Happy Birthday Ilaiyaraaja: How old classical compositions inspired the genius musician to make new tunes

It’s the 78th birthday of music maestro Ilayaraaja. (IE Picture)

Music legend Ilaiyaraaja is one head with many hats. Not only a music composer he was a singer, songwriter, orchestrator, instrumentalist, and conduct arranger who labored in a number of languages and is credited for introducing Western musical sensibilities to South Indian movie music. There had been many articles making an attempt to dissect his music notes however only a few know that he was a postmodernist. He has believed that artwork is at all times impressed by one other previous type of artwork, which is usually the pillar of the inventive system often known as postmodernism.

Ilaiyaraaja had composed 1000’s of songs however hardly one would think about that he lifts his compositions from songs of different composers. Ilaiyaraja has additionally talked about movie composers giving him references and asking for compositions in comparable tunes. He had stated that this occurred within the profession of each movie music composer. Recalling certainly one of his experiences, he shared with late singing legend SP Balasubrahmanyam, how as soon as actor Kamal Hassan was not happy along with his unique rating for the film Apoorva Sagodharagal and requested him to compose one thing based mostly on an previous tune. That was how the tune Puthu Maappillaikku was made and later appreciated by the actor.

Apoorva Sagodharagal was launched in 1989 with Kamal Haasan in a double position and Puthu Maapillaikku tune performs within the background as Kamal’s dwarf character falls for a lady. Illaiyaraja additional stated that he altered little or no from the tune he has lifted it from however no one discovered.

Ilaiyaraja additional revealed that Kamal Hassan was referring to Naan Paarthathilae from MGR’s 1966 movie Anbe Vaa whereas explaining his expectations for the sound rating of Apoorva Sagodharaargal. Naan Paarthathilae was the composition of legendary musician M.S Viswanathan.

It ought to be famous right here that Ilaiyaraaja didn’t reuse the tunes of MSV as it’s, he reasonably took bits and items from the tune and long-established it in response to his liking to provide you with a brand new composition and made it extraordinary by including his private contact of ingenuity, creativity, and individuality. He was impressed by the rating however labored on it to the purpose that it turns into his personal. That’s the wonderful line between inspiration and plagiarism.

Evaluating composing music to magic as an act he stated identical to when magicians trick his viewers into believing that he pulled pigeons out of mango after they know he can not create a pigeon, his music is ‘a sort of deception.’. These composers managed to deceive quite a bit grew to become fashionable within the nation and he’s no exception together with his modern Balasubrahmanyam, as they compose songs and are influenced by different composers, he added.

Ilaaiyaraja’s music is characterised by its orchestration approach the place he assembles West musical notes with Indian devices. Now one can not assist however marvel who’re the opposite composers, classical compositions that impressed Ilaiyaraaja.