The Rahmantic mode

Nabila Habib

Rahman has imbibed a great deal of Indian traditional ragas, and has gone ahead and absorbed enough of western classical music too, to get that innovative twist in his compositions. Describing Rahman’s composition in the least number of adjectives invariably teases out the Sufi softness of his works. His compositions are mostly soulful, soft, and intrinsically musical. He has abundantly used the khayal method of Qawwali genre, and has beautifully incorporated it into sargam, and no doubt has been influenced by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Sufi Rahman Rahman says about his belief in Sufism, “I`m a deeply spiritual person. Sufism is about love - love for a fellow human, love for humanity, and ultimately love for God. For me, it`s where music and religion meet - at dargahs, you will find qawwalis. That`s my inspiration.” The South Indian flavour But the most powerful influence on Rahman is Carnatic music. His father being a South Indian composer and musician, Rahman had started his life in a world steeped in Carnatic notes where vocals superseded every other musical aspect. His grasp on beats is firm, and we hardly ever find him playing with different beats in his numbers. It is an intrinsically Carnatic method, and contrapuntal technique leaves the uniquely Rahman beats untouched, however complex the composition modes (equivalent to raga in Indian context) may be. The inspiration Talking about the incentive that motivates him to create the kind of music he does, Rahman said, “I wasn`t too happy with the I-don`t-want-to-listen-to-it attitude of our youngsters towards film music. Why can`t we get our guys to listen to our own music rather than to Michael Jackson? I didn`t want us to lose the market to the West. The music had to be cool and rooted, and yet had to branch out. It was like the wild imagination of a child... but it worked... it did travel beyond Madras and attract people.” The chartbusting secret His method and usage of techniques, therefore explains his popularity. And as the sale of albums go, he has a cute trick up his sleeve, that even put Forbes calculations astray. He says, “If you have one big hit in India, it will sell more than 5 or 6 million. I`ve done over 70 movies in which more than 20, 25 were really big hits. And the rest of them are musical hits. The soundtracks sell very well. It`s a calculation of all that stuff. Each film I do is in three different languages. Tamil soundtracks sell probably half a million, Telegu sells probably 1 million, Hindi is like more than 6 or 7 million.” He added, “In India, we don`t get royalties. Otherwise I`d be a very rich man. I wouldn`t have to come to America!” Call of Filmdom From Rahman’s initiation into the Indian film Industry (in his case the South Indian Film Industry and Bollywood converge because many of his compositions have been used in both Hindi Tamil, Malayalam adaptations of the films), his compositions have evolved into to add variety to his melodic layers. Bang into Bollywood ‘Roja’ was his debut film. The compositions showed frank Carnatic effects complemented by soft, transcendental instrumentals. While ‘Bharat humko Jaan se’ had the traditional beat build-up and rising crescendo that accompany nationalistic music and songs in India, the treatment of the title song showed what was in store for the listeners – Rahman’s typical style that is simultaneously emotive and aesthetically appealing. ‘Roja’ is still considered to be Rahman’s best work till date by some critics. Bolder notes With ‘Rangeela’, the expression became bolder and more experimental. The western influence was clearly audible in the layerings and contrasting of instruments of different tonal qualities. That Rahman is highly affected by the contrapuntal style of Classical Western music, was obvious here. His Carnatic leanings took a relatively back-seat. Sufi leanings Among the succeeding line of movies that came his way, ‘Dil Se’ stands out. It had a decided influences of western, especially soul. If treated with an eye on the Indian music, sufism was more into the music in ‘Dil Se’ than anywhere else till then. ‘Satrangi had the same hypnotic quality that typically accompanies sufi music. But ‘Jiya jale jaan jale was an original ode to South Indian gayaki rendered beautifully by Lata Mangeshkar. A more melodious and popular adaptation of the vocal quality of Carnatic music cannot be found in modern Indian music. Carnatic magic ‘Taal’ broke records in the popularity charts. Listening to the compositions, one understands what won the hearts of Indian audience. The Carnatic influence was back in full force, and the vocal-based music won over listeners with the freshness of its treatment. With gayaki taken as the centralised theme of ‘Taal’ compositions, a true improvisation of South Indian music was launched into Northern India with glamorous popularity. Earthy sounds ‘Pukar’ and ‘Fiza’ came and created waves, but exceptional compositions had already been made by Rahman in the past. The spell was broken by ‘Lagaan’. AR Rahman took the project seriously and aired his versatility successfully. When ‘Ghanan ghanan’ and the theme ‘Waltz for a romance’ are compared, the subtlety with which the Indian has been gelled with the western can be seen. The switch from one to another is like a gentle effortless glide; and effortlessness is a sign of ingenuity! If you could hear the country breathe, it would be in the notes of ‘O mitwa. An ode to love ‘Saathiya’ is of course an ode to beauty and love. Rahman being essentially a devoted humanist, the amount of passion and emotion that went into the work is touchingly audible. This is one work of Rahman where one wishes to leave aside the technical dissection and concentrate on the sensual aspects before anything else. Here love and beauty are rendered into notes, and the transition is almost imperceptible. Similarly, ‘Swades’ has mystical sufi renderings, while ‘Mangal Pandey’ delights with its energy. Versatility at its best ‘Rang De Basanti’ is another milestone for Rahman. ‘Ik onkar satnam’ is one piece where Rahman surpasses his musical leanings and dives straight into the essence of the words and their meaning. The rest of the numbers are what each should be, ‘Khoon chala’ is painful, and ‘Luka chhuppee’ tugs at your heartstrings like nothing else. The album of ‘Rang De…’ surpasses all in its sheer energy quotient. Only a tone-deaf wouldn’t be energised after listening to the album – it is an audible stimulant. A dose can charge you up. The complete package With ‘Rang De Basanti’, Rahman has got all that he needed by way of practice. After more than a decade of fulfilling musical creations, he can dish out excellence with ingenious rapidity. ‘Guru’ is another example. In ‘Barso re megha’ Rahman has incorporated western concepts into the Indian musical scheme. For example, contrapuntal layers is a Mozartian usage that Rahman has used in gelling Carnatic gayaki with authentic Hindustani, and surprisingly, with a dash of sufism, too! Fresher tunes Though ‘Jodha Akbar’ became famous, its music was mediocre by Rahman’s standards. ‘Kabhi kabhi Aditi’ of ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’ stands out for its musical harmony. It is simple, pure, and hence beautifully melodic. Then ‘Yuvvraaj’ and ‘Ghajini’ have Rahman’s trademark softness. Like Rahman’s sufi voice, his personal favorite appears to be the simple, hypnotic sufi compositions; though his expertise in using Carnatic is commendable. While sufi is his personal favorite, Carnatic is his discipline. And he has imbibed western methodology of layering and using complementary instruments. Slumdog effect Of course ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is gathering international acclaim, but the true essence of Rahman’s music has long been heard; it is only now that recognition has gone international. Miles to go... Rahman’s range remains unutilized to the full, as each album passing though his hands reveals. Rahman seems to discover a new talent in himself everytime, and he catches hold of it with dexterity after every third or fourth trial. His limits have not yet been reached. There is much more to be gained from Rahmantics for those researching him. Long way to go, Rahman! For more spicy gossip, lifestyle news, latest pics & videos and more entertainment stories, log on to Spicezee.com »