While on the topico of spontaneity in singing, let me add that there is much more to add about SPB (in addition to what was said in a prior article), but let us move on to S. Janaki today.

There is a tendency for musicians trained in classical music to improvise always. How much of improvisation is good in a studio setting? What kind of improvisation makes a difference to the quality of a 'finished recording'? Can improvisation actually do any damage?

Seasoned playback singers have delivered just the right kind and the right level of histrionics in order to emote a song. This goes back all the way to 'malarndum malaraada' where P. Susheela and TMS have sobbed it out in their expression of pangs of sibling-separation.

My friend Guha asked me to write about S. Janaki's singing spontaneity.

I have had many interesting conversations with S. Janaki. The very first line of any conversation gives away her mother tongue telugu - an accent that never shows up in her film singing.

Take for instance the conversation between her and KJYesudoss in the song 'megam karukkudu' from the film 'aananda raagam'.

'yen niruthiteenga....'

'vandu .....etc.'

'unga paattu romba nalla irukku; kekkanaum pola aasaiya irukku'

The tone and tenor of SJ's voice betrays the effort of a late middle aged woman trying to render playback dialogues for a young teenage heroine in the movie.

Yet, when the song commences, all traces of the accent are gone and tamil and exhuberance are in abundance.

As mentioned in previous article, SJ brings adbhuta rasa in abundance to the song sippi irukkudu and it is hard to imagine if anyone else would have done justice to the song, emoting 'love-waiting-to-be-expressed' without lyrics of any sort, just riding on a set of simple tunes.

Perhaps one of SJ's best unknown classics are out of two Bharatiraja movies, where they were not featured. One is puttampudu kaalai and the other is 'doorattil naan kanda un mugam' based on the scale of the raga gauri manohari, rendered in the classic S. Janaki manner with all the modulation, raga bhava and more. And what more, the lyrics aptly portray the angst of the poet Mira pining for her beloved Krishna. The orchestration in this song is also brilliant.

It is probably just as well that this song was not featured in the film nizhalgal, noting the fact that the picturaization of the other 3 songs in the film didnt seem to do the fullest justice to some  Illaiyaraja's career best songs.

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Answers to last week's translation questions

1. Ragasiya kanavugal jal jal  (bheema)
2. Maaman pera solli solli aalaanathe (mann vasanai0
3. appadi podu podu podu
4. 'andappurattil oru magaraani aval anbukkarattil oru magarajan
     kangal sivandirukka avan paartaan, kaaman tiruchchabaikku vazhi kettan'
5. manaivi amaivathellaam iraivan kodutta varam
6. 'aval sikkedukkum seeppil naan kaambaaga iruppen' (from song vennilaavin terileri in the film Duet)
7. manmatha nattukku mandiri (from andi mazhai pozhigiradu)
8. aval pattuppudavai kattikkondaal pattuppoochigal moksham perum
9. 'nee poovaittu poovaittu poovaikkul tee vaittaai' - from the song munbe vaa (sillunno oru kaadal)
10. 'neerum sembunal serum kalandadu pole' - again from the song munbe vaa (sillunnu oru kaadal)

About the author

Kanniks Kannikeswaran
www.kanniks.com