Raja's Gems - the latest one you heard...Part 3

[Sureshs65]

KV / Plum,

The song in Malayalam goes as 'thazvaaram penpoove'. Jesudas is wonderful in it. Featured the Tamil version on twitter a few days back. Here is the Malayalam original:

[Sureshs65]

As we are talking about Malayalam movies, this weekend I was in Wynad. As I was driving with my family towards Meenmutti falls, I stopped at a petrol bunk. There was a lady who was incharge of filling diesel. As I was filling up, I asked her if she could give me change for a Rs.1000 note. She said no. Around that time, the loudspeaker in the petrol bunk started playing 'olathumbil' from 'Paapuyude Swantham Apoos'. Involuntarily I sang along. The lady was surprised and asked me, 'malayaaali yaano?' No, I assured her. She smiled and gave me change for that 1000 Rs note. Hmm. Where all Raja will come to your rescue you would never know !!

[Sureshs65]

In the drive through Waynad, heard 'Paapuyude Swantham Apoos', 'Senha Veedu' and "Sree Ramarajyam'. Very difficult to choose from these but our job is not to choose. Just enjoy. So, lovely weather, nice roads and wonderful songs. Heaven lies in these small things. My wife ofcourse played lot of early Raja (70s and early 80s). So overall great mood throughout the trip.

[KV]

Thanks for the 'thazvaaram penpoove' link, Sureshji.

[Plum]

Suresh, you mean to say you played these songs on your car audio or you heard them playing publicly in Wayanad as you drove through? Probably the former - because EVEN in Kerala, one cannot expect an upcoming other language movie steeped in that language's movie culture and having not much relevance to the home state, and without any recognised stars from the other state, to be played popularly

[Sureshs65]

All played in my car audio Only the 'Pappuyude swamtham.." song played on a loudspeaker in the petrol bunk.

[KV]

Sevvanthi pookkalil seidha veedu Life is beautiful
I learnt about this song some years back when Usha akka had written about it. Where is she these days?

[KV]

Infact, this album (Mella Pesungal) has been running in loop since morning. What a gem of an album, that too for some address illAdha movie. Vallal iyya neeru.

[app_engine]

Meemutti

Sweet area to travel around - that is, in the nice Oct weather and under pleasant circumstances!

Enjoy your visit Sureshji

Triggered my memory of once riding a Hero Honda CD100 from Palakkad to Meemutti (bike-owner as pillion as it was a difficult route and he trusted me to handle it) to attend a beloved friend's funeral, thoroughly getting drenched in the July rains...It was an emotional moment as this great, loving man in 50's left behind an inconsolable wife & two teens and all of us cried and got exhausted when he was placed in his grave among rubber trees amidst the drizzle and intermittent downpours...

Anyways, for the last two days it was 'chittukku sellachchittukku oru siRagu muLaiththadhu' on loop in the car.

Now, a test to find out if one is a chicken or hard nut to crack :

Play 'chittukku' in the car alone and try to sing along, exactly like KJY (i.e. all the grace notes, bhAvam, modulations)

If you don't choke and if your eyes don't kalangify, you're definitely a toughie! (BTW, I'm a chicken )

Any new aspiring singer who wants to emote and not go overboard and not do too many alukkal-kulukkals like classical song but stay within the lite music's grammar, MUST listen to this composition carefully, IMSO. A lesson in singing!

[V_S]

My son was playing a song "Looking Glass River" on piano, while I was in another room dissolving myself in Maestro's music. Slowly but steadily the music from another room travelled into me. Suddenly, something struck me. I rushed to his room and asked him play again that one piece which struck me, to get what is this composition all about. Later, I discovered that the song was based on a special technique employed during Classical Era and Romantic era by a composer named Domenico Alberti, who just lived 30 years (1710 - 1740) . Mozart too employed this technique in many of his compositions.

It is a very simple pattern of broken chord arpeggios, where the lowest (tonic) has to be played first followed by dominant (highest), then the middle note again followed by dominant note. For example, the chord pattern for a C scale I Chord would be C (lowest), G (Dominant or top note), E(Middle), G (Dominant). The pattern would be CGEG,CGEG... Many might know this already, but yesterday I discovered this, just sharing with you.

Please watch this video of the same song mentioned above. Especially look between 0:18 till 0:26. I know it's easy to find what composition I am referring to, still leaving it to you.


Awestruck how Maestro used this small platform, to develop and describe a wonderful situation where a female started to realize her love. Maestro does not use this technique as it is, he slows down the tempo as much as possible to bring out the essence of the technique and hence brings forth life to the composition!

A great tribute to Legends, Domenico Alberti, Mozart and to the great Classical Era by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja!


PS: Another good session on Alberti Bass

More on this: http://pianospectrum.com/blog/?actio...nts&news_id=22