Friends,
I do not know how much I am qualified or not qualified to say some thing on
this knowledge forum. Though I am with the group for months on, this is my
first posting. My favorites are almost all the songs of ARR. As a matter of
fact I am, eminently placed to get disqualified from belonging to this
Group. I do not know Hindi. I do not Know Tamil. I do not have any knowledge
of Music. Above all this, I am aged all of 72 years. But I have a gut
feeling about and instant reaction to good tunes, good instrumentation and
calm, soothing and vibrant music.
That day ages back when I first heard songs from Roja, I instinctively knew
that this gentleman arrived to thrill us forever and take us on a musical
raid of un-scalable and unimaginable heights. He elevated cine music to
unattainable heights.
I have a good collection of his Tamil songs which I love many, I like all.
Daily, I listen to these songs for 2 to 4 hours. They refresh me, keep me
fit and energetic. Arr's uniquness, according to me, I repeat, according to
me,, lies in:
1. Treating voice [male or female] as yet another instrument, to be played
upon.
2. Each of his song is a symphony. To reach those heights and lows in 3/4
minutes is possible only to him.
3. He is a master at creating heavenly interludes which are more often than
not are the highlights of many songs.
4. I had never heard any one using drums [or allied instruments], shehnai,
[I am not worried about exact names, as long as I enjoy them], flute to
this advantage. How he introduces weaving them in to the voice, takes them,
leaving the voice behind, to a solo crescendo and taper off, very
effectively, yet all in a fraction of a minute, which is humanly impossible.
He is Blessed, if not he himself is Divine.
5. I divide the Indian cine music era in to two segments. PreARR and PostARR
eras. In the PreARR era we used to ask who sang that song? Rafi or Kishore.
Now we ask who composed it? That is the power duly acquired and got by our
honored ARR.
I have my own two Play-lists of ARR's Tamil songs. One I play in whichever
mood I am in. These songs are level-all gems. The second list I play when I
feel I am in good and high spirit!
In other words, what I am saying is that I adore those, around 70, Tamil
songs tuned by ARR, even though I do not know the language. Proving, if
proof is needed, music has no language. Rather It is ARR who proved it
through millions like me. Let us not enter in to Lilliputian arguments over
that GIANT Musician whose presence amongst us we are fortunate to have.
The Beauty is I hear his songs even when I am not listening to them!!!
Thanks to those haunting and teasing melodies and tunes.
csrao
