Top five melodies of Illaiyaraja

Illaiyaraja is reckoned as a king of the melody. Many of his music albums left the world spellbound. His harmonium (keyboard) has made magic onscreen for more than a decade. This divine music genius has captivated many hearts around the world. I am one among his diehard fans. The following is the list of my top five favorite numbers in the genre of melody composed by the music maestro.

Thallattum Poongatru (Gopura vasalille) - This lilting song is rendered by veteran singer S.Janaki. You simply close your eyes and tune your ears to this unique piece, I am sure you will move to another world. The finest use of flute, piano and violin throughout the song vouch for the brilliance of this legend.

Sangathil padatha kavithai (Auto raja) – Not many are aware of this brilliant composition of Illaiyaraja. He himself has rendered the voice for a duet with S.Janaki. The dialogues that form part of this song in Illaiyaraja’s voice add zing to the album. The singers have sung in their base voice in most part of the song. The subtle use of instruments such as piano and violin is the major attraction of this song.

Enthen nenjil ezhulangangal (Guru) – This is a lilting solo by S. Janaki. You hear it once and it will linger in your mind forever. The song calls for a high comfort level with both the base voice and high pitch. The singer has handled the transition form base voice to high pitch and once again to the base, very well. This song embraces the western classical style of music and is full of soul. The music maestro has once again proved his brilliance through this number. Kudos to Illaiyaraja.

Rathiriyil poothirukkum (Thanga magan) – A masterpiece of Illaiyaraja, which is rendered by music king SP. Balasubramaniam and S.Janaki. This song is set to tune in hamsanandi raga and the veena notes are the most enchanting part of the song. The singers are to their best in this song. In particular, SPB, who did not receive any formal carnatic music training, has rendered the song with good “gamakkam”. In the line “kannasaivil oru bhavam”, SPB has treated the word “bhavam” very well. No wonder he is called “padum nila balu” ( balu, the singing moon) by the people of Tamilnadu affectionately. I have another point here. Though the mother tongue of both S.Janaki and SPB are different, their Tamil diction is just like that of a native Tamilian. They have a lesson for the new breed of singers from other languages that “Be a Roman when you are in Rome”.

Ennule ennule (Valli) - This romantic soulful number is from the album Valli. The song begins with the traditional mrindangam beat, which extends for a few seconds. The beat fades out abruptly and the chorus fades in. This unique treatment of Illaiyaraja is simply splendid. This song is rendered by Swarnalatha. If you listen to this number, no matter where you are and what you do, I am sure you will be left speechless.

Though limiting my favorite melodies in the creation of Illaiyaraja to five is an act of trying to fit a whole pumpkin into a small jar, I feel these songs are the epitome of his magnum opus in the melody genre.