than their predecessors JL,NS, Anu, etc. I was comparing SEL to those composers, not their contemporaries. I also mentioned Dabbang 2 earlier. You have captured the gist of my point in your own sentence: "takes us back to Kishore Kumar era". Which is the point: the RDB era is over. Long after RDB went into decline, the prevailing sound in Bollywood remained the one popularised by him. That is no longer the case and that also means that tabla/dholak are used much less these days. There may be songs which use these instruments but we are talking of staple instruments of Bollywood so it's still a huge change. I would credit SEL with breaking down the resistance to contemporary sounds in Bollywood. Even after ARR began handling Hindi soundtracks, the Jatins and Anus continued with their old style but once SEL arrived, they were pushed out of the market.

I am not responding to the last two paras because that more or less repeats what I already said in different words. Yes, culturally, the urban rural divide may have increased but I would not like to comment on that without having actually lived in a village. I do not think any seriousness should be attached to 'IR is violin-tabla man' kind of thinking and even if we take this statement to be true, hypothetically, there is a difference between any old violin-tabla programming and violins in counterpoint/tablas playing odd time signatures. Maybe it suits the 'other' camp to gloss over these significant differences.

crimson king Fri Sep 13, 2013 4:26 am

app_engine wrote:dig

After a hiatus, maybe these same instruments sound fresher to them.
But, vAsikka AL kidaikkAdhu

Even those available will struggle to play and composer has to "simplify" (so as to be not sadistic)

Hmmm...pudhusA "school" ellAm thodangi ALungaLa develop paNRangannu kELvippattEn

end-dig

I agree. I hope the 'retro-genre' has taken root (or has it?) in India before too late. Once the craftsmanship involved in making and playing these instruments is lost, it will be difficult to resurrect it.

EDIT: By the way, the only time I have seen SPB more or less pull out of attempting a high note on stage was when he sang Enna Kanavilaye Nettrodu. Very Happy

Never in an IR show. Shocked

Still, considerate composer, sadistic composer, blah blah

crimson king Fri Sep 13, 2013 4:29 am

RaajaDivine wrote: Most of raaja's songs have the musical content of at least a dozen songs by other composers. A recent example: Just one of the multiple streams of the song 'IvaL oru iLangkuruvi' from Brahma was re-packaged as a separate song 'Ayyayo Anandhamey' in Kumki. D. Imam isn't all that bad a composer, so imagine how many songs we could potentially get from the same Brahma song in the hands of an able 'looper' composer!

It proves again that for most people, the 'label' is more important than the actual music, doesn't it? If it is released as an Imman soundtrack, it is album of the year. If IR had done it, they would have said, "He's simply repeating old tunes, he has lost his touch, he should retire." The 'best' I heard was that Sattru Munbu is supposedly a copy of Chandralekha. Yendha angle-lendhu macha?

RaajaDivine Fri Sep 13, 2013 8:12 pm

crimson king wrote:
RaajaDivine wrote: Most of raaja's songs have the musical content of at least a dozen songs by other composers. A recent example: Just one of the multiple streams of the song 'IvaL oru iLangkuruvi' from Brahma was re-packaged as a separate song 'Ayyayo Anandhamey' in Kumki. D. Imam isn't all that bad a composer, so imagine how many songs we could potentially get from the same Brahma song in the hands of an able 'looper' composer!
It proves again that for most people, the 'label' is more important than the actual music, doesn't it? If it is released as an Imman soundtrack, it is album of the year. If IR had done it, they would have said, "He's simply repeating old tunes, he has lost his touch, he should retire." The 'best' I heard was that Sattru Munbu is supposedly a copy of Chandralekha. Yendha angle-lendhu macha?

You are absolutely correct crimson_king! What a ridiculous notion!
If anything, Sattru Munbu was a slightly more Western take on Raaja's own song from Guru: 'Devasangeetham'. It has a very similar emotional range (mood), sense of grandeur and orchestration pattern. You will notice this especially in the 2nd interlude of the Guru song. Devasangeetham, I felt, was just a 'no holds barred' version simply because he was free to use both Indian and Western instruments and patterns. But I love Sattru Munbu equally - credit to Ramya NSK for delivering, in my opinion, the best vocals in a long, long time.

crimson king Sat Sep 14, 2013 1:19 pm

I can see where Sattru evokes that song for you though I have never personally thought of it as another 'version' of it (just another great new original from the maestro for me Smile

). As for the Western element, it's tricky as Devasangeetham leans much more towards baroque harmony (especially in the pallavi) but in terms of tension/dissonance, Sattru is more evocative of contemporary Western music (contemporary here to mean WM of the last 100 years or so, not necessarily the present day). At any rate, yes, it is more reminiscent of his other compositions than Chandralekha. The only thing about Sattru that reminds me of Chandralekha is Ramya's accent.

kiru Sat Sep 14, 2013 8:56 pm

I thought both Devasangeetham and saRRu munbu were both same genre - operatic in nature. Like you guys I also think saRRu munbu is a much more 'contemporary' (my analogy earlier for this song was Sarah Brightman) . Long ago, in tfmpage, in a post, I grouped a bunch of IR WCM style songs and called it - classical crossover i.e WCM with drums/rhythm arrangements. The 'classical crossover' terminology was even mentioned to IR and he did not object to such branding.
I also got reminded of chandralekha song when I first heard saRRu munbu, but it is a similarity based on the WCM roots. Rahman, keeps looking for a structure to carry his melody forward all the time. IR's preoccupation with WCM is much deeper in nature, as we all know and agree. TIS, Guru, NEPV and Megha as one of you mentioned in one breath are all in this direction (WCM integration into a indian melody). Just my 2 cents

crimson king Sun Sep 15, 2013 6:44 am

Devasangeetham evokes the flavour of an opera aria to me but not so much Sattru - that is more hybrid, a mix of WCM and rock music. It doesn't really remind me of Sarah Brightman but then I have heard very few songs of her, so did you have any specific songs of hers in mind? Smile

The approach of Thiruvasagam or, specifically, Polla Vinayen and Devasangeetham has some similarities, but the latter is more baroque if I remember Polla well. He began to fuse more classical/romantic rather than baroque flavour from around Idayathai Thirudathe. Maybe earlier too, but O Priya is the first song, chronologically, in which I noticed it. Ennulle is another that slots into this broad basket. Again, sounds more baroque than Sattru.

app_engine Tue Sep 17, 2013 8:04 pm

Who is this columnist?

‘Kalvane’ from Megha (Raaja Digital) - Now I can’t tell if the Raja fans will rejoice or go up in arms seeing this entry on the list. But it is undeniable that Ilayaraja has created a cocoon for himself that takes him deeper and further away from the contemporary. Words like ‘dated’ and ‘vintage’ are persistently attached to his music and it’s hard to argue with that if you’ve listened to Nila Soru, his other album release in 2013. Megha too has moments that left people murmuring the same, but a song like ‘Kalvane’ opens you up to Raja’s real agenda and shows you why he’s still the master. The track is so soft and dreamy like it’s made from a pillow of clouds. Only feather touches make for the playing and all the instruments seem to fit comfortably in their frequencies without attempting any sort of one-upmanship. I think this tune is heading towards ‘classic’ status many years down the line.

If somebody calls nilAchchORu as dated (or vintage), they need to check both their ears and brain Laughing

crimson king Tue Sep 17, 2013 8:08 pm

Well, at least he gave Kalvane its due unlike that itwofs guy who calls music he doesn't understand 'bizarre'.

crimson king Tue Sep 17, 2013 8:18 pm

Interestingly, behindwoods review of Megha read very positive and full of accolades and yet gave only 2.75/5 for the rating. That anxious not to let the readers believe even by mistake that it might just be a good album, huh?

**V_S** Wed Sep 18, 2013 6:03 am

When I saw Amadeus for the first time, that was when I heard this term requiem for the first time. How Mozart was assigned by Salieri (wearing a mask) to write a requiem (Mozart not knowing he is going to write his own requiem) and a magical flute. Salieri knowing Mozart's ill health cleverly employs this plan so that he can claim Mozart's work as his own and be crowned as a renowned composer. In a nutshell, what is so special about Mozart's requiem? The Balance. Even though it was composed for a mourning ceremony, Mozart made sure there is balance in every context; be it emotional, orchestral or technical. Even there is balance in the section he chose, be it the string section, wood-wind section, brass section, the choir or the soloists. There is no moment you will hear one section pronounced and other diminished. There are equally creepy movements followed by a consolation movement which gives positive energy. Same way there is no moment the sorrow will be deepened, rather it will be solaced. Even within each section, there will be balance. Even among soloists there will be perfect balance among soprano, alto and bass soloists.The overall effect has only to experienced, not to be described by words. Here is one of the recordings (I read that Mozart's requiem was unfinished at the time of his death and completed by his student).

While I was so enamored by Mozart's requiem, it would be a sin if I don't mention one another requiem which really shook me off; Ein Deutches Requiem by Brahm's. Hear in full below without a break. Especially VI and VIIth movements. What is special again in Brahm's requiem? Nothing. That's his speciality. He is a traditionalist. He never goes around the head to touch his nose to bring any challenge. The challenge lie in his how best to bring various moods and textures using known and existing instruments and voices. That's why he starts the requiem with violas and cellos rather than violins (very unusual). Plouging deep into bass to bring out the hidden sorrow and throw it off in smithereens with organ. He uses organ in the background which not many uses. He uses more vocals (choir) than any other composer. With all these, he brings life to the composition organically. The way he connects various movements is incredible. Let me leave here for you to listen and appreciate this genius.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJelOS-fjrY

Now the question. Why this background is even needed? What am I even talking about. To explain about the composition of interest, I felt this background was necessary. Even otherwise, there is no harm in sharing this tradition, as the feeling I get of sharing is immeasurable. Having known about requiem, I asked myself this question when I heard about JeevanE JeevanE for quite some time. Is this a reverse requiem? What is reverse requiem? Is there a term like that? I believe not, except I listened to a piece in YT called reverse requiem where they played Mozart's requiem in reverse. As per my definition of reverse requiem, it is the reverse effect or a resurrection. The act of returning to life. When I was listening to this composition this thought suddenly swept over me with no particular reason. How effective the music should be to wake up an ailing person to come out of her coma. How effective the music should be to tap my subconscious so that the motif gets into me suddenly before I get to see the actual visuals? That's our genius. Music moves mountains!

Let's step back to see how some of our films portrayed similar but not same themes. We might have seen many films where a women would sing and pray to God for her husband's/child's recovery. We also have seen the famous song in Thavaputhalvan where he sings for her lover's recovery. The Ever green 'isai kEttal puvi asainthaadum athu iRaivan aruLaalE' (inspirational side) which eventually brings her out of coma. True words by Kaviyarasar. MSV would have woven sitar magic like never before in a brilliant Kalyaani raagam to brighten up with majestic TMS. The song reaches crescendo that's when it culminates to give her life. That's the power of music. The song was mostly vocal based and Indian classical based technically, but the song conveys nothing but deep emotions. ThEnE thenpaandi mean and udhaya geetham paaduvEn describes the fatherly care to bring back the ailing child (on the lullaby side). When the SPB sings, 'maraNam kooda maranthu pOgum kuzhanthaikkaagavE', music laughs at the death of the death when weeping inside to recover the child. Similarly, when Malaysia Vasudevan sings , 'ulagathu asaivukku neethaanE aadhi anbE aruLE vaa…' (oh! that gamakam) in yaavum neeyappa (devotional side) any heart will melt, why not God, as He brings back the child from the jaws of death. One interesting and common thing about most of these songs is the recovery happens only at the end of the song as the crescendo happens towards the end of the song. Even though the themes are similar, every song is different in its approach.

Similarly the longings between lovers has similar emotions that they believe one of them is almost dead until they see them again. There are again umpteen songs in this category. To even list some of them, we need to go back to the history of time. To name a few, with Raja we have diversified sub themes in the longing genre; thendral kaatrE konjam nillu & oh priya priya (separation), oh paapa laali (consolation and prayers from a distance), idhayamE idhayamE (waiting for reciprocation), vaigarayil vagai karaiyil (believing the inevitable), paadavaa un paadalai & yaar veettu roja (sensing the inevitable), unnai nenachchEn (one-sided love), un kuththamaa en kuththamaa (nostalgia and helplessness), paattu solli & satru munbu (very near yet too far). Just when moods are same, the emotions and environments are different, so as the musical genres. Let's see how Maestro does this song differently.

Here the theme is little different (as per the lyrics) as the lover sings for his beloved who is either very far away from him or not reachable anymore (will have to watch the film to confirm). Prelude describes that emotion aptly. This is the part I perceive it as requiem. The first section of violins takeoff with cellos/double bass punches (@0:05 and @0:11) followed by the next section of violins in harmony with the female choir. Please compare how Mozart starts his requiem. The violins and wind instruments play alternatively and then the violins alternate with double bass and then the intensive crescendo with choir. Maestro substitutes electric guitar at the end of the prelude where Mozart was playing the SATB choir in alto to calm down our emotions and console the loss of someone very dear. I know I am comparing a 1 hour music (with 6 movements) with a 5 minute song, but I tend to think this song (prelude) is an overture to that requiem. The way Maestro approached the song easily compares to Mozart's requiem (if you closely hear) not in terms of melody, in terms of the definition, structure and how to assemble and layer different sections and how to best conduct western classical music in film context. The highly intense emotions in Mozart's piece is trimmed down by Maestro due to film considerations, but the intent is same. If this prelude is extrapolated or extended for non-film considerations, it would have resulted in the similar intense piece of music. This is the reason I brought up requiem in the first place.

The way Maestro connects two sections of violins @0:14 with the silky touch and roll of cymbals is the most charming beauty I have ever heard. By this he gives an indication that he is going to start the percussion soon. Another reason being the scale change. High class innovation. Hero cries remembering her lover and thinks that he might not see her again in his life. Still he starts searching for her soul. That's when Maestro starts singing. The pallavi is the continuation of the orchestral piece in prelude but in vocals. Searches for her; jeevanE jeevanE engu ponaayO (the initial plight of violins), he still hears her voice; kEtkuthE un kural nEril vaaraayO (female choir), kangaLil un mugam entha moon thOndruthE… naan oiynthidaamal thEdi vanthu unnai seruvEn (electric guitar). Electric guitar literally cries similar to lover's cry of the last line.
jeevanE jeevanE engu ponaayO
kEtkuthE un kural nEril vaaraayO
kangaLil un mugam enthan mun thOndruthE
kaaladi thediyE pathaigaL neeLuthE
naan oiynthidaamal thEdi vanthu unnai seruvEn

He structures it so perfectly that we can hear his ideas right in the prelude without the lyrics. The prelude and pallavi as I perceive is pure requiem in film context. Another interesting thing about the tune is it is a very straight tune. There are not many curvatures to it except in the interludes. The reason being, when we cry, there is emotion in it, but there is not curvature, it is very straight, very straight from the heart. Maestro kept this principle intact throughout, yet the tune is not bland. This can also be seen as he drawing a pencil sketch with straight lines. Like individual lines together make a wonderful picture, Maestro draws it straight, straight from his heart. There are some dark shades, some lighter shades, all lines weaved together to form a picture. The flute/violins cry after every pallavi/aniu-pallavi line enhances the pathos. Through the chord progression during the last line of anu-pallavi and the crescendo before restarting the pallavi Maestro emphatically conveys how the cry in search of the soul transform into outburst and makes the lover moves towards destruction (her). Creepy that one!

Right from the interlude, the resurrection starts. Half a second pause is to pull him from the jaws of death and also to give him hope to search again. Even that pause has a meaning when it comes to Maestro's compositions. First time I am hearing that a piano can also cry like a violin. That was a master touch. Piano plays in consolation mode, but the following electric guitar conveys the pain he is facing. Excellent guitar playing by one and only Mr. Atila. When the guitar is underway you can also hear a intermittent trumpet at the background. @2:11 you hear a continuous tearing sound from trumpet (@2:11). I was wondering why Maestro injected a trumpet here. With that tearing sound, I later perceived that the soul is tearing of the coffin/death bed/far far away (to be understood as she becoming alive) and moves towards the music she is listening. That's when Maestro introduces flute to convey her soul is moving steadily towards her lover. That was the stunning highlight of the song, as I observed.

When this happens, let us jump to the last line of the song, 'antha kaadhal dEvan aaNai enna solvathaaradi' to understand what's going to happen next. 'Kaadhal dEvan' is the one who wishes their love. He represents love. Now there is a indirect communication happening between him and the (male) lover as he tries to unite both of them. He is the one sees the soul moving towards the lover, but the lover does not see it. As the lover sings (starts the charanam), he now becomes a true artist (like a creator giving life to a statue, or an animation expert converting the pictures drawn out of straight lines into digital paintings which can move) hears each and every line the lover is singing and acting exactly the way he feels.
Megha / மேகா - Page 11 152kn46

When the lover sings these lines; 'deepam ena suzhaLum vizhi chudar oLiyE'. He sees the light in the soul. When he sings; 'unai kaatrinilum anaiya vidamaattEn', he carefully captures the soul so that it does not disappear. When he sings these lines; uyirukuLLE uyir kalantha uyir oLiyE, unai oru pozhuthum veLiyil vidamaaten, enakkuL unnai thoonga vaithu enathu moochaal mooduvEn, he injects life (the body) to that soul by fusing his lover's soul so that she breathes his air, as described by the lover. The lyrics syncs with the tune and also narrates the story so well. Very well done! Finally there is life now in her body. This Love God metaphor is mainly for Maestro who brings back the life through his music.
Megha / மேகா - Page 11 5wca4y

Now the next step is to get her near to her lover. She is weak, she needs strength to get to her lover. The second interlude does that. Piano and trumpets alternate each other as she takes baby steps slowly inch by inch. The female choir (angels) and violins give her strength to walk continuously. During the high octave electric guitar towards the end of interlude (I remember Maestro saying Atila to play the guitar an octave higher in the making trailer), she finally sees her lover. Her adrenaline pumped up and she runs and runs. Still he does not see her.

He now sings second charanam; karvuvarayil urangum oru kuzhanthai ena, en ithayathilE unai chumanthu vaazhvEn. As she hears these lines, she breaks down as she gets in front of him. He could not control his emotions and sings, kadavul vanthu ethiril vanthu kEttaalum, naan enai tharuvEn unnai thara maattEn, kaalam nandrE endru aaga unnai kandEn kaNmaNi, sOgam nindrE nindru pOga vanthu sErnthaai kaNmaNi as they both see each other. Every line is so meticulously written and describes the emotional connection between the lovers. Maestro extends each line in harmony to the lyrics through violins. If you just listen to the violins at the end of each line, you need not even understand the lyrics, musically he explains their connection so well.

Finally he sings in front of her and thanks kaadhal dEvan (nothing but our isai dEvan) for making the unbelievable believable.
deviyE deviyE thendral thaalaata
sOgamE theernthathaa nenjil thEnoora
mayilgaLin iragilE un mugam varuduvEn
kaadhalin amudhinai idhayathaal paruguvEn
antha kaadhal dEvan aanai enna solvathaaradi

Maestro is making a definitive statement through his recent selection of his songs in the last three years, the last 10 songs of Maestro. KalaganE Kannullo, Viduthalai Kuyil Naan, Kuthikkira Kuthikkira, Kaattu Vazhi Thunbam Illai, Thaavi Thaavi POgum, Gundello GOdari, Enna Kuththam, Ondu AramanE, Ungappan PEra Solli, KaadhalE Illaatha, MugilO MeghamO and JeevanE JeevanE. He is becoming younger and younger as he nails down one by one by taking totally different styles of composition in every outing and coming out as a winner. His voice has the pain and also has the charm. I can hear the pain when he starts jeevanE jeevanE and I can hear the charm when he sings mayilgaLin iragilE un mugam varuduvEn. This is one of his recent best, if not the best on par with enna kuththam.

I have never heard such a straight melody (with very minimal curvatures) yet making a huge impact. First of its kind. I have not even touched the rhythm arrangements in this post as that requires a separate analysis. When taking WCM especially with this kind of melody, dealing with rhythm arrangements is like walking on a knife. When you expect percussions to stop when he is in pure WCM mode (especially when violins and choir are in harmony) and to start percussions when he is switches back to contemporary mode using guitar and flute, he does the opposite. Listen to second interlude again. The drums only act as a bridge for charnam at the end. It unimaginable how he freely plays like this without any difficulty breaking all our imaginations, without breaking any idioms of WCM, yet giving a contemporary touch to the whole composition. The composition even though looks it straight-forward at the face of it, when we dig, it gives us more pleasure which we would have not even thought of, mainly in terms of emotions. The tune, lyrics, orchestration, emotions everything enters straight to our hearts. Thoroughly impressed by the lyrics. The composition which travels from the jaws of death to the joy for ever. Through this composition I felt Maestro has not only proved that music can move mountains, but also goes to prove how it can bring back life from the dead. Since he did this, it becomes immortal. The composition which travels from pitch dark to the brightest of the brightest, and the balance brought out by Maestro in painting this immortal classic is just amazing. Complete transformation. That's the reason I called it a reverse requiem. JeevanE JeevanE - A resurrection!

**V_S** Wed Sep 18, 2013 6:06 am

ஜீவனே ஜீவனே எங்கு போனாயோ
கேட்குதே உன் குரல் நேரில் வாராயோ
கண்களில் உன் முகம் எந்தன் முன் தோன்றுதே
காலடி தேடியே பாதைகள் நீளுதே
நான் ஓய்ந்திடாமல் தேடி வந்து உன்னை சேருவேன்

தீபம் என சுழலும் விழி சுடர் ஒளியே
உன்னை காற்றினிலும் அணைய விடமாட்டேன்
உயிருக்குள்ளே உயிர் கலந்த உயிர் ஒளியே
உன்னை ஒரு பொழுதும் வெளியில் விடமாட்டேன்
எனக்குள் உன்னை தூங்க வைத்து எனது மூச்சால் மூடுவேன்
இரவும் பகலும் விழித்து இருந்து உன்னை பார்த்தே வாழுவேன்
நான் ஓய்ந்து ஓய்ந்து போகும் போதும் உன்னை தேடுவேன்

ஜீவனே ஜீவனே எங்கு போனாயோ
கேட்குதே உன் குரல் நேரில் வாராயோ

கருவறையில் உறங்கும் ஒரு குழந்தை என
என் இதயத்திலே உனை சுமந்து வாழ்வேன்
கடவுள் வந்து எதிரில் வந்து கேட்டாலும்
நான் எனைத்தருவேன் உன்னைத்தர மாட்டேன்
காலம் நன்றே என்று ஆக உன்னை கண்டேன் கண்மணி
சோகம் நின்றே நின்று போக வந்து சேர்ந்தாய் கண்மணி
இது காதல் கால வாழ்த்தும் கீதம் எங்கும் கேட்குதே

தேவியே தேவியே தென்றல் தாலாட்ட
சோகமே தீர்ந்ததா நெஞ்சில் தேனூற
மயில்களின் இறகிலே உன் முகம் வருடுவேன்
காதலின் அமுதினை இதயத்தால் பருகுவேன்
அந்த காதல் தேவன் ஆணை என்ன சொல்வதாரடி

Drunkenmunk Wed Sep 18, 2013 8:12 am

Had to read multiple times to comprehend the quality. Simply nailed it. Reverse requiem. Enna oru terrific coinage! Another song that immediately springs to mind is Naadhar Mudi MEl Irukkum Nalla PAmbE, Thiruvarutchelvar. Saivaite versions of Nayanmars have a bunch of this, with their gory ways of worship (Kannappan, Siruthondar who sacrifices his son, a la Abraham and sees him revived by the Lord). EllAthayin connect seyya unga post thEva. Oru Eureka moment uLLoora. Thanks for the post!

crimson king Wed Sep 18, 2013 4:29 pm

Interesting view of Jeevane and very well expressed. Haven't thought of it so far as reverse requiem.

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