Lesson 3

Music and Pathos - A Case Study 

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Song:	Paadi Thirindha Endhan Thozi.....(Tamil)
Film:	Kakkai Chiragunilae
Based on Raga :	Simhendhramadyamam
Listen to this song. [Audio Courtesy: RaajaNGAHM.com ]

 

The Mood of the Song 

This one is a marvelous melody that is meant to express the feeling of sorrow. From the lyrics of this (male) solo song, it appears like the character in the song has been misunderstood by people surrounding him and the song symbolizes the pathos in the heart of this character and consoles the character with the hopes for a better future.

The Raga

The composer attempts to show the important elements that go into making song that expresses pathos.

The composer clearly proves through this song that the first important element for a pathos song is its raga. The composer has used a Melakartha raga, Simhendramadyamam (Melakartha 57), to evoke the above mentioned mood in the song.  This raga is a combination of flat and sharp notes and hence  the interval between the notes in this raga make it suitable to evoke a variety of moods. In this song, the composer shows how this raga should be molded to handle a   sorrowful situation. The combination of prati madhayama, panchamam and shuddha dhaivatham  make this raga apt for this kind of a situation. Besides this note combination, the composer also uses a number phrases with ri and ga to support the song situation. 

The second important characteristic of a pathos song, that the composer tries to portray, is the octaves in which the song resides. This song swings between the lower panchamam and the dhaivatham at the middle octave. This is an excellent interval to explain the feelings of pathos, since a considerable portion of the scale resides in the lower octave that matches the feelings of a such a mind set. 

The composer  makes a complete usage of the entire scope of the selected scale.
The pallavi of the song that starts with notes that rotate round the base sa (with ga and lower pa as the circumference), touches the dha on the middle octave towards the end of the pallavi.

The first tune in the charanam of the song starts at almost one end of the selected interval (pa) and ends at the lower panchamam. As the tune repeats twice the shift from lower to the higher panchamam sounds pleasing.
The landing notes of ri and ni at certain places in the song, hold the stamp of the composer.

The Orchestration

The orchestration of this song proves the importance of tempo (the third element), in explaining a sad situation. The composer maintains a mediocre  tempo  throughout the song, supported by  a simple rhythm pattern in the background. The second interlude has instrumental portions without any percussions, that obviously matches the song situation.

The composer uses the  flute at different octaves in the interludes. Surprisingly, the solo violin that is known to support pathos, is not used much in this song (for reasons best known to the composer). However, a sound that resembles a  moderated form of the violin (probable influence of technology) is heard in the second interlude. 

Thanks to Maestro Ilayaraja for teaching us the primary elements that make a pathos song.

Author: R.S.Balaji

 
 

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