Saaz Aur Aawaaz #3
cha...@my-dejanews.com
The versatile violin is another instrument from the West that has been
adapted marvellously in Indian music for over 250 years. An indispensable
component of the symphony orchestra, it is just as ubiquitous in our film
music. It is related to the viola and cello, and unlike the western tuning of
G,D, A and E, in Indian music the tuning of its four strings is more
conveniently set at Sa, Pa, Sa, Pa - or Pa, Sa, Pa, Sa. Its structure allows
slow, meaningful passages, or quick lively ones. In our film music, MDs have
used both the solo violin, and many violins played in unison (simply called
'strings'), to achieve varying depths of mood and emotion.
Solo violins: The fretless nature of the violin allows for a sliding or
glissando effect, making it an ideal accompanying instrument for the human
voice. In a recording room, the singer/s occupy a small soundproof booth away
from the rest of the musicians (to prevent 'overlap' of tracks), and their
only link to the 'sur' of the song was a single lead violinist sitting with
the musicians. Both the singer/s and this violinist were able to hear one
another through headphones; this soloist played only the lead song, which
formed the reference for the whole orchestra. This solo accompanying violin
is often muted, but is clearly audible on a high quality recording in many
songs. Listen to the Manhar stanza of "Lute koi man ka nagar" (Abhimaan, SDB)
- as he sings "Rog mere jee ka..." this solo violin is quite clear. Better
still is "Main tumhi se poochti hoon" (N. Dutta, Black Cat) - during the
antaras, the violin not only follows Lata's voice, but offers exquisite
little touches of its own, in conjunction with the main melody.
The solo violin has been associated with pathos in western culture, and it's
not surprising to see the trend in Hindi songs as well. But these to me have
always sounded contrived and tear-jerking, and somehow have lost their appeal
even though they were okay when I first heard them. Topping this maudlin list
is L-P's "Ek pyar ka nagma hai" (Shor); next comes "Jab jab bahar aayi"
(Taqdeer, again L-P), and the opening strains and interludes of S-J's "Jaane
kahan gaye woh din (Mera Naam Joker). But in a different context, played
with the liveliness of a gypsy's fiddle, the solo violin becomes exciting and
invigorating. So the solo violin hall of fame emtrants are:
- "Chaand ko kya maalum" (Lal Bangla, Usha Khanna) Set against a ghoda-gadi
rhythm, and alternating against a guitar, are racy violin arpeggios running
the entire gamut from lows to highs, and highs to lows - "Mera pyar hai
bhool bhulaiyya..mujhe dhoond le aakar saiyya" (Memsaab, Sonik-Omi) A now
near-forgotten gem by Lata. After a thrilling string intro with a fugue
effect comes the mukhda of the song, and then one of the best solo violin
pieces I've heard in a Hindi song; a slow start, a rapid escalation, and
joined at the high pitch by a furious group of strings - "Aaya hun main
tujhke le jaaunga" (Manoranjan, RDB) RDB showers greater largesse than ever,
with almost everything but the kitchen sink thrown in; but to stick to the
point, the interlude has a prominent solo violin which is nothing short of
fascinating - both electrified and electrifying! Score a point also for RDB's
violin in "Chekhush nazare" (Pyar Ka Mausam). - "O mujhe kisise pyar ho
gaya" (Barsaat, S-J) In the intro, a slow start echoed closely by Lata -
until the violinist suddenly takes off at breakneck speed for the rest of the
opening bars. Brilliant stuff for 1949. But the movie version seems to
emphasise the solo nature of the instrument more than the one available on
record. Any thoughts on this by knowledgable RMIMers?
Strings, or violins in unison
The string effect is the cornerstone of Hindi film music, even in these days
of synthesised cacophony. It actually takes only three or four violins to
produce a good effect, but it wasn't uncommon for MDs like S-J to have dozens
of them in a recording room. Strings haven't been used only for interludes -
they're everywhere, dipping down when the voice begins, to produce an
effective counter-melody, alternating with low-pitch cellos - you might say
they form the very fabric of the song in which they appear. Naturally
Shankar-Jaikishan comes foremost to mind when one thinks of strings.
Particularly in the '60s and '70s, they provided lush orchestration for
hundreds of songs - no crumbs, but a full banquet. This is not to demean
other MDs, though. The following Hall of Fame list is merely a representative
one, because everytime I think of a suitable entrant, dozens of others come
by jostling and demanding to be put down as well!
- "Ang lag jaa baalma" (Mera Naam Joker, S-J) There is an extended-extended
version of this song which was released only on a limited edition double-LP
of "Joker" There's a lot of dialogue, and the strings burst into action as
soon as Padmini exclaims, "Raju! Mere pyar ko khel mat samjho!" Exotic and
arresting. S-J also provided long, intricate passages as intros - remember
"Panchi re o panchi" (Hare Kaanch Ki Choodiyan) and "Raat ke hamsafar" (An
Evening in Paris) - "Chahunga main tujhe" (Dosti, L-P) At first sight (or
hearing), no great shakes - until you hear the antara: with a skilled use of
strings and cello, the entire chord structure alters. When Rafi sings "Dekh
mujhe, sab hai pata.." the first time it is a simple G, G, C, D progression;
when he repeats the same line, the chords change to G, B, A minor and G, with
the violins cutting loose at "Mitwaa...", going to D minor and D diminished
to augment the pathos and drama of the lyrics. Even in "Ae dushman jaa"
(Patthar Ke Sanam), listening to the skillful string pieces weaving
themselves among the lines of the antara yields many pleasures. No wonder
Lata claims Pyarelal to be one of the best arrangers in the industry! -
"Mera pyar bi tu hai" (fast version - Saathi, Naushad) Geet Kosh credits the
arrangements to Kersi Lord, but there's no doubt that Naushad was a polished
arranger in his own right. The intro is a rapid string piece that whizzes
over several octaves; then, the strings intercut with the sax in a series of
staccatos, before taking over once again in two groups ascending at intervals
of fifths. Masterful. - "Saathi re" (Poonam Ki Raat, Salil) Lata's voice may
be haunting in many other 'bhoot' songs as well, but in no other song have
the strings so emphasised the terror. - "Na tum bewafa ho" (Ek Kali
Muskayee, Madan Mohan) Except for a mild guitar strum at the end of the ad
lib intro, and a plaintive oboe in the second interlude, this song is all
strings and cello - perfectly echoing the stark and barren tone of the
lyrics. - "Waqt karta jo wafa" (Dil Ne Pukara) and "Main to ek khwab hun"
(Himalay Ki God Mein). Kalyanji-Anandji and Mukesh formed a special combo, it
seems. In both these songs the strings in the second interludes take off in
maverick fashion, cascading over several exotic scales before quickly
restoring the piece to its basic chord. Appealing and imaginative. - "Rula
ke gaya sapna mera" (Jewel Thief, SDB) - Not a song to hear great lengthy
passages in, but the little pieces that follow the first and second sung
lines are so attractive, this song just had to make the list. Another one in
this category is "Dil kya kare jab kisise" (Julie, Rajesh Roshan); when
Kishore repeats the anatara, aren't those tiny violin touches great?
Shekhar
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K Vijay Kumar
>
> THE VIOLIN
>
> The versatile violin is another instrument from the West that has
> been adapted marvellously in Indian music for over 250 years. An
> indispensable component of the symphony orchestra, it is just as
> ubiquitous in our film music.
In fact the violin is very much an Indian instrument, known in ancient
India as the "Ravanastom" - perhaps related to the fact that in the
Ramayana, Ravana's charriot flies a flag bearing an image of the violin
which he was supposed to play very well.
> So the solo violin hall of fame emtrants are:
Add one more RDB song, mostly forgettable, but I can't forget the violin
piece which instroduces the song "tu maike mat jaiyo" from Pukar
Great series..keep 'em coming.
--
Vijay
----------------------------------
The Truth - any which way you want
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vijay...@hotmail.com
Chetan Vinchhi
>
> THE VIOLIN
>
> <snip>
>
> So the solo violin hall of fame emtrants are:
Thanks for the great article in the series, Shekhar!
In the solo violin category, I would like to mention
the Jaunpuri-based (?) CR creation "jab dil ko sataave
Gam tuu chheD sakhi saragam" from Sargam. Towards
the end of the song, there is an extensive (by filmi
standards) exposition of the theme on the violin,
Hindustani style. Excellent.
And then there is "baalamva bolo naa bolo naa" from
Picnic (MD : S.Mohinder) with some exquisite violin
work - prominent, but not dominating - especially in
the prelude.
C
Sai Prasad
> The string effect is the cornerstone of Hindi film music, even in these days
> of synthesised cacophony. It actually takes only three or four violins to
> produce a good effect, but it wasn't uncommon for MDs like S-J to have dozens
> of them in a recording room. Strings haven't been used only for interludes -
Strings are such an integral part of a song that it is often impossible to hum or sing a
song without the counter melody running thru' one's mind - especially if you are a
musician. It's almost impossible to separate the two. How about Khyyaam's skillful use
of the strings in "Hazaar Rahen" (Thodi Si Bewafaai) or RDB's "Humen Tumse Pyaar Kitnaa"
(Kudrat).
- Sai