Re: Let's talk song-structuring

**V_S** Sat Jan 25, 2014 12:24 am

Bhavani Varugira (apart of aNNanmaar kathai) of Ponnar Shankar. There is nothing conventional about this song. Prelude blows us away. Starts with male chorus singing 'bhavani varugira' which goes in one melody plane. Female chorus take over from male chorus, leading to a different melody. We cannot call it as anu-pallavi at all, but when both male and female chorus repeat the bhavani varugira that's when we feel the previous portion was anu-pallavi. There is a scale change too when the pallavi finishes.

When we are ready to hear the charanam, Shreya starts the actual pallavi; edukka edukka varum puthaiyal pOla. OMG! Then what was the previous melody? The female choir which follows Shreya constituting another melody line; marutha malai malayavittu erangi varum neer mEghamE which again cannot be classified as (2nd) anu-pallavi. This line is followed by both male and female choir singing another phrase.

Then starts the actual first interlude with shehnai. Again this interlude is too short which leads to short melody phrase; kashtapattu kashtapattu kaattu mEttil ozhachchOm which leads to first charanam. Second interlude has native pipe instrument (kombu?) The unique aspect about the charanam is Shreya does not sing the charanam fully, she sings the initial lines followed by female chorus, then male chorus and then all together. Unique way of structuring the singing too. The post-lude is again interesting giving us the full grasp of the festival as it finishes in crescendo. There is no going back to bhavani varugira phrase at all. The song boasts of village festival in a grand fashion without compromising on the nativity. I have not listened anything like in last 10 years. May be this is the first one of its kind Smile

Lyrics: http://www.thiraigaanam.com/viewsong.php?songid=9616 to mainly see the structuring.

Video:

kv Sun Jan 26, 2014 9:56 am

Munk: "Justu one small, tangential clarification. You are very right in saying HamsanAdham/SArangatharangiNi have the Ni which is absent in Vandana DhAriNi. But HamsanAdham and SArangatharangiNi differ in that, SArangathangiNi has Dha which HamsanAdham doesn't. That way, having Dha disqualifies Vandhana DhAriNi from HamsanAdham. It is the absence of Ni that differentiates Vandhana DhAriNi from SArangatharangiNi. SorgamE EndrAlum hence ends up as SArangatharangiNi. So does Thendral Vandhu Ennai Thodum and MinnAram MAnathu. Raaja's only HamsanAdham iirc is the superb Om NamahA Adhara Jathulakku. Would say SArangatharangiNi is closer to Vandhana DhAriNi since they are both janyams of Kalyani and HamsanAdham happens to be a janyam of Neethimathi. But what virtuosity from Raaja in Dilwaale here!!! Too good for Bollywood even today and quite aptly went over their heads."

Munk, thanks for the clarification. I didn't know if SorgamE/isaiyil/thendral vandhu are hamsanAdham/ST for sure because i haven't tried mapping swarams (which is what I normally do to try and recognize a scale). Some people call it hamsanAdham while some others say ST, and so I used the same combo in my post. And lovely write-up on Lalitha priya kamalam. The song is indeed the man in raakshasan mode! And comparing this song with vanakkuyilE (Priyanka) will also make a good study on how Raaja handles scales & song-structuring. And speaking of vanakkuyile, this one's also composed in a very intriguing way... operates in some sorta circles and loops (not s/w loops), almost like a WCM piece. If Raaja orchestrates this using a full strings-section and presents it as an instrumental in a live concert, it'll be total killer! bounce

Ushakka, VSji, thanks for the kind words but sathyama naa avalo worth illa! Embarassed

edhO some random thoughts and occurrences on what the man's music does to me is what I register (penAthify) here. avalo dhaan.

VSji, superb pick there in Bhavani varugira. The album (barring that first song which I've conveniently deleted from my system) is simply fantastic. I must admit that it took me a few listens to get past the 'synth barricade' but once you've got to see how much this album has to offer musically, there was no turning back! If one looks at the variety within folk that he has given us, it's so mind-boggling. There's the rustic 70s folk (thennamarathula thendral, machchAna paathingala, et al), then there's the 80s/90s stuff like thAna vandha sandhanamE, maanguyilE poonguyilE, etc. And there's Virumandi that's a different beast altogether. And if this variety wasn't enough, he brings out a completely different flavour of folk in Ponnar Shankar. Whether it is story-telling in annamar kadhai or the shifts in tempo and melody in Bhavani varugira, one can easily see the structural elements and ideas coming out so beautifully. Uliyin osai & PS, regardless of how crap the movies might have been, speak volumes about the man's command over music, its different genres and the technicalities & intricacies in each genre.

Drunkenmunk Mon Jan 27, 2014 1:52 pm

kv wrote:
Munk, thanks for the clarification. I didn't know if SorgamE/isaiyil/thendral vandhu are hamsanAdham/ST for sure because i haven't tried mapping swarams (which is what I normally do to try and recognize a scale). Some people call it hamsanAdham while some others say ST, and so I used the same combo in my post. And lovely write-up on Lalitha priya kamalam. The song is indeed the man in raakshasan mode! And comparing this song with vanakkuyilE (Priyanka) will also make a good study on how Raaja handles scales & song-structuring. And speaking of vanakkuyile, this one's also composed in a very intriguing way... operates in some sorta circles and loops (not s/w loops), almost like a WCM piece. If Raaja orchestrates this using a full strings-section and presents it as an instrumental in a live concert, it'll be total killer!

Raaja himself discusses it with Embaar Kannan, who gives the swaras in Sorgame Endraalum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XwQaUfuwg8

Vanakkuyile I am fascinated every time. I feel I am missing something in understanding it here. He has played around with the rhythm pattern and I am not able to map to aadi or roopaka thaalam and despite the synth driven rhythm in parts, the tribal feel of the forest is realized due to the drums and the chorus in the first interlude with their hoyyallo hum. And I feel the shift from one instrument to another is rather abrupt in the first interlude and the way the second interlude begins is sudden too, that I have a lingering thought that he has experimented with the thaalam somewhere, reminding me of Kottunga Kottunga from Rajavin Paarvaiyile. As for the tune, it keeps going on and on in a beautiful way. You are right, would be awesome if he did a string-section-only rendition of it in a concert.

fring151 Mon Feb 10, 2014 1:45 am

^Your twitlonger about Hey Ram and Nee paartha paarvai reminded me. A nearly 2 minute piano prelude and the same stanza repeated many times with different arrangements. Raja showing his mastery of harmony - what he is capable of doing with a fairly uncomplicated melodic idea, a piano and voices. The last stanza is my favourite and Hari is in his elements - male voice follows the female's with a two-bar phase lag and eventually catches up in time for the final poignant refrain "Uyire", thus concluding aptly in poetic fashion.

Drunkenmunk Tue Feb 11, 2014 6:26 pm

Uploaded a song from Maya Bazaar (1995) and realized it's a rather delightful, structureless song:

Usha Mon Feb 17, 2014 5:06 pm

DM,
Thanks for the upload........... enna oru paatu......... enna oru variety..........

Usha Mon Feb 24, 2014 1:28 pm

Ilam kadhal veenai - Velali pura ondru.......
Guitar Beauty........ Call and Response .. Beauty....
Guitar and the Violin.... distant violin......distant Flute.......... love it........
Majestic Beats.................

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvWJjfoz7Ms

Usha Mon Mar 03, 2014 8:59 pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RBvdwDeIGE

IR's works for Mayilu........... kiruki arai kiruki - lovely song........

http://www.raaga.com/channels/tamil/moviedetail.asp?mid=t0003483

Adisokka - Rita.

1st stanza.. lovely interludes.........

Usha Wed Mar 05, 2014 3:54 pm

Oru naal andha oru naal - SJ .. amazing.......

Interludes. Great...... the Best Expressions of the Mood............

Mild Chorus with the Guitar.. lovely one..............

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2scG9MvJ2wc

Drunkenmunk Sat Mar 08, 2014 2:33 pm

One pallavi, same pallavi again for picturization purposes, one interlude, one charanam. One pallavi, one postlude. Very peppy, enjoyably picturized by KB. Cool song. Must have taken a grand total of 15 mins for Raaja to compose and write this Razz

Usha Sat Mar 08, 2014 3:54 pm

DM,
postlude from the flute. So sweet......

Usha Mon Mar 10, 2014 12:28 pm

Raja's tabla.......small collection from Suresh......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjo-bHlcYCI&list=PLSv5Q60S5dwSB7rG5TQ5UFPqthU-pIUCj

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