| Ilaiyaraaja இளையராஜா | |
|---|---|
 Ilaiyaraaja at his studio in Chennai | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gnanadesikan |
| Also known as | Ilaiyaraaja, Raja |
| Born | June 3, 1943 [1] |
| Origin | Pannaipuram, Theni, Madras Presidency |
| Genres | Film score, World music |
| Occupations | Film score composer, lyricist,music director, songwriter,singer, conductor,instrumentalist and Film producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, (playback singing),guitar, keyboard, harmonium,piano |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Website | www.raaja.comIlaiyaraaja (Tamil: இளையராஜா) (born Gnanadesikan[2] on 3 June 1943) is an Indian film composer, singer, and lyricist mainly in the Tamil film Industry.[3][4] He is regarded as one of the finest music composers in India.[5][6][7][8][9] Ilaiyaraaja is also an instrumentalist, conductor, and a songwriter. To date, he has composed over 4500 songs and provided film scores for more than 950 Indian films in various languages in a career spanning more than 30 years,[10][11][12][13]particularly being acclaimed for his background scoring for Indian films. His songs and background score played a very crucial role in the success of many films.[4][14][15][16] He remains as one of the most popular composers ever in the South Indian film industry.[17] |
Ilaiyaraaja has been a prominent composer of film music in South Indian cinema since the late 1970s.[18] His works are mainly in Tamil, but has also scored music for Telugu, Malayalam,Kannada, Marathi[19] and Hindi film industries. He integrated folk lyricism (in Tamil) and introduced broader Western musical sensibilities into the South Indian musical mainstream. A gold medalist in classical guitar from Trinity College of Music, London, in 1993 he became the first Asian to compose a full symphony performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London's Walthamstow Town Hall.[20][21][22][23] In 2003, according to a BBC international poll, people from 155 countries voted his composition "Rakkamma Kaiya Thattu" from the 1991 filmThalapathi fourth in the world's top 10 most popular songs of all time.[24] He was also nominated in the Best Indian album Music Awards category[25] at US based Just Plain Folks Music Organization, which is the largest grassroots music organization in the world,[26] and stood third for his "Music Journey: Live in Italy".[25][27]
In the 2000s, he composed a variety of non-film music, including religious and devotional songs, an oratorio, and world music, while shifting his focus to Malayalam films. He is usually referred to by the title Isaignani (Tamil: இசைஞானி; English: A man with great knowledge in music), or as The Maestro. He has won four Indian National Film Awards; three for Best Music Directionand one for Best Background Score[28] and is a recipient of the prestigious Padma BhushanAward from the Government of India.
Early life and family
Ilaiyaraaja was born as Gnanadesikan in Pannaipuram, Theni district, Tamil Nadu,[29] India, but when he was joined in the school his father changed his name as "Rajaiya" but his village people used to call him as "Raasayya". Ilaiyaraaja joined Dhanraj Master as a student to learn musical instruments and the master renamed and called him as just "Raaja".[30] In his first movie Annakili Tamil film producer Panchu Arunachalam added "Ilaiya" (Ilaiya means younger in Tamil language) as prefix in his name Raaja and he named as "Ilaiyaraaja" because in 1970's there was one more music director A. M. Rajah who was a popular one.
Ilaiyaraaja is married to Jeeva and the couple have three children—Karthik Raja, Yuvan Shankar Raja and Bhavatharini—all film composers and singers.[31][32] His wife Jeeva passed away on October 31, 2011.[33]
Early exposure to music
Ilaiyaraaja was growing up in a rural area, he was exposed to a range of Tamil folk music.[34] At the age of 14, he joined a travelling musical troupe headed by his elder stepbrother, Pavalar Varadarajan, and spent the next decade performing throughout South India.[35][36] While working with the troupe, he penned his first composition, a musical adaptation of an elegy written by the Tamil poet laureate Kannadasan forJawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister.[37] In 1968, Ilaiyaraaja began a music course with Professor Dhanraj in Madras (now Chennai),[30] which included an overview of Western classical music, compositional training in techniques such as counterpoint, and study in instrumental performance.[38] Ilaiyaraaja specialized in classical guitar and had taken a course in it at the Trinity College of Music, London.[39]
Session musician and film orchestrator
In the 1970s in Chennai, Ilaiyaraaja played guitar in a band-for-hire, and worked as a session guitarist, keyboardist, and organist for film music composers and directors such as Salil Chowdhury from West Bengal.[40][41][42] After being hired as the musical assistant to Kannada film composer G. K. Venkatesh, he worked on 200 film projects, mostly in the Kannada language.[43] As G. K. Venkatesh's assistant, Ilaiyaraaja would orchestrate the melodic outlines developed by Venkatesh. During this period, Ilaiyaraaja also began writing his own scores. To hear his compositions, he would persuade Venkatesh's session musicians to play excerpts from his scores during their break times.[35]Ilaiyaraaja would hire instruments from composer R. K. Shekhar, father of composer A. R. Rahman, who later joined Ilaiyaraaja's orchestra as a keyboardist.
Film composer
In 1976, film producer Panchu Arunachalam commissioned him to compose the songs and film score for a Tamil-language film calledAnnakkili ('The Parrot').[44] For the soundtrack, Ilaiyaraaja applied the techniques of modern popular film music orchestration to Tamil folk poetry and folk song melodies, which created a fusion of Western and Tamil idioms.[45][46] Ilaiyaraaja's use of Tamil music in his film scores injected new influence into the Indian film score milieu.[47] By the mid-1980s Ilaiyaraaja was gaining increasing stature as a film composer and music director in the South Indian film industry.[18] He has worked with acclaimed Indian poets and lyricists such as Kannadasan, Vaali,Vairamuthu, Veturi Sundararama Murthy, Sirivennela Sitaramasastri, O. N. V. Kurup and Gulzar[48] and celebrated film directors such asBharathiraja, K. Balachander, K. Vishwanath, Vamsi, Balu Mahendra, Priyadarshan, Ram Gopal Varma, Mani Ratnam and R. Balki.[49]]
Impact and musical style
Ilaiyaraaja was one of the earliest Indian film composers to use Western classical music harmonies and string arrangements in Indian film music.[50] This allowed him to craft a rich tapestry of sounds for films, and his themes[51] and background score gained notice and appreciation among Indian film audiences.[52] The range of expressive possibilities in Indian film music was broadened by Ilaiyaraaja's methodical approach to arranging, recording technique, and his drawing of ideas from a diversity of musical styles.[50]
According to musicologist P. Greene, Ilaiyaraaja's "deep understanding of so many different styles of music allowed him to create syncretic pieces of music combining very different musical idioms in unified, coherent musical statements".[18] Ilaiyaraaja has composed Indian film songs that amalgamated elements of genres such as Afro-tribal,[53] bossa nova,[54] dance music (e.g., disco),[55] doo-wop,[56] flamenco,[57]acoustic guitar-propelled Western folk,[58] funk,[59] Indian classical,[60] Indian folk/traditional,[61] jazz,[62] march,[63] pathos,[64] pop,[65]psychedelia,[66] and rock and roll.
By virtue of this variety and his interfusion of Western, Indian folk and Carnatic elements, Ilaiyaraaja's compositions appeal to the Indian rural dweller for its rhythmic folk qualities, the Indian classical music enthusiast for the employment of Carnatic ragams,[67] and the urbanite for its modern, Western-music sound.[68] Ilaiyaraaja's sense of visualization for composing music is always to match up with the storyline of the running movie and possibly by doing so, he creates the best experience for the audience to feel the emotions flavored through his musical score. He mastered this art of blending music to the narration, which very few others managed to adapt themselves over a longer time.[17]
Although Ilaiyaraaja uses a range of complex compositional techniques, he often sketches out the basic melodic ideas for films in a very spontaneous fashion.[18][34] The Indian filmmaker Mani Ratnam illustrates:
Ilayaraja would look at the scene once, and immediately start giving notes to his assistants, as a bunch of musicians, hovering around him, would collect the notes for their instrument and go to their places. When the orchestra played out the notes, they would be perfect, not just in harmony but also in timing — the background score would commence exactly where it should and end at the exact place required. Ilayaraja was a genius, who could compose music with just one look at the scene.
[edit]Musical characteristics
Ilaiyaraaja's music is characterised by the use of an orchestration technique that is a synthesis of Western and Indian instruments and musical modes. He uses electronic music technology that integrates synthesisers, electric guitars and keyboards, drum machines, rhythm boxes and MIDI with large orchestras that feature traditional instruments such as the veena, venu, nadaswaram, dholak, mridangam andtabla as well as Western lead instruments such as saxophones and flutes.[18][69]
He uses catchy melodies fleshed out with a variety of chord progressions, beats and timbres.[70][71][72] Ilaiyaraaja's songs typically have amusical form where vocal stanzas and choruses are interspersed with orchestral preludes and interludes.[73] They often contain polyphonicmelodies, where the lead vocals are interwoven with supporting melody lines sung by another voice or played by instruments.[74]
The basslines in his songs tend to be melodically dynamic, rising and falling in a dramatic fashion.[71] Polyrhythms are also apparent, particularly in songs with Indian folk or Carnatic influences. The melodic structure of his songs demand considerable vocal virtuosity, and have found expressive platform amongst some of India's respected vocalists and playback singers, such as S. P. Balasubramaniam, K. J. Yesudas, S. Janaki, K. S. Chitra, Swarnalatha, S. P. Sailaja, T. M. Soundararajan, P. Susheela, Sujatha, Malaysia Vasudevan, Asha Bhonsle, Lata Mangeshkar, Sadhana Sargam and the latest sensation Shreya Ghoshal.[75] Ilaiyaraaja has sung over 400 of his own compositions for films,[76][77] and is recognisable by his stark, nasal voice. He has penned the lyrics for some of his songs in Tamil and other languages.[78][79][80] Ilaiyaraaja's film scores are known both for the dramatic and evocative melodies, and for the more subtle background music that he uses to provide texture or mood for scenes in films such as Johnny (1980), Mouna Raagam (1986), Geethanjali (1989) andGuna (1991).
Non-cinematic output
Ilaiyaraaja's first two non-film albums were explorations in the fusion of Indian and Western classical music. The first, How To Name It? (1986),[81] is dedicated to the Carnatic masterTyāgarāja and to J. S. Bach. It features a fusion of the Carnatic form and ragas with Bachpartitas, fugues and Baroque musical textures.[82] The second, Nothing But Wind (1988), was performed by flutist Hariprasad Chaurasia and a 50-piece orchestra and takes the conceptual approach suggested in the title — that music is a natural phenomenon akin to various forms of air currents (e.g., the wind, breeze, tempest etc.).[83]
He has composed a set of Carnatic kritis that was recorded by electric mandolinist U. Srinivasfor the album Ilayaraaja's Classicals on the Mandolin (1994).[84] Ilaiyaraaja has also composed albums of religious/devotional songs. His Guru Ramana Geetam (2004) is a cycle of prayer songs inspired by the Hindu mystic Ramana Maharishi,[85] and his Thiruvasakam: A crossover(2005) is an oratorio of ancient Tamil poems transcribed partially in English by American lyricistStephen Schwartz and performed by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra.[86][87] Ilaiyaraaja's most recent release is a world music-oriented album called The Music Messiah (2006).[88] Its musical concept is based against a mythological narrative.[73][89] His recent release in November 2008, is Manikantan Geet Mala released by India Tales with 9 songs praising Lord Ayyappa in almost all south Indian languages.[citation needed]
Albums (instrumental, non-film)
| Year | Album | Year | Album | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | How to Name It | 1988 | Nothing but Wind | 2000 | Raajavin Ramanamalai, Guru Ramana Geetam |
| 2001 | Geethanjali | 2002 | Amma Paamalai | 2003 | India 24 Hours |
| 2005 | Thiruvasagam | 2007 | The Music Messiah | 2008 | Manikantan Geet Mala |
| 2009 | Namratha Ke Sagar | 2010 | Ramana Saranam Saranam, Baba Pugazh Maalai | 2011 | Amma - Short film |
See also: Ilaiyaraaja discography
Ilaiyaraaja's composition "Rakkama Kaiya Thattu", sung by SPB and Swarnalatha in the movie Thalapathi (1991), was among the songs listed in a BBC World Top Ten music poll.[90] He composed the music for Nayagan (1987), an Indian film ranked by TIME Magazine as one of the all-time 100 best movies,[91] a number of India's official entries to the Oscars, such as Anjali (1990)[92] and Hey Ram (2000),[93] and for Indian art films such as Adoor Gopalakrishnan's FIPRESCI Prize-winning Nizhalkkuthu ('The Dance of Shadows') (2002).[94] Ilaiyaraaja has composed music for events such as the 1996 Miss World beauty pageant that was held in Bangalore, India, and for a documentary calledIndia 24 Hours (1996).[95][96] The pop/hip-hop band The Black Eyed Peas sampled an Ilaiyaraaja composition called "Unakkum Ennakum", from the film Sri Raghavendra (1985), for their tune "The Elephunk Theme" from their breakout album, Elephunk (2003).[97] The alternative artist M.I.A. sampled his composition "Kaatukuyilu" from the film Thalapathi (1991) for her song "Bamboo Banga" on the album Kala(2007).[98] His music compositions for the Hindi movie Paa (December 3, 2009) has won critical acclaim in several media reviews.
[edit]Live performances
Ilaiyaraaja rarely performs his music live, which may be due to the time he devotes to his composing activities.[99] His last major live performance, the first in 25 years, was a four-hour concert held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, India on October 16, 2005.[100] The show was widely televised both in India and abroad, in which he played a song with just three notes (sa re ga).[101] Less well-known was his live 2004 performance in Italy at the Teatro Comunale di Modena, an event-concert presented for the 14th edition of Angelica, Festival Internazionale Di Musica, co-produced with the L'Altro Suono Festival.[102][103] He had done a few small-scale shows early in his career in Sri Lanka and Malaysia and was involved in a charity concert to raise funds for the construction of a Hindu temple in India.[99] A television retrospective titled Ithu Ilaiyaraja ('This is Ilaiyaraja') was produced, chronicling his career.[104] He last performed live at the audio release function of Dhoni film and before that he performed a programme that was conducted and telecasted by Jaya TV titled Enendrum Raja('Everlasting Raja') on December 28, 2011 at Jahawarlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Chennai.
[edit]Partial discography
Main article: Ilaiyaraaja discography
[edit]Tamil
| Year | Album | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 1978 | Vayasu Pilichindi | |
| 1979 | Yugandhar | 1980 | Guru |
| 1981 | Seethakoka Chiluka, Tik Tik Tik | 1982 | Nireekshana, Vasantha Kokila |
| 1983 | Abhilasha, Manthrigari Viyyankudu, Saagara Sangamam, Seethakoka Chiluka, Sitaara, Rajakumar | 1984 | Challenge, Merupu Daadi, Sitaara, Sahasame Jeevitham, Samaram |
| 1985 | Anveshana, Swathi Muthyam, Preminchu Pelladu, Aalapana, Jwala, Oka Radha Iddaru Krishnulu, Pagale Vennela | 1986 | Ladies Tailor, Manchi Manasulu, Rakshasudu, Sri Shirdi Saibaba Mahathyam, Kirathakudu |
| 1987 | Aakhari Poratam, Rudraveena, Swarna Kamalam, Aradhana, Indrudu Chandrudu, Nayakudu (dubbed from Nayakan), Pelli Natakam, Sankeerthana | 1988 | Abhinandana, Chinababu, Maharshi, Sri Kanakamahalakshmi Recording Dance Troupe, Marana Mrudangam, Prema, Rakthabhishekam, Varasudochhadu |
| 1989 | Geethanjali, Kokila, Shiva, Chettukinda Pleader, Rudranetra, Premanjali | 1990 | Bobbili Raja, Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari, Kondaveeti Donga, Anjali, April 1 Vidudhala, O Papa Lali |
| 1991 | Surya IPS, Chaithanya, Nirnayam, Killer, Aditya 369, Chanti,Coolie No. 1, Sri Yedukondala Swamy, Stuartpuram Police Station | 1992 | Detective Narada, Dharma Kshetram, Aswamedham,Chinarayudu, Meera, Chamanthi, Dalapathi (dubbed from Tamil), Killer, Moratodu Naa Mogudu, Prema Vijetha, Pattudala |
| 1993 | Aa Okkati Adakku, Amma Koduku | 1997 | Chinnabbayi, Kunthi Putrudu |
| 1998 | Antahpuram | 2002 | Preminchedi Endukamma |
| 2002 | Ninuchoodaka Nenundalenu, Pelli Koduku Ammabadunu, Seshu | 2003 | Shambu |
| 2004 | Shiv Shankar | 2007 | Anumanaspadam, Sunny |
| 2008 | Mallepuvvu | 2010 | Om Shanti, Gaayam 2 |
| 2011 | Sri Rama Rajyam | 2012 | Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu |
| Year | Album | Year | Album | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Vyamoham | 1980 | Dooram Arike | 1981 | Garjanam |
| 1982 | Olangal, Aa Rathri, Aalolam | 1983 | Sandhyakku Virinja Poovu, Oomakkuyil,Pinnilavu | 1984 | My Dear Kuttichathan-3D, Mangalam Nerunnu, Onnanu Nammal, Unaru |
| 1985 | Yathra | 1986 | Poomukhapadiyil Ninneyum Kathu, Kaveri | 1988 | Moonnam Pakkam |
| 1989 | Adharvam, Chaithram, Season | 1991 | Anaswaram, Ente Sooryaputhrikku | 1992 | Pappayude Swantham Appoos, Aparatha |
| 1993 | Jackpot | 1996 | Kaalapani, Man of the Match | 1997 | Guru, Kaliyoonjal, Oru Yathramozhi |
| 1998 | Anuragakottaram, Manjeera Dhwani | 1999 | Friends | 2000 | Kochu Kochu Santhoshangal, Kallu Kondoru Pennu |
| 2003 | Manassinakkare, Nizhalkuthu | 2005 | Ponmudipuzhayorathu, Achuvinte Amma | 2006 | Rasathanthram, Pachakuthira |
| 2007 | Vinodayathra, Sooryan | 2008 | Innathe Chintha Vishayam, S M S | 2009 | Bhagyadevatha, Pazhassi Raja |
| 2010 | Kadha Thudarunnu | 2011 | Snehaveedu, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star | 2012 |
Hindi
| Year | Album | Year | Album | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Sadma | 1987 | Kamagni | 1989 | Mahaadev |
| 1990 | Shiva | 1996 | Aur Ek Prem Kahani | 1996 | |
| 1999 | Hey Ram | 2001 | Lajja | 2005 | Mumbai Xpress, Divorce |
| 2006 | Shiva | 2007 | Cheeni Kum | 2009 | Chal Chalein, Paa |
| 2011 | Happi,[105] SRK | 2012 | Assi Nabbe Poorey Sau | 2013 |
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Hello Jai Hind! |
| Year | Album | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Maathu Tappada Maga | 1981 | Geetha, Janma Janmada Anubandha, Nee Nanna Gellalare |
| 1983 | Accident, Pallavi Anu Pallavi | 1984 | Bharjari Bete,"onddu muthina kathe" |
| 1996 | Nammoora Mandara Hoove, Shivasainya | 1998 | Hoomale |
| 2004 | Namma Preetiya Ramu | 2007 | Aa Dinagalu |
| 2009 | Nannavanu, Bhagyadha Balegara, Prem Kahani | 2010 | Suryakaanti |
| 2011 | Hare Rama Hare Krishna | 2012 | Prasad |
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