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The Golden Era of Tamil Music...

Topic started by Vishvesh Obla (@ 206.189.24.8) on Wed Feb 21 15:28:41 EST 2001.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Listening to a few old tamil songs always reminds me of the golden era of Tamil Cine Music. The two decades from the late fifties seems to me to have produced the best light music in Tamil. The golden era not only belongs to MSV (&Ramamoorthy) but also minor composers like AM Raja and V Kumar who could create music which has taste and inspiration behind it. Perhaps the formative years of Tamil Cine Music had an element of genuine inspiration behind it that could shape the musical sense of even the minor composers.

I have observed the songs belonging to this era having a kind of organic fluidity that is so natural to good music. The tunes flow to the natural sequence of music and don't have the strain of an artificial imagination at all. The accidental notes fall so perfectly in their places and add charm instead of a jarring sound as one hears in modern tamil cine music. Take for instance a song like "Unnidam Mayangugiraen". It varies in its rhythm and tune so differently but as a whole it is so beautifully synthesized that it adds so much of beauty and charm to the tune as a whole. The variation of tune sequence (or the scale) in those songs always seems to blend and not forced as one sees in the songs today.

They still appeal to the music lover, for there is the charming simplicity of the tune which combines elegantly with the better lyrics (mostly from Kannadasan, who had a fine sense of the beauty and more importantly, a good sense of sound in Tamil Language). The lyrics, hence, came naturally without any forced or exaggerated poetic association. One notices that those songs don't involve much complex orchestration of modern light music, but nevertheless are so musically elegant ; there isn't any forced imagination ; no aping of Western music as in modern light music. We mostly find the composer in his natural elements trying to synthesize a musical expression in a medium 'native' to his sense of music. Even a later composer like Ilayaraja is original most of the times when he tries his hand at folk music with which he grew up with.

In contrast, today's tamil cine music seems to appeal to us only by the hi-fi sound effects and rarely by any musical sense. There is always the annoying monotony, one who has any musical sense, observes. I wouldn't say that the songs of the earlier period were all so creatively diverse in their compositions. One can't expect such a thing in a lesser form of music as light music. But then there was at least that part of experimenting and a genuine attempt to create something from the musical sense that was less falsified in its inspiration. The composer of those times, as one can observe, had a kind of devotion to music, which didn't just have commercial interests alone. It is seldom seen today.

It seems to me that it is more than a question of taste and listening pleasure alone when one responds to tamil film music of its formative period. Ain't it so?...

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Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: Uncle Swam (@ 4.158.114.159) on: Fri Aug 20 23:19:47 EDT 2004
  
  MADDY, somewhere in another thread (that has since been cremated i think) i saw your stand on the IQ levels of certain regional music fans, here i can attempt to clarify little more where you left off......
  
  In Prasanna' analysis of IR' stellar orcehstrational demands, he clearly distinguished Bombay musicians from Madras musicians. distinguished in the sense, there is a distinct gulf between the two regions, passing Madras musicians with distinction and Bomaby musicians missing the Intelligence Q or something on those lines as far taking the difficult twists and turns in IR' counter points
  
  
• From: Kr (@ 68.37.82.175) on: Sat Aug 21 01:26:40 EDT 2004
  
  If the research was conducted in Madras recently (that found IR fan base of 55%), I am so proud of my Madras. Fellow Madrasis, Thank You especially those 55%.
  
  
• From: MADDY (@ 203.94.236.3) on: Sat Aug 21 04:06:08 EDT 2004
  
  obviously in madras mr.kr....ARR rulz elsewhere.....
  
  
• From: ag (@ 148.87.1.170) on: Sat Aug 21 08:47:15 EDT 2004
  
  MADDY,
  
  What was the age group of the participants of the survey?
  
  
• From: Prashanth (@ 61.2.69.121) on: Sat Aug 21 09:41:03 EDT 2004
  
  There always has to be evolution ,noway no man can hope to stop it as he is subconsciously doing it.Same case with music there was noway the music compostion of the 60's - 80's could have continued infinetly there had to be some one to change the style - Rahman.
  Say now will you listen to a 1960 kind of song for an new movie say with Rajini or Kamal.It will flop b'coz everyone has moved on.Even IR compositon clarity has improved(not it was bad b4 but technology did).even he cannot compose his yesteryears amazing gems now b'coz we like those gems in that particular style of composing format.All those Gems would suck big time if it was made with todays technology and effects.
  
  And abt the Golden Era i think it is unfair for todays mds that u have mentioned the 1960's era as the golden era.
  because the term golden Era keeps varying with people so noway can it be generalized.
  For example my age is 20 i was brought up (childhood - golden age) listening usuallly to ARR music, say when maybe when i am 50 - 60 yrs old my golden era would be his music and for a 20 yr old that time would be listening to some very progressed music(technology) that he would find ARR very simple and uncomplicated but good that is exactly what i think of MSV AND KVM and IR .
  for me ARR is the best
  i hope you all feel the same with your favaorite md.
  because i fell everyone are very good in accordance to time.
  
  p.s- there will be a new composer who starts a new trend of composing totlally different to the ARR style(and all other present mds(it is known that everyone is now composing the ARR format) )and upstages him
  AND there i will be there to fight with his(new md) fans that ARR is the best and his music was the GOLDEN ERA OF TAMIL MUSIC
  
  
• From: Prashanth (@ 61.2.69.121) on: Sat Aug 21 09:42:52 EDT 2004
  
  AND LOSING BADLY
  
  
• From: Prashanth (@ 61.2.69.121) on: Sat Aug 21 09:44:55 EDT 2004
  
  EVEN THOUGH IT IS THE TRUTH
  
  
• From: Prashanth (@ 61.2.69.121) on: Sat Aug 21 09:46:59 EDT 2004
  
  i hope fellow fans of differnt fav md have this above argument replace arr with their fav md
  
  
• From: MADDY (@ 203.94.236.62) on: Sat Aug 21 10:04:22 EDT 2004
  
  ag, we conducted survey on basis of location(like suburbs and city) & age (ranging from 10-50)and the question was:
  WHO DO YOU THINK IS ALL TIME GR8???........
  location wise ARR was losing badly in places like nanganallur,chrompet,perambur and age wise only kids bet'n 10-20 were hardcore ARR fans....even ppl. of 22,23 yrs were telling us that IR is the best.......i dread to think of villages where i think ARR wouldn't even get 10%........
  
  ps:anyway my sample was only 200, but still i didn't dare to go beyond.....
  
  
• From: Kr (@ 68.37.82.175) on: Sat Aug 21 13:01:21 EDT 2004
  
  I think the rsults of the survey show that when you ask people who have awareness, knowledge and exposure of the quality, depth and variety of IR's music so far, it is hard to impress them with the other's so called achievements.
  
  I am glad people from my Madras were able to delineate content and quality from hype and publicity.
  
  
• From: ag (@ 148.87.1.170) on: Sat Aug 21 13:56:50 EDT 2004
  
  MADDY,
  
  Thanks for that information.
  
  
• From: MADDY (@ 203.94.234.9) on: Sat Aug 21 23:56:55 EDT 2004
  
  i conducted this mock-survey close on heels of BOYS's success(Audio).......this projection threw a very interesting question as to how ARR still sells so much CDs and cassettes.......audio shop owners crave for ARR's new release as 90% of his albums do very well......anyone with answers???
  
  
• From: thops (@ 24.163.66.143) on: Sun Aug 22 05:10:29 EDT 2004
  
  maddy, were you expecting a correlation between "all time greatness" and "current saleablity" ??
  
  
• From: MADDY (@ 203.94.233.211) on: Sun Aug 22 07:05:31 EDT 2004
  
  thops, obviously when ppl. dunt think he is all time gr8 it effectively means he is not that gr8 according to them.......y wud a person spend 45 or 90 Rupees on a man who they think is not gr8?????and y dont they buy the all time gr8's new albums that often?????
  
  
• From: Jacky (@ 61.2.37.82) on: Sun Aug 22 07:35:01 EDT 2004
  
  This is a subjective topic and there would never be a consensus!
  
  
• From: Kr (@ 68.37.82.175) on: Sun Aug 22 09:19:25 EDT 2004
  
  I think the survey results are very explainable. First, just in terms of comparison between IR and ARR, if you objectively evalaute thier outputs-in whatever the attributes - be it number, quality, number of hits, variety of composition, usage of various instruments etc. - IR's accomplishments are significantly higher than ARR's. That is why most of the people over 20 yrs. of age - those who have been exposed to the entire range of IR's music- seemed to answer IR as thier all time great. That doesnt mean that they do not like ARR but in comparison do not feel that in terms of musical accomplishments has contributed what IR has contributed.
  
  With regard to the audio sales and the discrepancy with the survey results, my hypothesis is that the audio sales are a result of a lot of factors that influence current buying behavior. The expectation that ARR songs are likely to be hit and people want to be in the "in" crowd. The type of movies, the star-value (the directors, MR, Shankar etc) plays a role. Thers is a lack of awareness among people about a lot of the movies for which IR scores for. The fact that ARR sticks with a big director and highly popular star-cast also plays a role in the huge hype about the movie and its songs. And the last factor which plays a big role is the push given by these audio distribution centers -since they have paid a huge sum to get to distribute ARR movies. I used to go to Music India and Landmark on vacation to Madras. You have to painstakingly search to buy albums of IR's new movies while they play any new ARR songs on their speakers and merchandise the ARR products heavily. I remember when I went when IR's movie "Kannathal" was released and went to get the CD. It took 3 sales people at Music India to track it for me. The same here in the US too with Raaga in NJ. These guys wouldnt even distribute all of IR's movies whereas heavily merchandise ARR's movies. Therefore, the buying of albums unfortunately are based on the awareness and the availability which are heavily influenced by marketing (advertising, PR and merchandising). While these are some of the generalizations, a look into different consumer segments will reveal a lot more.
  
  But it is my opinion that when someone objectively evaluates IR's accomplishments and ARR's, it wouldnt be surprsing for me to have a significatly higher number of people deciding IR is all time great.
  
  
• From: Jacky (@ 61.2.36.0) on: Sun Aug 22 11:10:20 EDT 2004
  
  IR's songs are sometimes predictable (hardcore IR fans excluded) so he doesn't sell as much as ARR.
  Hot directors, Happening star cast everything helps but they can't bail a MD out every time.
  People buy audio cassettes for the music not the star cast, Rajni may be a sole exception.
  If we analyze how much Virumandi sold, it'd give us an idea on the broader scale How well IR is received and appreciated.
  It had a nice star cast, some juicy publicity work and a few controversies to arouse enough curiosity.
  Any company will Merchandise a product if it can foresee a ROI, same Music world in Chennai I've heard them playing Ilankatru veesuthey, and songs from Kasi, it's an easy guess Pithmagan would have sold more than Kannathal.
  Ilankatru was marketable, Kannathal wasn't. I don't have a count on the "Kannathals" IR made in the last 10 years, but i can remember a few Ilankatrus (Hey ram, Virumandi, Bharathy, Kadaluku Mariyathai, Sethu) that got the light of publicity!
  
  

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