Guitar based PolyCaRe arrangements in 199x – Background Scores

We will continue the journey on PolyCaRe arrangements of Raja, with his compositions based on guitar as the background melody instrument. In this post,  we will particularly focus on his background compositions in the 199x. As we made it very clear in the definition, the PolyCaRe arrangement not only requires a background guitar melody, it also requires two call and response melodies in the foreground played according to our rules of CaRe arrangements.

Let’s first start with the background score of Idhayam (Tamil 1991). This segment, which is part of the background score has guitar as its background instrument. Here is how the segment is structured:

Score	Film	Year	Background instrument	CaRe - Instrument1	CaRe - Instrument2
Idhayam BGM	Idhayam	1991	Guitar	Synthesizer	Violins

1. The first 8 seconds of this clip is not PolyCaRe. It has some nice guitar play in preparation for the PolyCaRe arrangement
2. The guitar tune from 8 seconds to the end of the clip is a simple melody upon which the CaRe melodies need to be layered
3. The violins play their melody first and the synthesizers respond between 9 secs and 15 seconds. The background guitar melody continues when this happens
4.  Now, between 16 seconds and 21 seconds, the violins repeat the melody and the synthesizers respond exactly the same way they did before

As we mentioned in the introduction, this is four polyphonic compositions arranged one after the other. The foreground melodies can stand on their own feet as simple CaRe arrangement. The background guitar melody makes them polyphonic and hence PolyCaRe.

Let’s hear the PolyCaRe segment of Idhayam’s background score…

Next, let’s hear a segment of the background score of the film Vanna Vanna Pookal (Tamil 1991). This segment, which is part of the background score has guitar as its background instrument. Here is how the segment is structured:

Score	Film	Year	Background instrument	CaRe - Instrument1	CaRe - Instrument2
Vanna Vanna Pookal BGM (Title)	Vanna Vanna Pookal	1991	Guitar	Synthesizer	Flute

1. The score is punctuated by a beautiful guitar melody that plays throughout the clip in the background
2. There are 5 CaRe arrangements in this clip of 24 seconds riding on the background guitar melody
3. The response from the synthesizer is always the same and so is the background guitar melody
4. The flute calls all the five times are different melodies if you pay close attention. The 5^th melody is drastically different from the others

This is a monster in 24 seconds. This is 10 polyphonic compositions arranged one after the other. The foreground melodies can stand on their own feet as simple CaRe arrangement. The background guitar melody makes them polyphonic and hence PolyCaRe.  Without this view, most folks would have just enjoyed this as a simple melody. Raja hides complexity very well and makes the listener completely at ease with his work. However, when you uncover the underlying complexity, you can clearly see the work of a mind that is no ordinary one.

Let’s hear the background score segment of Vanna Vanna Pookal…