IR rare songs

vaai thiravaai poongkuyilE – nee thodum pOthu

**reposting what I had posted in 365RajaQuiz Season 2**

In that crowded ‘hit’ period during 80s and 90s where Maestro’s popular hit songs themselves drowned these pearls. The count of these scattered pearls themselves would grow more than 1000. Such is that time. It is good we take time and rediscover these classics and convey to the music world that these were just forgotten classics and not even known at that time. When people rush to praise one such composition happening in a year today (if at all anything comes close to this), it is the same people who took for granted all these scattered pearls, not knowing their value. I love all songs from this film. This soundtrack is full of surprises, every one of them. I have to take some time to put my thoughts on other songs as well.

If there are two instruments which were discovered in North only to be played at the hands of Maestro in full capacity, it has to be shehnai and santoor. Even NI or those who play these two instruments might not have a grasp of what these two instruments are capable of. Maestro knows about them thoroughly. I hate to call ‘it’ and ‘them’ as they both have given life to film music, we have to address them as ‘she’ or ‘her’. Maestro rightly picked up shehnai during the prelude which brings the sense of auspiciousness. Prelude with shehnai, santoor with bass guitar, what a way to start the song! But why to bring auspiciousness? Maestro is concluding right in the prelude that something is not good currently, which will be resolved when the song ends. So he musically denotes it by shehnai positively. Let’s see what it is.

anu-pallavi – oru geetham unnai thEdum thaniyE…..neeyE; whattay! Nice coinage of words there. Music is searching for you alone! Wow! thaniyE…neeyE especially the short alaapana during ‘thaniyE’, goose pimples! I think from the lyrics, it looks like the hero is trying his lover to speak when she lost her ability to speak (for some reason)? So where is Goddess Saraswathi who is required to be present for this to happen, right? That’s where Maestro brings in veena in the interlude that Saraswathi is the driving force for her to speak. The shehnai-veena combination suggests that hero (is the symbolic representation of shehnai) with the blessings of Goddess Saraswathi (veena) is aiding for her speedy recovery. Guitar acting as the bridge to charaNam is Maestro’s audacity at his best.

CharaNam is breezy. Maestro brings in flute for the first time in the song, which is the symbolic representation of the melody itself. unthan naavil isai kOvil…bakthan inge paadal engE…thendral kaatrum vaadai maatrum…alli poovum kaadhai neettum   Love the ending as usual!

Now comes my favorite part of the song. Hear the repeat pallavi after first charaNam, when S Janaki sings. Hear the bass guitar chords. Same chords repeating. Observe the progression when SJ sings ‘neeyE’. Stiff and same chords which was repeating, now gets transformed into a melody! As if her stiff and stammering tongue now has the ability to speak. Mind-blowing piece of music there! I could not believe what is happening. Rewind, rewind and rewind! I can’t stop my tears!!!

Second interlude is more of a celebration as heroine started to speak/sing. We can see that in the variety of instruments used and the way they are arranged (in western classical mod, displays Maestro’s supremacy. It starts with lead guitar solo. Bass guitar joins as a counter melody. When both the guitars were playing, veena enters as a call and response (as if Goddess is asking, did you forget me after I made your lover speak?) Obviously that’s the case, as we tend to forget God when our problem is solved. That’s clear when guitar switches to another melody with bass guitar (do not disturb mode), another counter melody. Santoor plays (mimics) the same melody (kind of fugue). While guitar continues its journey, santoor comes off and keyboard sets in with another melody. Flute now mimics the melody of keyboard (kind of fugue again). Almost saying to God, don’t disturb us. How bad to be true

Did I miss something? Definitely would have, such the complexity of this interlude. Only Maestro can conjure such an arrangement, so very difficult to imagine how all these instruments play together. As I mentioned, this kind of arrangement is for the happiness the lover gets when he sees his love(r) speak/sing. As you might have observed, veena with guitar is still puzzling to me how such a combination can exist? Same way Maestro didn’t use shehnai in this interlude, as the happiness is conveyed by alternate arrangements. Maestro is always very clear, does not confuse with unrelated and unnecessary instruments. These are the kind of rare pearls most missed to listen during its original release time. It’s now order of the day to listen and relish these classics and treasure them for a long long time to come.

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