Azhagarsamiyin Kudhirai

Ilaiyaraaja’s in-character singing apart, Kudhikkira Kudhikkira song’s melody and rhythm have an innate innocence, chirpiness and charm from the beginning. When you listen to the flow of melody in the lines “Rotti Vaikatta, Jodi Katti Vaikatta” and its sync with the beats underneath, you understand what Ilaiyaraaja means when he says “Music just happens to me”. Ilaiyaraaja provides dense layers of rhythms, bass and orchestration and yet they come together to create a sprightly sounding, tender mood. Interludes are packed with delightful parade of melodies. The song on the whole is orchestrated with an ear pleasing combination of Synth and acoustic Instrument layers - that use to be always at odds with each other in Ilaiyaraaja’s songs sometime ago. That layer of strings, which bows in support of the lead melody, somewhat hesitantly in the beginning, and more freely latter is the reason why we eagerly wait for an Ilaiyaraaja soundtrack.

While our so-called sensible film makers move towards authentic Tamil folk songs in the films, in Adiyae Ivalae Ilaiyaraaja walks the line between “Karumathur Kattukkullae” (Virumandi) and “Kodi Yetthi Vaippom” (Pithamagan). Ilaiyaraaja swings between his signature filmy folk style - that has additional ornamental instruments, and authentic folk that has only those instruments that are used for such performances in real. I hope at least this time, the song features in the film.

In “Poovakaelu” song, the first stanza ends with Karthik stretching the words “Poovakkaelu” and “Kaathukkaelu” and going by the rule book, the song should proceed to the interlude, but it does not without repeating the first line in its original form, thereby bringing the charanam to a satisfactory closure. The song is full of such little surprises. The percussions – the solo Ghatam in the beginning, the snare that gently hits and misses our ear drums in the latter portions of the song, the Celtic violin filler that every line of the song is entailed with, Raaja’s typical electric guitar strains and piano keys create a magical mood space that a listener would love to lose themselves into.

The songs of “Azhagharsamiyin Kudhirai” were composed after Suseendran shot the entire film. He showed the entire film to Ilaiyaraaja and asked him to compose songs wherever he feels necessary. That is how a film soundtrack has to be made and when it is made that way, with a composer like Ilaiyaraaja, you get what could be called the real Movie soundtrack, which Azhagharsamiyin Kudhirai most definitely is.

Moods of Ilaiyaraaja

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A reader's Review of the book

laiyaraaja is the first composer to win a National Film Award in the newly instituted ‘Best Background Score’ category. The Award was given, not just because Ilaiyaraaja's score for the Malayalam film “Keralavarma Pazhassi Raaja” was the best of that year, but also because, in 35 year long career as a film score composer, every year, one of his films' score was always the best of the year. The book “Moods of Ilaiyaraaja” is a brief introduction, I repeat, just a “brief Introdution” to the genius of the film score composer Ilaiyaraaja. With an extensive analysis of background scores of few of Ilaiyaraaja’s films, the book elaborates why Ilaiyaraaja is and ever will be the best film background score composer in India. The book also traces the evolution and background of film scores in Indian films, in general.

Chapters

1. Waking Up

2. Background of Scores

Introduction
The Unsung
Making of a Film Score (Sholay)
Melody of a Song as Motif
Distinct Leitmotifs
Stock Music
Silence
Plagiarism
The New Wave

3. Ilaiyaraaja's Incredits

4. Ilaiyaraaja and Ilaiyaraaja Only

5. With the Grand Music of

6. An Ilaiyaraaja Musical

7. National Award