How to praise it?
Well, Ilaiyaraja said ‘How to name it?’, I’m saying ‘How to praise it?’. For the first time in 3 months, I’ve had actually both time and patience to listen to all the tracks of ‘How to name It’. Being confined to my hostel room in this surprisingly chill and rainy Chennai weather, all I’ve been doing is listening to those 8 tracks again and again and it’s been playing for the last 3 hours… They’re simply god-level… Fusion music at its best!
IR was definitely a master of violin and its SATB counterparts and he proves his command again. He has simply let the violins do the talking here. For those who don’t know yet, all the tracks for HTNI were hand written by IR during his lunch and recess time in between his recording sessions. He surely can’t keep his mind away from music!
Though most of the pieces share minute semblances with most of his movie BGMs, there are subtle differences in the orchestration and bass. Considering the fact that the album was released in 1986 when IR was at his peak and he used to actually record 2 songs a day, it’s definitely possible that he would have lifted tunes from his own compositions and changed the orchestration.
Prologue: The inspiration behind this album was quite simple. What if the two patron saints and his idols of Carnatic and Western music, Thiagaraaja and JSBach had met in their generation and combined to create a totally new genre of music? ‘How to Name It?’ is a very apt answer, or rather question. The thought of that simply gives me the goosebumps.
This would be one of my toughest reviews as ALL tracks stand out and have impressed me to the fullest.
1. “…And we had a talk” - IR in this song highlights the hidden ragas in Bach’s compositions. Most of this piece is Bach’s prelude in E Major accompanied by a Carnatic track in a violin. The song traverses a wide variety of ragas. The two violins merge so beautifully and are in perfect harmony and make us wonder who composed for whom?
2. You can’t be free – I was hoping that I would get to hear an instrumental in this raga from somewhere. It’s one of those scary and suspense ragas – Panthuvarali. A purely carnatic raga on which other songs like Rojaavai Thaalatum(Ninaivelaam Nithya) and Ninnai Saran(Bharathi) are based. One of those ragas which gets me into a trance.
3. Do Anything – IR has let the violins talk again. In the middle, he introduces the shenoy and the flute which plays a very folkish tune backed up by the violins. A work of genius.
4. How to Name It? – I started writing reviews in the order of my play-list and I've been waiting to write about this song. Basically if you’re an ardent Suryan FM listener, you would have listened to this at around 10 pm in the night. It comes just before ‘Hello Suryan FM’ ends. I got so curious about this piece and decided to investigate and that was when I actually got to know that this album existed. Thank you Suryan FM!
Basically the song starts in Madyamavathi, moves on to Simhendramadhyamam and then onto this raga which I am unaware of and comes back to Madyamavathi and ends in Simhendramadhyamam. Good backing of violins. The intonation of the backing violins in the 2nd stanza is different from the 1st stanza and kind of reflects a very sober mood. How to Name It?
5. Chamber Welcomes Thiagaraja – Perfect chamber music, with hardly any instruments, just a violin backed by a Mridangam and a Chamber Strings. Kalyani raga.
6. Study for Violin – A very innovative piece in Shanmukapriya. Basically it sounds as though two violins play, one on the higher octaves and the other playing the base. They kind of seem to answer each other in succession. But the whole piece is for one violin only and the same guy has played both the parts. It has been played with good continuity and is definitely a Study for Violin.
7. Mad Mod Mood Fugue – I don’t know why it was titled like this, but whatever it is, it’s simply bashing! Played with a fiddle I suppose, it’s so brisk and rapid and just gets you moving. I’m sure I’ve heard traces of the piece in some movie (Raaja Paarvai I think), but it’s just great. Fusion music exemplified. Good Western Drums backing for a very carnatic tune.
In a fugue, basically one violin plays and the other instruments gradually join it playing independent tracks of their own but produce a very beautiful output. Few composers are gifted with the art of composing fugues and none better than JS Bach. Here, one violin plays and others gradually join it and it reaches a crescendo towards the end and the violin just keeps shrieking out notes at an amazingly rapid pace, and finally the tension is released in a very grandeur ending. Simply exhilarating.
8. Is it fixed – Ilaiyaraaja shows his passion for keerthanais here. This is nothing but ‘Thulasi Dhara’ played with the backing of an orchestra. A novel idea criticized by many carnatic purists but still adds this new dimension to carnatic music. Shows us the invisible bonds between Carnatic and Western music and the common blood which runs inside them.
9. I met Bach – This is a famous composition of Bach, “Bouree in E minor”. The original tracks are played in a synthesizer and a lead violin adds harmony in the carnatic way.
I’ve enjoyed writing this as much as I have enjoyed listening to these pieces. All this makes me wonder if enough credit is being given to the Maestro for his compositions. His music is lost in today’s world. True that today’s music is more entertaining and fun, but such works of art like this one are way ahead of its time, and it will take generations to produce another Music Maestro of his caliber.
And I reiterate, I’m lucky to be part of His era! Are’nt we all?
Yours Musicfully
Ajit
IR was definitely a master of violin and its SATB counterparts and he proves his command again. He has simply let the violins do the talking here. For those who don’t know yet, all the tracks for HTNI were hand written by IR during his lunch and recess time in between his recording sessions. He surely can’t keep his mind away from music!
Though most of the pieces share minute semblances with most of his movie BGMs, there are subtle differences in the orchestration and bass. Considering the fact that the album was released in 1986 when IR was at his peak and he used to actually record 2 songs a day, it’s definitely possible that he would have lifted tunes from his own compositions and changed the orchestration.
Prologue: The inspiration behind this album was quite simple. What if the two patron saints and his idols of Carnatic and Western music, Thiagaraaja and JSBach had met in their generation and combined to create a totally new genre of music? ‘How to Name It?’ is a very apt answer, or rather question. The thought of that simply gives me the goosebumps.
This would be one of my toughest reviews as ALL tracks stand out and have impressed me to the fullest.
1. “…And we had a talk” - IR in this song highlights the hidden ragas in Bach’s compositions. Most of this piece is Bach’s prelude in E Major accompanied by a Carnatic track in a violin. The song traverses a wide variety of ragas. The two violins merge so beautifully and are in perfect harmony and make us wonder who composed for whom?
2. You can’t be free – I was hoping that I would get to hear an instrumental in this raga from somewhere. It’s one of those scary and suspense ragas – Panthuvarali. A purely carnatic raga on which other songs like Rojaavai Thaalatum(Ninaivelaam Nithya) and Ninnai Saran(Bharathi) are based. One of those ragas which gets me into a trance.
3. Do Anything – IR has let the violins talk again. In the middle, he introduces the shenoy and the flute which plays a very folkish tune backed up by the violins. A work of genius.
4. How to Name It? – I started writing reviews in the order of my play-list and I've been waiting to write about this song. Basically if you’re an ardent Suryan FM listener, you would have listened to this at around 10 pm in the night. It comes just before ‘Hello Suryan FM’ ends. I got so curious about this piece and decided to investigate and that was when I actually got to know that this album existed. Thank you Suryan FM!
Basically the song starts in Madyamavathi, moves on to Simhendramadhyamam and then onto this raga which I am unaware of and comes back to Madyamavathi and ends in Simhendramadhyamam. Good backing of violins. The intonation of the backing violins in the 2nd stanza is different from the 1st stanza and kind of reflects a very sober mood. How to Name It?
5. Chamber Welcomes Thiagaraja – Perfect chamber music, with hardly any instruments, just a violin backed by a Mridangam and a Chamber Strings. Kalyani raga.
6. Study for Violin – A very innovative piece in Shanmukapriya. Basically it sounds as though two violins play, one on the higher octaves and the other playing the base. They kind of seem to answer each other in succession. But the whole piece is for one violin only and the same guy has played both the parts. It has been played with good continuity and is definitely a Study for Violin.
7. Mad Mod Mood Fugue – I don’t know why it was titled like this, but whatever it is, it’s simply bashing! Played with a fiddle I suppose, it’s so brisk and rapid and just gets you moving. I’m sure I’ve heard traces of the piece in some movie (Raaja Paarvai I think), but it’s just great. Fusion music exemplified. Good Western Drums backing for a very carnatic tune.
In a fugue, basically one violin plays and the other instruments gradually join it playing independent tracks of their own but produce a very beautiful output. Few composers are gifted with the art of composing fugues and none better than JS Bach. Here, one violin plays and others gradually join it and it reaches a crescendo towards the end and the violin just keeps shrieking out notes at an amazingly rapid pace, and finally the tension is released in a very grandeur ending. Simply exhilarating.
8. Is it fixed – Ilaiyaraaja shows his passion for keerthanais here. This is nothing but ‘Thulasi Dhara’ played with the backing of an orchestra. A novel idea criticized by many carnatic purists but still adds this new dimension to carnatic music. Shows us the invisible bonds between Carnatic and Western music and the common blood which runs inside them.
9. I met Bach – This is a famous composition of Bach, “Bouree in E minor”. The original tracks are played in a synthesizer and a lead violin adds harmony in the carnatic way.
I’ve enjoyed writing this as much as I have enjoyed listening to these pieces. All this makes me wonder if enough credit is being given to the Maestro for his compositions. His music is lost in today’s world. True that today’s music is more entertaining and fun, but such works of art like this one are way ahead of its time, and it will take generations to produce another Music Maestro of his caliber.
And I reiterate, I’m lucky to be part of His era! Are’nt we all?
Yours Musicfully
Ajit
