*A pocketful of passion* Saturday April 19 2008 13:44 IST *Anil Srinivasan*
Not too long ago, a group of us took a trip through an ancient landscape. Through the night, we travelled to various temples allowing the vibration of a thousand years of glorious heritage to cut through the layers of our mind and touch the core of our being. Although it did not register at the time, I had been humming film songs throughout that night, unmindful of the splendours that were unfolding along the way. I realised that the journey came alive only due to its anchoring in film songs, which my memory served up that night. I realised that I was not alone in the experience of this particular sensation. Film music seems to have taken hold of our memories. Our lives consist of moments framed by these melodies, each instant carved around the inescapable rhythms of a cherished film song. It is the end of a long day. As I veer through the unforgiving Chennai traffic, I listen more consciously to the music playing on one of the FM channels. It is a tribute to A R Rahman, and I listen with delight to a few tracks that I had heard back in college. The nostalgic trip notwithstanding, I change channels to observe that there are very few alternatives to film music on our airwaves. Back home, ensconced in the comfort of my favourite chair, I realised this is a phenomenon that has afflicted television programming as well. Indeed, film music has endured and triumphed over all other forms of musical expression, cutting across all sociological divides. Rather than view this in a negative light and term this a poor and damaging 'substitute' to prevalent classical music or its resident standards, I tried to understand the underlying elements of film music that make it so universally appealing. As a classical musician, this is of tremendous personal importance. To me, a good film song encapsulates the very fabric of life in the realm without. It has the quintessential doses of passion, romance, excitement, sadness and joy. As a song progresses from the opening 'pallavi' line (motif) to the subsequent 'charanams' (stanzas), it has created a story that is credible, complete and identifiable. Each line seems to be following logically from the previous one and I am able to complete the melody in my mind even if the radio is switched off. There is comfort in this consistency and satisfaction in my ability to understand how the song ends. And yet, as a musician who has spent a substantial amount of time 'on the other side', I know that each line of the melody has been harmonised differently. I am aware that the orchestration has been laid out so carefully that subsequent stanzas are never the same and yet made to appear similar. There is tremendous clarity in this seeming chaos, a guiding principle behind each composition. The harmonics in the composition are giving it depth, layers of meaning that allow the mind to wander, reflect and form coherent images of the story within. And then the inescapable percussion! Rhythm dominates our songs, each groove being selected to represent the mood behind the piece. A fast paced swing rhythm to paint the colour of youth, a slow-moving barcarolle for a reflective and contemplative flavour or a folksy, fast-paced rhythm to get your mind to dance the evening away. Rhythm brings in the consistency and affords the mind a tremendous amount of relief. To me, rhythm is not so much about passion or exciting the primal senses as it is about imbuing a composition with distinctive shape. The beat offers the wandering mind an anchor, a place to return to after an interesting dialogue with one's imagination. Film music and its creators have perfected the art of crafting this percussive predictability. It is this predictability that allows us a sense of control and being able to discern a song's definition and pattern. And makes us want to move with the melody. In an era beset with multiplicity and complex lifestyles, film songs have become moments of truth. Like well-thumbed books, they have become places for the mind to delight in. Despite its seeming 'lack of complexity', when compared to music in the classical realm, I find the best film songs abundant in consumer psychology. There are no open-ended passages that offer themselves up for a listener's interpretation. Nor are the compositions meant to. They are a slice of life, offered with appropriate seasonings, pocketfuls of passion that are meant to be enjoyed whole. http://www.newindpress.com/sunday/sundayitems.asp?id=SEA20080419041815&eTitle=Arts&rLink=0 *Author is a well-known classical pianist based in Chennai [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- regards, Vithur Whatever God wants to give, no one can deny; Whatever God wants to deny, no one can give. Be happy always
