Why is Maestro Illayaraja a musical genius ?

There needs no introduction for Raja Sir’s music. One cannot compose music for 1000 films or compose 6000+ songs unless his name is Ilayaraja. But, we need to accept that composing for films music has got lot of limitations and you cannot do lot of experimentation while composing for films and there were many classical,heavenly tunes from Raja sir which were not not used in films and still lying in the studios.

Here, I am not going to speak film music composed by Raja sir but a Private album Composed by Ilayaraja. It’s an album which was composed in the year 1986 and it has 10 tracks.

The Name of the Album is 
"How to name it" .

Instrumental Album. Carnatic -Western fusion album. We are not living in Baroque music period to hear the Western classics of Johann Sebastian Bach or We did not live in 18th Century South India to listen the Carnatic music Compositions Tyagabrahmam Tyagarajar. But we are living in the Era of Raja sir to listen both Johann Sebastian Bach and Tyagabrahmam Tyagarajar together in the same album or in a same track as well.

Album link : https://youtu.be/sa9h9egw7EE

Track 1 : How to Name It? :

This music consists of Three ragas simhendra madhyamam ,Shamuga Priya and madhuvanti. I am not aware of carnatic ragas and all these information which I am mentioning here are from various internet sources.This creative independence of mixing many carnatic ragas is not given to Raja sir while composing any of the film songs and we need to thank Balu Mahendra sir for using this music in his film "Veedu".

Track 2 :Mad Mod Mood Fugue :

Listen the way how fast the music starts and how it progressing after 20 seconds and listen for the Guitars . Fusion of Maya Malava Gowla raagam and the Western rhythm pattern is something great and un-imaginable.

Track 3 : You Cannot Be Free

Kalyani Raga played in Solo Violin backed by western orchestration creates a distinct style and represents an extensive quality of music which will be reverbarating for a long time.

Track 4 :Study for Violin

What we will do if we are travelling in a train or travelling in a plane . I traveled to Bangalore from Chennai in plane once and I was eating all over the trip. But, Raja sir once was travelling to Singapore from Chennai and he writes a piece by mentally hearing the music and that particular music is this piece “Study of violin”.

Heavenly music based on Shamuga Priya Raga . Remember that he mentally heard this music and wrote this while he was travelling in a plane journey.

The Fifth track in this album is "It Is Fixed".

Now let us see about "Johann Sebastian Bach and Tyagarajar" in the remaining tracks.

Track 6 : Chamber Welcomes Tyagarajar ;

Imagine that Thiyagarajar is going to perform and Raja Sir is welcoming him in his style of western Music. Kindly Listen for the Trombone and Guitar is this piece.

Track 7 : I Met Bach in My House :

The first half of the music goes like this ...One day suddenly J.S.Bach has entered Thiyagarajar's Home and he starts playing classicals for Thiyagarajar. This is the counter melody played for Chamber Welcomes Thiyagaraja. Now both JS Bach and Thiyagarajar becomes and they start to Converse.

Track 8 : And We Had a Talk :

My favorite music from this album and when ever i hear this i will be in tears.

How these great composers will converse between them ? With their music only. This heavenly music is the chat between those two greats.

This music was inspired from Bach's Preludium in E minor .

preludium in e - YouTube ()

The Next track is "Don't Compare" . This says me that do not compare any music or musicians and all music are great and all the musicians are great.

The Last track : Do Anything :

This piece is an unusual one which has got proper south Indian (Tamil) music orchestrated in a western manner . The Nadaswaram bit at the end of this piece will surely make us to feel that . This music was also used in the film “Veedu”.

(The BGM when the old man in this film is sad and dejected)

After listening to this music i got a feel which cannot be expressed in words and I am sure that everyone who listens to this album will feel the same .It will do something inside you and it will widen you music taste. I have started listening to Bach, Tyagarajar, Vivaldi, Beethoven , Chopin …..after listening to this great album “ How to name it ?”

If our scientists says that the world is going to end in next one hour I will surely play this album in loop and make all the others who are around me to listen this album. An hour may pass ..the world may end and the humans may die but how to name it will be still playing and will be playing for ever.

Santoshkumar B Pandey at 8.40pm.