Theme Song : Second Fiddle
K Vijay Kumar
There was one response to my previous post which set me thinking about
whether it was really the chorus or the oral sound which was the first
music produced by man. Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps it was the chance mix
of stone on stone, or wood on wood or the clattering of a stampeding
herd that gave man his first ideas on rhythms and music. Certainly, if
one can't decide on the primacy of either form of music, one can agree
that both instrumental and vocal music are of similar antiquity. So,
having examined what use the Hindi Film industry has made of choruses
as a part of the song, or in the interludes, I wondered if we have
similar examples of instrumental music used to telling effect in Hindi
Film songs. I came up with some ideas which follow.....
Most, if not all, of the songs that I could think of are famous, and
most, if not all, are equally unimaginable without the special touches
of a specific musical instrument.
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Sometimes, in a whole orchestra (of 107 performers or so), you can
catch the sombre, deep, murmurings of the double bass in the face of
twenty violins. Sometimes, there is actually a lead player -a violinst,
as in Brahms' violin concertos, or a pianist as in several of Chopin's
Etudes, or a trumpeteer (Haydn's trumpet concerto) - who takes centre
stage and holds your undivided attention. Even as the music echoes
within the confines of your head, the soloists' performance must stand
out. In much of Indian Classical music, the performances are solos with
a small supporting cast of percussion and tanpoora. While Hindi Film
music has made widespread use of orchestral compositions and a much
more filled out ensemble of accompanists, sometimes, one instrument
stands out and stays with you much after the song is heard no more
-Solitary Reaper style.
Early Hindi cinema treated songs much in the same fashion as if they
had been sung in mehfils or kutheris, to the sparse accompaniment of
a tabla, a harmonium and a tanpura before it slowly evolved to make
the music of the instruments an integral part of the song, rather than
as a mere accompaniment or as a filler while the singer regained breath.
Indeed in cases like MS Subbalakshmi's Meera, the cinema was no more
than an instrument to make her appear in a hundred concerts in
different cities all at the same time.
It was the humble harmonium which was first used in Hindi cinema in
songs such as "babul mora naiihar chuuTo hi jaaye"
(Street Singer : RC Boral) in which Saigal's voice is pitch perfect to
the accompanying harmonium. The example was to be repeated in songs
like Zohra's "akhiyaa.N milake, jiya bharmake" (Ratan : Naushad)
or qawwali's like "nigahe.N milane ko ji chaahata hai"
Much later the harmonium was to give form to an entirely new musical
idiom in O P Nayyar's adaptations of Punjabi folk music. "bahut
shukriya baDi meherbaani" from Ek musafir ek Hasiina has adequate
competition from "leke pehla pehla pyaar" and "meri duniya luT rahi thi"
from CID & Mr.&Mrs 55 respectively, from the same composer, in terms of
usage of the harmonium.
There is one instrument and one tune which became a signature tune in
itself for the snake idea - the been/claviola/harmonium in Naagin
"tan Dole, mera man Dole" (Hemant Kumar). The same tune repeats itself
in several songs in the film, and resurfaces in some form or other
in situations where a snake idea is to be conveyed and was used
successfully (if I remember right) in Sridevi's "Nagiina" and "Nigahen"
mini-series. Netters familiar with the "Aap hi ke geet" programme on
Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation will recognise the same been in its
theme music.
Hindi film music has developed its own idioms for folksy airs. The
sarangi for the rajasthani atmosphere, the baol ektara for fisher-folk
music, the clarinet for aural images of southern India, the guitar for
the candour and joyousness of Goan music...these idioms have often times
turned into cliches, and yet they still stand out in memorable tunes.
If you listen to Talat's "bechain nazar, betaab jigar" from Yasmeen,
you will notice how C Ramchandra uses the lute to telling effect to
recreate an "Afghan" air. The lute follows Talat after practically each
line, underscoring the silkiness in Talat's voice.
Or if you pause to hear the rhythmic beat of the castanets in Geeta's
"suno gajar kya gaye" from Baazi. When the rest of the orchestra falls
silent, the castanets mark the passing of time in an ear-catching
fashion. SD Burman manages to cast Geeta's voice to perfection to meet
the mood of the moment.
Raj Kapoor specialised in having his lead roles use musical instruments
in his movies. Take Sangam (Shankar-Jaikishen) which had "tere man ki
ganga aur mere man ki jumna ka" or "mai.N kya karuu.N raam, mujhe
buDDha mil gaya" which feature the bagpipe prominently, especially in
the opening bars of both songs. Or take the accordian song "har dil jo
pyaar karega" from the same film. If Shri 420 featured the piccolo both
in "mera juuta hai japani" and "pyar hua ikraar hua", Laxmi-Pyare's
Dharam Karam had the piano song "ik din bik jayega, maaTi ke mol"
The RK song hich deserves special mention is however "muD muD ke na
dekh" (also from Shri 420 : Shankar-Jaikishen) which introduces the
"new" Raj to the underwolrd in spectacular fashion with trumpets
blazing out a raucous welcome. Even Nadia had to take the back seat in
the face of such a forceful entry. The trumpet is no less remarkable
going on the visage of Rishi Kapoor in "bachana ae hasiino.N, lo mai.N
aa gaya" (Hum kisi se kam nahiin : R D Burman) as he wows not only all
the assembled beauties, but also lay listeners to this day. And who can
forget the brilliant trumpet piece from the opening bars of Kishore's
"Nakhrewali" (Nai Dilli : Ravi)?
Another song featuring Raj Kapoor (though not his own production) must
feature high on the all-time list of piano songs "mai.N dil hu.N ik
aramaan bhara" Talat at his romantic best with Roshan in Anhonee. Other
piano songs which stand out are "jiit hi lenge baazi hum-tum"
(Shola aur shabnam : Khayyam), "aaj ki raat mere dil ki salaami le lo"
(Ram aur Shyam : Naushad) and "khvab ho tum ya koi haqeekat"
(teen deviya.N : S D Burman)
It is not as if "imported" instruments have monopolized songs which
have superb instrumental interludes or accompaniments. The humble
ektara has had its day in two memorable songs "saii.Nya jhooTo.N ka
baDa sardar nikla" (do aankhen barah haath : Vasant Desai) and
"bas yahi apraadh mai.N harbar karta huu.N" (pehchan : SJ)
The violin is originally an Indian instrument and was also featured on
Ravan's flag in his mythical war with Rama (the Ramayana). It's Indian
name is Ravanastom. Having migrated west over the centuries, it came
back to India to find a place of pride in Indian classical music
(especially Carnatic) and fame with Lalgudi Jayraman, L Subramaniam
and others. I was hard put to identify songs in Hindi film music with
violin solo pieces. There are any number of "wailing violins" sections
in L-P or S-J's orchestral compositions, but other than the cameo piece
preceding Amitabh's "tu maike mat jaiiyo" (Pukar : RD Burman), I
could not think of any song where this instrument appears in solitary
glory.
The mouth organ is a particularly ubiquitous instrument in Hindi cinema
and finds special place in college competitions in "hai apna dil to
aawara" (Solvaan Saal : S D Burman). No less appealing is the "aankho.N
pe bharosa mat kar" (Detective : Mukul Roy) with the perky, painful
Daisy Irani prancing around with Pradeep Kumar. The duo "koii jab raah
na paaye" and "raahi manva dukh ki chinta kyuu.N sataati hai" which
Rafi sang for Rajshri's Dosti under Laxmikant-Pyarelal's baton
are beautiful numbers embellished by the mouth organ's soft strains.
If it is the softness of the lute or the piano which appeals to one's
musical sensitivities in the above songs, there are some songs in which
the boldness of the percussions stands out memorably. Take
"rukmini, rukmini" (Roja : A R Rehman) where Rehman brings all his
Western Classical music training to bear in the clashing cymbals and
the crashing drums. Also remarkable for the use of drums are the songs
"ho.NTho.N pe aisi baat" (Jewel Thief : S D Burman) and "chunri sambhal
gori" (Baharo.N ke sapne : R D Burman) in the extended opening bars of
the respective songs.
The Dafli stands out in Laxmi-Pyare's compositions for Sargam "Dafli
wale, dafli baja" and "parbat ka us paar", while it is the petite
khanjira which features in two of Amitabh's more poular songs
"log kahte hai.N mai.N sharaabi huu.N" (Sharabi : Bappi Lahiri)
and "apni to jaise taise" (Lawaaris : Bappi Lahiri)
Sometimes it is the wind instruments which are used to create a
plaintive effect as in the pervasive presence of the shehnai in
"taqdeer ka fasaana" (Sehraa : Ramlal) or the playful shehnai as in
"mera yaar bana hai dulha" (Chaudhnvi ka chaand : Ravi). The same
playfulness comes across in Hariji's flute in "chaandni, tu meri
chaandni" (Chaandni : Shiv-Hari), while the flute comes across more
mellifluously in Laxmi-Pyare's "tu mera januu.N hai" from Hero.
A great combination of both the flute and the sitar is to be found in
Bhupen Hazarika's "jhooThi mooTi mitava aavan bole" from Rudaali. One
can picture the koyal singing in the trees, and the morni dancing
joyously in the rain even as one feels the drops running down the
upturned face of a delighted Dimple.
On occasion it is just the strings of the sitar strummed to telling
effect as in "O sajana, barkha bahar aayi" (Parakh : Salil Choudhury)
or "humne tujhko pyaar kiya" (Dulha Dulhan : Kalyanji-Anandji) or the
song for which Dilip Kumar worked so hard to learn the sitar -
"madhuban mei.N radhika nache re" (Kohinoor : Naushad)
If it is strings one talks about, can one forget the amazing guitar
pieces in Kishore's "niile niile ambar par" for Kalyanji-Anandji? A
true Kalakaar that. The guitar is also prominent in "inteha ho gayi,
intezar ki" from Bappi Lahiri's Sharabi.
Another string instrument to feature in Hindi cinema, thanks largely to
the recurring courtesan theme, is the soulful sarangi. Can you imagine
"dil cheez kya hai" (Umrao Jaan : Khayyam) without the sarangi?
Finally, what about the tune which has appeared in several instruments
spread over a time span of about twenty years or more? The original is
a Spanish dance tune, I am told, and in its Indianised form, became a
signature tune for Raj Kapoor from Barsaat to Awara to Sangam to Joker.
Great music not only emanates from musical instruments, it spans music
forms and media as well....
Like the several voices of the chorus lost in humble anonymity, the
skilled renditions of instrumental geniuses which have lent so much
meaning and mystique to Hindi Film music are also lost in anonymity.
Let RMIM salute the efforts of those unsung musicians who played so
successful a second fiddle to the main singers, and still managed to
carve a niche in our hearts with their virtuosity.
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vijay
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The Truth - any which way you want
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vijay...@hotmail.com
Ravi Krishna
K Vijay Kumar wrote:
> If it is strings one talks about, can one forget the amazing guitar
> pieces in Kishore's "niile niile ambar par" for Kalyanji-Anandji? A
> true Kalakaar that.
The amazing guitar piece in that song is due to Ilayaraja. Listen
to the tamil original from where KA copied it in Hindi.
--
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S. Ravi Krishna
r_kr...@hotmail.com
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Ketan
On Thu, 12 Jun 1997, K Vijay Kumar wrote:
Firstly nice article,
> Hindi film music has developed its own idioms for folksy airs. The
> sarangi for the rajasthani atmosphere, the baol ektara for fisher-folk
> music, the clarinet for aural images of southern India, the guitar for
> the candour and joyousness of Goan music...these idioms have often times
> turned into cliches, and yet they still stand out in memorable tunes.
One song at least comes to my mind, for its usage of instruments, to
portray the folksy feel. "Aye mere pyaare vatan" from Kabuliwallah(Salil).
I don't know if "Mehbooba Mehbooba's" instrument usage lent it any
particular folksy air or not. It's up for debate. Regrading the
baol-ektara, it is used very nicely by RDB in "Meri pyaari bindu" and SDB
in "Aaj sajan mohe ang laga lo" and the GeetaD - MannaD duet from Devdas,
a song which has taken up temporary residence on the tip of my tongue.
> Or if you pause to hear the rhythmic beat of the castanets in Geeta's
> "suno gajar kya gaye" from Baazi. When the rest of the orchestra falls
> silent, the castanets mark the passing of time in an ear-catching
> fashion. SD Burman manages to cast Geeta's voice to perfection to meet
> the mood of the moment.
Castanets, Geeta and a later reference to Spanish tunes, would mean that
"Jhoom jhoom ke jaam choom ke" in Coffee House(Roshan) would qualify
immediately.
> violin solo pieces. There are any number of "wailing violins" sections
> in L-P or S-J's orchestral compositions, but other than the cameo piece
> preceding Amitabh's "tu maike mat jaiiyo" (Pukar : RD Burman), I
> could not think of any song where this instrument appears in solitary
> glory.
Don't "Bade achche lagte hai" from Balika Badhu(RDB) and/or "Dard-e-dil"
from Karz(LP) also start with a violin piece. I would think some Madan
Mohan song or the other is bound to feature extended violin pieces. Also
how about the prelude of "Itna na mujhse tu pyaar badha" --Chaaya(Salil)?
> The mouth organ is a particularly ubiquitous instrument in Hindi cinema
> and finds special place in college competitions in "hai apna dil to
> aawara" (Solvaan Saal : S D Burman). No less appealing is the "aankho.N
Forgot what is probably the most remarkable song on the instrument-- "Mere
sapnon ki raani"-- Aradhana(SDB) with RDB himself playing the instrument.
Another area where he also plays it great is the ending musical passages
of "Yeh Dosti" --Sholay(RDB)
> If it is the softness of the lute or the piano which appeals to one's
> musical sensitivities in the above songs, there are some songs in which
> the boldness of the percussions stands out memorably. Take
Ofcourse nobody would beat RDB in this department. "O Manjhi re"
--Khushboo(RDB) is just one and probably his best example. Although there
are countless examples, one which strike me as great percussion usage is
the soft bongos in the title song of "Jhootha Kahin ka", in the lines
"roothe tu jabhi...". Salil uses great percussion in "Machalti arzoo" from
Usne Kaha Tha. SDB ofcourse excels in this area, IMHO. Notice the usage of
the mridangam in "Tere naina talash kare". LP and percussion? Yes,
brilliant usage in all songs of Utsav, esp "Neelam pe nabh chayi"
> Sometimes it is the wind instruments which are used to create a
> plaintive effect as in the pervasive presence of the shehnai in
> "taqdeer ka fasaana" (Sehraa : Ramlal) or the playful shehnai as in
> "mera yaar bana hai dulha" (Chaudhnvi ka chaand : Ravi)
Prelude of "Main to bhool chali babul ka des" Saraswati Chandra(KA) also
uses Shehnai very well.
> The same playfulness comes across in Hariji's flute in "chaandni, tu
> meri chaandni" (Chaandni : Shiv-Hari), while the flute comes across more
> mellifluously in Laxmi-Pyare's "tu mera januu.N hai" from Hero.
Flute = Most Salil songs. Being a flutist himself, he excels in its usage.
Examples : Prelude of "Ja re ud ja re panchi" and "Aha Rimjhim ke yeh
pyaare pyaare".
> A great combination of both the flute and the sitar is to be found in >
> Bhupen Hazarika's "jhooThi mooTi mitava aavan bole" from Rudaali. One >
An even greater combo of 2 instruments is found in MM's "Naino main badra
chaye" with a sitar and a santoor in the prelude.
> On occasion it is just the strings of the sitar strummed to telling
"Jaane kaise sapnon main" Anuradha(Pt. Ravi Shankar) and the songs of
Meera by the same MD have great sitar pieces. Again quite a few MM songs
have great sitar usage. Example : "Aaj socha to aansoo bhar aaye" to name
just one. "Ja ja re ja balmava"(P-stats escape me) has a good sitar
prelude. Again RDB's usgae of the sitar in "Bechara dil kya kare" in a
skipping manner coincides beautifully with the skipping/runnnig actions of
Hema and Farida Jalal.
> If it is strings one talks about, can one forget the amazing guitar >
> pieces in Kishore's "niile niile ambar par" for Kalyanji-Anandji? A >
> true Kalakaar that. The guitar is also prominent in "inteha ho gayi, >
> intezar ki" from Bappi Lahiri's Sharabi. > >
"Dum maro dum" & "I Love You" from HRHK, "Jaane jaa dhoondata" from Jawani
Diwani, "Aaya hoon main tujh ko le jaaonga" from Manoranjan, and "Maine
Dekha ek sapna" from Samadhi showcase RDB's classy use of the bass guitar.
And that's just the top 4 in my head for RDB.
> Another string instrument to feature in Hindi cinema, thanks largely to
> the recurring courtesan theme, is the soulful sarangi. Can you imagine >
> "dil cheez kya hai" (Umrao Jaan : Khayyam) without the sarangi? > >
Two nice uses of sarangi are by Roshan in "Jo baat tujh main hai" from Taj
Mahal and "Diwana huva badal" by OPN in Kashmir ki Kali.
> Finally, what about the tune which has appeared in several instruments >
> spread over a time span of about twenty years or more? The original is >
> a Spanish dance tune, I am told, and in its Indianised form, became a >
Similarly the waltz featured in atleast 3 songs-- "Tarari Tarari"
--Dastaan(Naushad), "Tum jo huye mere humsafar"--12 O' Clock(OPN) and
"Zameen se hame aasmaan par" -- Adalat(MM)
Ketan
A Bursack fan(atic)
PS: An appeal : Please do not hijack this article by coming out with
points like A copied the 1st, 4th and 8th beat in the 3rd interlude from
the prelude of a song by B, who originally composed it in Swahili. It
digresses from the theme of the topic which should be to illustrate how
instruments have embellished a song, supported it, or at times spoilt it.
Neha Desai
In article <33A05E...@hotmail.com>, K says...
>If Shri 420 featured the piccolo both
>in "mera juuta hai japani" and "pyar hua ikraar hua", Laxmi-Pyare's
>Dharam Karam had the piano song "ik din bik jayega, maaTi ke mol"
The "Dharam Karam" music was by the one and only R D. Burman.
--
Neha
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bhale tej kitna hawa ka ho jhonkaa..
magar apne man mein tu rakh ye bharosa...
jo bichhade safar mein tujhe phir milenge...
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Snehal B. Oza
In <Pine.GSO.3.96.970612171114.6006B-100000@shell> Ketan <ke...@iag.net> writes:
>On Thu, 12 Jun 1997, K Vijay Kumar wrote:
>Firstly nice article,
I enjoyed reading it too.
>> The same playfulness comes across in Hariji's flute in "chaandni, tu
>> meri chaandni" (Chaandni : Shiv-Hari), while the flute comes across more
>> mellifluously in Laxmi-Pyare's "tu mera januu.N hai" from Hero.
>Flute = Most Salil songs. Being a flutist himself, he excels in its usage.
>Examples : Prelude of "Ja re ud ja re panchi" and "Aha Rimjhim ke yeh
>pyaare pyaare".
One more I would like to add from Salil Chwodhury is 'Majboor-E-Muhobat Ne Phir
Ham Ko Pukaara Hai' it has some beautiful instrumentation and very pleasing
movements. I like the flute pieces in the prelude.
>"Jaane kaise sapnon main" Anuradha(Pt. Ravi Shankar) and the songs of
>Meera by the same MD have great sitar pieces. Again quite a few MM songs
>have great sitar usage. Example : "Aaj socha to aansoo bhar aaye" to name
>just one. "Ja ja re ja balmava"(P-stats escape me) has a good sitar
It's from Basant Bahar. That reminds me one more of Shankar's tune and a great
use of sitar in a long prelude (which exists only in soundtrack and not on 78)
of 'Sapano Ki Suhaani Duniya Ko Aankho Me Basaana Mushkil Hai'.
Snehal
>Ketan
>A Bursack fan(atic)
Parimal R. Zaveri
In article <33A05E...@hotmail.com>, K Vijay Kumar
<vijay...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> There is one instrument and one tune which became a signature tune in
> itself for the snake idea - the been/claviola/harmonium in Naagin
> "tan Dole, mera man Dole" (Hemant Kumar). The same tune repeats itself
Guess who played this, and became famous for it too??
None other than Kalyanji (yes, the same one from the K-A duo)!!!
He was Hemant Kumar's assistant at that time.
Regards,
Parimal Zaveri