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Ilaiyaraaja 

Ilaiyaraaja,
இளையராஜா,
ఇళయరాజ
Born June 2, 1943 (1943-06-02) (age 65)
Origin Flag of India Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation(s) Music composer, music director
Instrument(s) Vocals (playback singing), guitar, keyboard/harmonium/piano
Years active 1976 – present
Website raaja.com

Ilaiyaraaja (help·info) (Tamil: இளையராஜா, IPA: [ɪləjəɹɑːdʒɑː]) (Telugu :ఇళయరాజ)(born June 2, 1943 as Gnanadesikan) is an Indian music composer, singer, and lyricist. He has composed over 4,000 songs and provided film scores for more than 800 Indian films in various languages in a career spanning more than 30 years.[1][2] He is based in Chennai, the fourth largest city in India and the centre of the Tamil film industry (colloquially known as Kollywood).

Ilaiyaraaja was a prominent composer of film music in South Indian cinema during the late 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s. Much of his work was in the Tamil and Telugu languages. He almost monopolised Tamil and Telugu music until the early nineties. [3] His work integrated Tamil folk lyricism and introduced broader Western musical sensibilities into the South Indian musical mainstream. He has thrice won the Indian National Film Award for best film scoring.[4]

In the 2000s, he composed a range of non-film music, including religious and devotional songs, an oratorio, and world music. He is married to Jeeva, and the couple's two sons (Karthik Raja and Yuvan Shankar Raja) and daughter (Bhavatharini) are music composers and singers.[5][6]

Ilaiyaraaja (standing, right) conducting musicians during a film soundtrack recording session
Ilaiyaraaja (standing, right) conducting musicians during a film soundtrack recording session

Contents

Early life

Ilaiyaraaja was born into a poor family in Pannaipuram, Theni district, Tamil Nadu, India, and is the third son of Ramaswamy and Chinnathayammal. Growing up in a rural area, Ilaiyaraaja was exposed to a range of Tamil folk music.[7] At the age of 14, he joined a travelling musical troupe headed by his elder stepbrother, Pavalar Varadarajan, and spent the next decade performing throughout South India. His brother Varadarajan used the group's music to promote the ideals of the Communist Party of India.[8][9] While working with the troupe, he penned his first composition, a musical setting of an elegy written by the Tamil poet laureate Kannadasan for Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister.[10]

In 1968, Ilaiyaraaja began a music course with music teacher Dhanraj in Madras (now Chennai), which included an overview of Western classical music, compositional training in techniques such as counterpoint, and study in instrumental performance.[11] Ilaiyaraaja specialized in classical guitar, and won a gold medal from the Trinity College of Music in London for his performing skills.[12]

Session musician and film orchestrator

In the 1970s in Chennai, Ilaiyaraaja performed for a band-for-hire, and worked as a session guitarist, keyboardist, and organist for film music composers and directors such as Salil Chowdhury from West Bengal.[13][14][15] After his hiring as the musical assistant to Kannada music composer G K Venkatesh, he worked on 200 film projects, mostly in the Kannada language.[16] As G K Venkatesh's assistant, Ilaiyaraaja would orchestrate the melodic outlines developed by Venkatesh. During this period, Ilaiyaraaja also began writing his own scores. To hear his compositions, he would persuade Venkatesh's session musicians to play excerpts from his scores during their break times.[8] Ilaiyaraaja would also hire instruments from composer R.K. Shekhar, father of composer A. R. Rahman who would later join Ilaiyaraaja's orchestra as a keyboardist.

Music composer

In 1976, film producer Panchu Arunachalam commissioned him to compose the songs and film score for a Tamil-language film called Annakkili ('The Parrot') For the soundtrack, Ilaiyaraaja applied the techniques of modern popular film music orchestration to Tamil folk poetry and folk song melodies, which created a fusion of Western and Tamil idioms.[17][18] Ilaiyaraaja's use of Tamil music in his film scores injected new influence into the Indian film score milieu.[19] By the mid-1980s Ilaiyaraaja was gaining increasing stature as a music composer and music director in the South Indian film industry.[3] Besides Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films, he has scored music for Hindi (or Bollywood) film productions such as Sadma (1983), Mahadev (1989), Lajja (2001), Shiva[2006] and Cheeni Kum (2007). He has worked with Indian poets and lyricists such as Gulzar, Kannadasan, Vairamuthu, veturi, Sirivennela Sitaramasastri, bhuvanachandra and T.S. Rangarajan (Vaali),[20] and film directors such as K. Balachander, Vamsee, Bharathiraja, K. Vishwanath, Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, Balu Mahendra, Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan.[21]

Impact and musical style

Ilaiyaraaja was one of the early Indian music composers to use Western classical music harmonies and string arrangements in Indian film music.[22] This allowed him to craft a rich tapestry of sounds for films, and his themes[23] and background score gained notice and appreciation amongst Indian film audiences.[24] The range of expressive possibilities in Indian film music was broadened by Ilaiyaraaja's methodical approach to arranging, recording technique, and his drawing of ideas from a diversity of musical styles.[22]

According to musicologist P. Greene, Ilaiyaraaja's "deep understanding of so many different styles of music allowed him to create syncretic pieces of music combining very different musical idioms in unified, coherent musical statements".[3] Ilaiyaraaja has composed Indian film songs that amalgamated elements of genres such as pop, acoustic guitar-propelled Western folk,jazz,rock and roll, dance music (e.g., disco),psychedelia, funk, doo-wop, march, bossa nova, pathos, Tamil folk/traditional, Afro-tribal, and Indian classical.

By virtue of this variety and his interfusion of Western, Indian folk and Carnatic elements, Ilaiyaraaja's compositions appeal to the Indian rural dweller for its rhythmic folk qualities, the Indian classical music enthusiast for the employment of Carnatic ragams,[25] and the urbanite for its modern, Western-music sound.[26]

Although Ilaiyaraaja uses a range of complex compositional techniques, he often sketches out the basic melodic ideas for films in a very spontaneous fashion.[7][3] The Indian filmmaker Mani Ratnam illustrates:

"Ilayaraja (sic) would look at the [film] scene once, and immediately start giving notes to his assistants, as a bunch of musicians, hovering around him, would collect the notes [(musical parts)] for their instrument[s] and go to their places... A [film] director can be taken by surprise at the speed of events."[27]

Musical characteristics

Ilaiyaraaja's music is characterised by the use of an orchestration technique that is a synthesis of Western and Indian instruments and musical modes. He used electronic music technology that integrated synthesisers, drums, electric guitars and keyboards, rhythm boxes and MIDI with large orchestras that feature traditional instruments such as the veena, venu, dholak,nadaswaram, mridangam and tabla as well as Western lead instruments such as saxophones and flutes.[3][28]

He uses catchy melodies fleshed out with a variety of chord progressions, beats and timbres.[29][30][31] Ilaiyaraaja's songs typically have a musical form where vocal stanzas and choruses are interspersed with orchestral preludes and interludes.[32] They often contain polyphonic melodies, where the lead vocals are interwoven with supporting melody lines sung by another voice or played by instruments.[33]

The bass lines in his songs tend to be (melodically) dynamic, rising and falling in a dramatic fashion.[30] Polyrhythms are also apparent, particularly in songs with Indian folk or Carnatic influences. The melodic structure of his songs demand considerable vocal virtuosity, and have found expressive platform amongst some of India's respected vocalists and playback singers, such as K.J. Yesudas, S.P. Balasubramaniam, P. Suseela, S. Janaki, K.S. Chithra, Malaysia Vasudevan, Asha Bhosle and Lata Mangeshkar.[34] Ilaiyaraaja has sung over 400 of his own compositions for films..[35][36] He has penned the lyrics for some of his songs in Tamil and other languages.[37][38][39] Ilaiyaraaja's film scores are known both for the dramatic and evocative melodies, and for the more subtle background music that he uses to provide texture or mood for scenes in films such as Mouna Raagam (1986) and Geethanjali (1989).[19]

Non-cinematic output

Ilaiyaraaja's first two non-film albums were explorations in the fusion of Indian and Western classical music. The first, How To Name It? (1986),[40] is dedicated to the Carnatic master Tyagaraja and to J. S. Bach. It features a fusion of the Carnatic form and ragas with Bach partitas, fugues and Baroque musical textures.[41] The second, Nothing But Wind (1988), was performed by flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia and a 50-piece orchestra and takes the conceptual approach suggested in the title — that music is a natural phenomenon akin to various forms of air currents (e.g., the wind, breeze, tempest etc.).[42]

He has composed a set of Carnatic kritis that was recorded by electric mandolinist U. Srinivas for the album Ilayaraaja's Classicals on the Mandolin (1994).[43]

Ilaiyaraaja has also composed albums of religious/devotional songs. His Guru Ramana Geetam (2004) is a cycle of prayer songs inspired by the Hindu mystic Ramana Maharishi,[44] and his Thiruvasakam in Symphony (2005) is an oratorio of ancient Tamil poems transcribed partially in English by American lyricist Stephen Schwartz and performed by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra.[45][46] Ilaiyaraaja's most recent release is a world music-oriented album called The Music Messiah (2006).[47] Its musical concept is based against a mythological narrative.[32]

Notable works

Ilaiyaraaja's composition Rakkama Kaiya Thattu from the movie Thalapathi (1991) was amongst the songs listed in a BBC World Top Ten music poll.[48] He composed the music for Nayakan (1987), an Indian film ranked by TIME Magazine as one of the all-time 100 best movies,[49] a number of India's official entries to the Oscars, such as Anjali (1990)[50] and Hey Ram (2000),[51] and for Indian art films such as Adoor Gopalakrishnan's FIPRESCI Prize-winning Nizhalkkuthu ('Shadow Kill') (2002).[52] Ilaiyaraaja has composed music for events such as the 1996 Miss World beauty pageant that was held in Bangalore, India, and for a documentary called India 24 Hours (1996).[53][54] The pop/hip-hop band Black Eyed Peas sampled an Ilaiyaraaja composition called "Unakkum Ennakum", from the film Sri Raghavendra (1985), for their tune "The Elephunk Theme" from their breakout album, Elephunk (2003).[55] The alternative artist M.I.A. sampled his composition "Kaatukuyilu," from the film Thalapathi (1991) for her song "Bamboo Banga" on the album Kala (2007).

Live performances

Ilaiyaraaja rarely performs his music live, which may be due to the time he devotes to his composing activities.[56] His last major live performance, the first in 25 years, was a four-hour concert held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, India on October 16, 2005.[57] The show was widely televised both in India and abroad. Less well-known was his live 2004 performance in Italy at the Teatro Comunale di Modena, an event-concert presented for the 14th edition of Angelica, Festival Internazionale Di Musica, co-produced with the L'Altro Suono Festival.[58][59] He had done a few small-scale shows early in his career in Sri Lanka and Malaysia and was involved in a charity concert to raise funds for the construction of a Hindu temple in India.[56] A television retrospective titled Ithu Ilaiyaraja ('This is Ilaiyaraja') was produced, chronicling his career.[60]

Awards and honours

Ilaiyaraaja has won the National Film Award for Best Music Direction for three Telugu language films Saagara Sangamam (1984), Sindhu Bhairavi(dubbed from Tamil) (1986) and Rudraveena (1989).[61] He won the Gold Remi Award for Best Music Score jointly with music composer M. S. Viswanathan at the WorldFest-Houston Film Festival for the film Vishwa Thulasi (2005).[62]

After a gap of four years, the Andhra Pradesh Government has announced the names of recipients of the prestigious NTR National Film Award. Maestro Ilayaraja has been selected for the prestigious award in the year 2004 for his outstanding contribution to the film industry.

He was conferred the title Isaignani ('savant of music') in 1988 by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and received the Kalaimamani Award, an annual award for excellence in the field of arts from the Government of the State of Tamil Nadu, India.[63] He also received State Government Awards from the governments of Kerala (1995), Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh (The Lata Mangeshkar Award) (1998) for excellence in music.[64]

He was awarded honorary doctorates by Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu, India (Degree of Doctor of Letter (Honoris causa)) (March, 1994), the World University Round Table, Arizona, U.S.A. (Cultural Doctorate in Philosophy of Music) (April, 1994), and Madurai Kamarajar University, Tamil Nadu (Degree of Doctor of Letters) (1996).[64] He received an Award of Appreciation from the Foundation and Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (1994), and later that year was presented with an honorary citizenship and key to the Teaneck township by Mr. John Abraham, Mayor of Teaneck, New Jersey, U.S.A.[64]

Partial discography

Ilaiyaraaja has scored music for about 635 Tamil-, 107 Telugu-, 40 Malayalam-, 23 Kannada-, seven Hindi- and two English-language films.[65] Here, limited lists of some key soundtrack albums (in terms of film-score and song-content values) are provided, classified by language. For extended discographies, see external links.

Tamil

Year Album Year Album
1976 Annakilli 1978 Sigappu Rojakkal 1991 Thalapathi, Guna and Chinna Thambi
1981 Raja Paarvai, Tik Tik Tik 1992 Thevar Magan
1983 Moondram Pirai 1997 Kadhalukku Mariyadhai
1985 Muthal Mariyathai, Sindhu Bhairavi 1999 Sethu
1986 Mouna Raagam, Punnagai Mannan 2002 Azhagi
1987 [[Nayakan] 2005 Adhu Oru Kana Kaalam
1989 Apoorva Sagodharargal, Vetri Vizha 2008 Ajantha, Naan Kadavul, Kangalum Kavipaduthey, Uliyin Osai, Dhanam, Malaikkallan, Ayyan, Valmiki, Mayilu, Alagar malai, Nandalala,Analkatru,Jagan Mohini, Chinthamani, Manikandan,Inime Ellame Naangathaan

Malayalam

Year Album Year Album
1978 Aaru manikoor, Vyamoham 1980 Dooram arike, Manju Moodalmanju
1981 Garjjanam, Panineerpookkal 1982 Aa Rathri, Aalolam, Olangal, Ragadeepam
1983 Oomakkuyil, Pinnilavu, Sandhyakku virinja poovu 1984 Mangalam nerunnu
1984 My dear kuttichathan, Onnanu nammal, Unaroo
1986 Yathra 1987 Kaveri, Poomukhappadiyil ninneyum kathu
1988 Moonnam Pakkam 1989 Adharvam, Chaithram, Season
1990 Geethanjali 1991 Anaswaram, Ente sooryaputhrikku
1992 Apaaratha, Pappayude swantham appoos 1993 Jackpot
1996 Kalapani, Man of the match 1997 Guru, Kaliyoonjalu
1997 My dear kuttichathan(new), Oru Yathramozhi 1998 Anuragakottaram, Manjeera dhwani
1999 Friends 2000 Kallu kondoru pennu, Kochukochu santhoshangal
2003 Manassinakkare 2005 Achuvinte Amma, Ponmudippuzhayorathu, Twinkle Little star
2006 Pachakkuthira, Rasathanthram 2007 Sooryan, Vinodayathra
2008 Innathe Chinthavishayam, SMS 2008 PazhassiRaja, Kutty shranku, Manikandan (Filming)

Telugu

Year Title Hero Heroine Director Producer Banner Remarks
1986 Aalaapana Mohan Bhanu Priya, Roopa Vamsee Amarender Reddy
1976 Bhadrakali Murali Mohan Jaya Prada
1978 Vayasu Pilichindi Rajini Kanth,Kamal Hasan Jaya Chitra Sridhar Kannayya
1979 Nuvve Naa Srimati
Oorvasi Neeve Naa Preyasi Muralimohan Lata Sridhar Sri Bharani Chitra International
Panchabhoothalu Chandramohan Lata P. Chandrasekarareddy Vijaya Kala Arts
Yugandhar N.T. Rama Rao Jayasudha K.S.R. Das Sri Gajalakshmi Arts
1980 Guru Kamalhasan Sridevi I.V. Sasi Shiva Sakthi Films
Kali Rajinikant, Chiranjeevi Seema I.V. Sasi Hemnag Films
Mayadari Krishnudu Rajanikant Sujata, Rati R. Rangarajan Devar Films
Padsidi Moggalu Chandramohan, Charu Hasan Madhumalini K.D. Nagasekhar
Pancha Kalyani Chandramohan, Charu Hasan Madhumalini K.D. Nagasekhar Bindu Priya Arts
1981 Amaavaasya Chandrudu Kamalhasan Madhavi Singeetham Srinivasarao Hazan Bros
Seethakoka Chilaka Karthik Aruna Bharathiraja Poornodhaya Movie Creations
Kotha Jeevithalu Hariprasad, Nutan Prasad Suhasini Bharathi Raja Ravindra Films
1982 Andhagadu Kamalhasan Sridevi T.N. Balu Ananthalakshmi Creations
Poola Pallaki Pratappotan, Nutan Prasad Aruna C. Hemamambaradharao Viswasanthi Movies
1983 Abhilasha Chiranjeevi Radhika A.KodandaRami Reddy K.S.Rama Rao Creative Commercials
Mantrigari Viyyankudu Poornima Jayaram Bapu
Sagara Sangamam Kamal Hassan Jayapradha K.Viswanath
Sitara Suman Bhanu Priya Vamsi Poornodhaya Movie Creations
1984 Challenge Chiranjeevi Vijayashanti A. Kodandarami Reddy
1985 Dharja Donga Suman Vijayashanthi Manivannan Sri Vijayalakshmi Arts
Jalsa Bullodu
Jwala Chiranjeevi Radhika, BhanuPriya Raviraja Pinisetti P.N.R. Pictures
Mangalya Bandham Suman, Chandra Mohan Suhasini K. Subbarao V.K. International
Oka Radha Iddaru Krishnalu Kamalahasan Sridevi, Samyuktha A. Kodandarami Reddy Sri Sarasa Movies
Preminchu Pelladu Rajendra Prasad Bhanupriya, Tulasi Vamsi Usha Kiran Movies
Sindhu Bhairavi Kamal Hassan
Sree Shirdi Sai Baba Mahathyam Vijay Chander, Chandra Mohan Anjali Devi K. Vasu Saichakra Productions
Swathi Muthyam Kamal Hasan Radhika K. Viswanath Poornodhaya Movie Creations
1986 Kiratakudu Chiranjeevi Suhasini A. Kodanda Rami Reddy Lakshmi Films
Ladies Tailor Rajendra Prasad Archana Vamsi Sravanthi Movies
Manchi Manasulu Bhanuchander Bhanupriya, Rajini Mohan Gandhi Lavanya Arts
Mister Bharath Shobhan Babu Suhasini, Sharada Raja Chandra Mudhu Art Movies
Mouna Raagam Karthik Revathi Mani Ratnam
Nireekshana Bhanuchander Archana, Nirmala Balu Mahendra Lakshmi Films
Rakshasudu Chiranjeevi Suhasini, Radha A. Kodanda Rami Reddy K.S. Ramarao
1987 Andari Kante Ghanudu Kamalahasan, Murali Mohan Ambika Sridhar Chithralaya Movies
Anweshana Karthik, Sarath Babu BhanuPriya Vamsi Ramkumar Productions
Aradhana-Chiru Chiranjeevi,Rajasekhar Suhasini Bharathiraja Allu Aravind Geetha Arts
Nayakudu Kamal Hassan Mani Ratnam
Sankeertana Nagarjuna, Sarath Babu Ramya Krishnan Geetha Krishnan Konark Movie Creations
Sister Nandini Sridhar Suhasini K Balachander
1988 Aasthulu - Anthasthulu Rajendra Prasad, Chandra Mohan Ramya Krishna V. Bhaskar Rao Sunitha Enterprises
Aakhari Poratam Nagarjuna Sridevi, Suhasini K.Raghavendra Rao Aswini Dutt Vyjayanthi Movies
Gharshana Prabhu, Karthik Amala, Nirosha Mani Ratnam
Jamadagni Krishna Radha, Sumalatha Bharathiraja G. Neelakanta Reddy
Maharshi Raghava Santhi Priya Vamsi
Marana Mridangam Chiranjeevi Suhasini, Radha A.K. Reddy K.S.Rama Rao Creative Commercials
Rakthabhishekam Balakrishna, Sarath Babu Radha A. Kodandarami Reedy Rajeeva Productions
Rudraveena Chiranjeevi Sobhana K. Balachander Naga Babu Anjana Productions
Swarna Kamalam Venkatesh Bhanu Priya K. Viswanath Bhanu Art Creations
Tarjan Sundari Vinod Manjula, Smitha Guna Nagendra Prasad Vasundhara Enterprises
Varasudochadu Venkatesh Suhasini A.Mohan Gandhi Sravanthi Movies
1989 Aartha Nadam Kamal Hassan K. Viswanath Promodha Art Films
Ashoka Chakravarthy Bala Krishna Bhanu Priya
Chettukinda Pleader Rajendra Prasad Kinera Vamsi
Geethanjali Nagarjuna Hema Mani Ratnam Bhagyalakshmi Enterprises
Indhrudu Chandrudu Kamal Hassan Vijaya Santhi
Kokila - Old Naresh, Nasar Shobana Geetha Krishna
Prema Venkatesh Revathi
Rudra Netra
Shiva Nagarjuna Amala Ram Gopal Verma Annapoorna Studios&S.S. Creations
Vichitra Sodarulu Kamal Hassan Gowthami Singeetam Srinivasa Rao
1990 Anjali Raghuvaran, Master Tarun Revathi, Baby Shamili Mani Ratnam
April 1 Vidudhala Rajendra Prasad Shobana Vamsi
Bobbili Raja Venkatesh Divya Bharathi, Vani Sree B.Gopal
Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari Chiranjeevi Sridevi K. Ragavendra Rao Ashwini Dutt Vyjayanthi Movies
Kondaveeti Donga Chiranjeevi Vijayashanti A. Kodanda Rami Reddy
1991 Aditya 369 Balakrishna Mohini, Silk Smitha Singeetham Srinivasa Rao
Chaithanya Nagarjuna Gowthami Prathap Pothan Sri Tirumalesa Productions
Coolie No 1 Venkatesh Tabu K.Raghavendra Rao
Dalapati Mamooty, Rajini Kanth Bhanu Priya, Shobana
Guna Kamal Hassan
Killer Nagarjuna Nagma Fazil Jagapathi Art Pictures
Matti Manushulu Moin Ali Baig Archana B. Narasinga Rao Little India
Nirnayam Nagarjuna Amala Priyadarsan Sri Jayabheri Art Productions
Stuartpuram Police Station Chiranjeevi Shobana, Nirosha
Surya I.P.S Venkatesh Vijaya Santhi A. Kodanda Rami Reddy
1992 Abhinandana Karthik Shobana Ashok Kumar Lalitha Sri Combines
Aswamedham Sobhan Babu, Bala Krishna Nagma K.Raghavendra Rao
Brindavanam Rajendra Prasad Ramya Krishna Singeetham Srinivasarao Chandamama Vijaya Combines
Chakravyuham Suman Archana Balumahendra Jayandra Films
Chamanthi
Chanti Venkatesh Meena Raviraja Pinisetti Creative Commercials
Chinna Rayudu Venkatesh Vijaya Santhi
Dharmakshetram Balakrishna Dhivyabarathi A. Kodandaramireddy Sri Rajeeva Productions
Hrudayam Mohan Heera
Kshatriya Puthrudu Kamal Hassan Revathi, Gowthami
Sundarakaanda Venkatesh Meena, Aparna K. Raghavendra Rao
1993 Aa Okkati Adakku Rajendra Prasad Rambha EVV Satyanarayana
Detective Naarada Mohan Babu Vani Viswanath Vamsi
Tholi Muddu Prashanth Divya Bharathi
1994 Gandeevam Balakrishna, Nageswar Rao Roja Priyadharsan Shri B.Sampathkumar
Presidentigari Alludu R.K. Selvamani Sri Sai Jyothi Arts
Priyanka
Samaram Suman Roja R.K. Selvamani Sree Sai Roja Productions
1995 Sathi Leelavathi Kamal Hassan, Arvind
1997 Chinnabbayi Venkatesh Ramya Krishna K.Viswanath
1998 Anthapuram Jagapathi Babu, Saikumar, Prakash Raj Soundarya Krishnavamsi Anandi Art Creations
1999 Time Prabhudeva Simran Geetha Krishna Life Line Films
2007 Anumanaspadam Aryan Rajesh Vamsi
Sunny Kamalkar Pooja
2008 Mallepoovu Muralikrishna Bhoomika Thakur Samudra

References and notes

  1. ^ Allirajan, M. 2004. Musical journeys. The Hindu, Thursday, June 10. Accessed 12 October 2006.
  2. ^ Behal, S. 2006. Melodious music. The Hindu, July 23. Accessed 12 October 2006.
  3. ^ a b c d e Greene, P.D. 1997. Film music: Southern area. Pp. 542-546 in B. Nettl, R.M. Stone, J. Porter and T. Rice (eds.). The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. Volume V: South Asia — The Indian Subcontinent. New York: Garland Pub. (p. 544).
  4. ^ Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. 2006. Directorate of Film Festivals. Accessed 22 November 2006.
  5. ^ Sangeetha Devi, K. 2007. Music from the past. The Hindu, Saturday, January 13. Accessed 3 March 2007.
  6. ^ Staff reporter. 2005. Ilaiyaraja's daughter gets engaged. The Hindu, Friday, Aug 05. Accessed 3 March 2007.
  7. ^ a b Mohan, A. 1994. Ilaiyaraja: composer as phenomenon in Tamil film culture. M.A. thesis, Wesleyan University (pp. 106-107).
  8. ^ a b Ramnarayanan, G. 1989. Matchless in quality and speed! The Hindu, May 26. Accessed 13 October 2006.
  9. ^ Ilaiyaraja. 1999. Sangeetha Kanavugal (2nd edition). Chennai, India: Kalaignaan Pathipagam.
  10. ^ Rangarajan, M. 2004. Memorable evening in many ways. The Hindu, Friday, July 9. Accessed 19 November 2006.
  11. ^ Panneerselvan, A.S. 1989. Ilaiyaraaja — Musical mission (Part 1). Frontline, (date of publication indeterminate). Accessed 5 March 2008.
  12. ^ Author unknown. 2005. No point in classifying music, says Ilayaraja. The Hindu, Sunday, June 19. Accessed 1 February 2007.
  13. ^ Gautam, S. 2004. 'Suhana safar' with Salilda. The Hindu, Tuesday, November 13. Accessed 13 October 2006.
  14. ^ Chennai, S. 2005. Looking back: flawless harmony in his music. The Hindu, Sunday, November 20. Accessed 15 November 2006.
  15. ^ Choudhury, R. 2005. The films of Salil Chowdhury: Introduction. Accessed 16 November 2006.
  16. ^ Vijayakar, R. 2006. The prince in Mumbai. Screen, July 21. Accessed 6 February 2007.
  17. ^ Greene, P.D. 2001. Authoring the Folk: the crafting of a rural popular music in south India. Journal of Intercultural Studies 22 (2): 161–172.
  18. ^ Sivanarayanan, A. 2004. Translating Tamil Dalit poetry. World Literature Today 78(2): 56-58.
  19. ^ a b Baskaran, S.T. 2002. Music for the people. The Hindu, Sunday, January 6. Accessed 15 November 2006.
  20. ^ RaajaNGAHM Online. 2000. Discography: Film database — Lyricist list. Accessed 7 February 2007.
  21. ^ Ilaiyaraja.com. Undated. Raja also scored music for a Hollywood film Blood Stone, in which another South Indian film legend Rajnikanth acted.Directors. Accessed 14 February 2007.
  22. ^ a b Venkatraman, S. 1995. Film music: the new intercultural idiom of 20th century Indian music. Pp. 107-112 in A. Euba and C.T. Kimberlin (eds.). Intercultural Music Vol. I. Bayreuth: Breitinger (p. 110).
  23. ^ e.g., the title themes for the films Sigappu Rojakkal (1978), Netrikkan (1981) and Mouna Raagam (1986), and the instrumental themes in Raja Paarvai (1981) and Punnagai Mannan (1986).
  24. ^ Venkatraman, S. 1995. Film music: the new intercultural idiom of 20th century Indian music. Pp. 107-112 in A. Euba and C.T. Kimberlin (eds.). Intercultural Music Vol. I. Bayreuth: Breitinger (p. 111).
  25. ^ Panneerselvan, A.S. 1993. Master of melody, Ilaiyaraaja: Challenging musical frontiers. Frontline, September 10. Accessed 5 March 2008.
  26. ^ Greene, P.D. 1997. Film music: Southern area. Pp. 542-546 in B. Nettl, R.M. Stone, J. Porter and T. Rice (eds.). The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. Volume V: South Asia — The Indian Subcontinent. New York: Garland Pub. (p. 545).
  27. ^ Rangaraj, R. 2005. Mani Ratnam on Ilayaraja, Rehman. ChennaiOnline, March 9. Accessed 13 October 2006.
  28. ^ Balaji, R.S. 2002. Lessons from Maestro Ilayaraja: Lesson 10, expressing moods through music — 2. Accessed 15 November 2006.
  29. ^ Subramanian, V. Undated. 9th chords in Rajaa's music. Accessed 13 October 2006.
  30. ^ a b Subramanian, V. Undated. The boss of bass. Accessed 13 October 2006.
  31. ^ Balaji, R.S. 2002. Lessons from Maestro Ilayaraja: A case study on Maestro Ilayaraja's style of music. Accessed 13 October 2006.
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  40. ^ This album was also incidentally used as the score for the Balu Mahendra film, Veedu (1988).
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Further reading

  • Prem-Ramesh. 1998. Ilaiyaraja: Isaiyin Thathuvamum Alagiyalum (trans.: Ilaiyaraja: The Philosophy and Aesthetics of Music). Chennai: Sembulam.
  • Ilaiyaraaja. 1998. Vettaveli Thanil Kotti Kidakkuthu (trans.: My Spiritual Experiences) (3rd ed.). Chennai: Kalaignan Pathipagam. → A collection of poems by Ilaiyaraaja.
  • Ilaiyaraaja. 1998. Vazhithunai. Chennai: Saral Veliyeedu.
  • Ilaiyaraaja. 1999. Sangeetha Kanavugal (trans.: Musical Dreams) (2nd ed.). Chennai: Kalaignan Pathipagam. → An autobiography about Ilaiyaraaja's European tour and other musings.
  • Ilaiyaraaja. 2000. Ilaiyaraajavin Sinthanaigal (trans.: Ilaiyaraaja's Thoughts). Chennai: Thiruvasu Puthaka Nilayam.

External links

General References


Discographies
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