The first track we will list here is a song that we have analyzed before. This is the song, ‘Eriyile Elandha Maram’ from ‘Karaiyellam Shenbagapoo’ (1981 Tamil). This track has its several parts analyzed here:
Raja uses SJ for harmony, C&R in various parts of the composition as he uses her voice for a child singing with other children.
The next track, is from the song, ‘Edalolaya’ from ‘Anveshana ‘(1985 Telugu). The orchestral parts are 100 second long in this track and definitely requires detailed analysis as there is no other such composition in Indian film music of this type.
Most of the arrangement is between SJ and the flute while Raja does use the synthesizer as the responding instrument on occasions. The film situation has the female artist and her parrot in conversation and Raja turns this opportunity to a grand SJ instrument experiment. While he tried this with other singers later, nothing came close to this.
The unique feature of this track is the use of Carnatic swarams and not just humming in the C&R parts on several occasions. The highlight of this track is that Raja uses one technique and demonstrates 7 variations to it within the same song. While classical composers have the freedom of time, Raja is constrained by the time he has for any composition due to the pressures of composing for films. We will analyze this by phrases.
Phrase 1 – 0:01 to 0:19 secs: This is arranged as a Call and response between SJ and the flute with SJ singing swarams instead of humming. The call and response is an interesting one. Both SJ and the flute sing the entire phrase once and in the next when SJ sings part of the melody, the flute will finish the remaining part of the melody. Very innovative use of the technique, where the composer uses a melody and splits it between the human voice and an instrument!
Phrase 2 – 0:20 to 0:28 secs: This is arranged as a Call and Response between SJ and the flute. The response from the flute is not SJ’s swaram but a different melody.
Phrase 3 – 0:29 to 0:33 secs: This is arranged as a Call and Response between SJ’s lyrical words and a synthesizer.
Phrase 4 – 0:34 to 0:47 secs: This is an arrangement, where the composer reverses roles between SJ and the flute within these 14 seconds. It starts off as a call from the flute to which SJ responds and at about the 40 second mark, they reverse roles and the call is from SJ and the response is from a flute! It is beyond comprehension how the three parties involved – the flautist, SJ and the composer can pull of such great work in less than a couple of hours! The SJ parts are all swarams.
Phrase 5 – 0:48 to 0:57 secs: Another Call and Response experiment that is very unique to this track is the use of a single swaram as the call and the response from the flute with the same swaram. Raja uses the clever trick of sustainment to keep the listener interested
Phrase 6 – 0:58 to 1:15 secs: One more variant to the call and response technique is the use of SJ is the ‘Aa’ (Akaaram) mode with a sustain as her call and the flute responds with exactly the same note.
Phrase 7 – 1:15 to 1:40 secs: Raja creates short melodies with several swarams and then turns it into a call and response between SJ and the flute. Each of the swarams in the melody phrase is mostly sang by SJ with the last one or two swarams alone by the flute.
This song is almost like a treatise on what’s possible between two instruments, if a composer has rich imagination and the right cooperation from the singer and the flautist, there are no limits even with just one technique. Such great imagination is possible only for a genius!
Let’s feast on the SJ and flute in complete set of C&R experiments with Edalolaya…
