January 31_AS
Dolly Parton is a living legend who dons many a hats - Singer, song writer, a shrewd business women, actress, author and philanthropist. Today I bring to you a bitter sweet love song composed by her - I will always love you. The song has been covered by many artists but the version by Dolly is a classic.It became No.1 song on the country music chart when it was first released as a single in 1972. After almost a decade, American singer Whitney Houston's version of the song in the film Bodyguard became one of the best selling single of all time. Parton again recorded the song in 1982 and it again topped the charts.When I first heard the song, I imagined a break up situation, girl leaving a boy. Very typical. But Dolly did not write the song for a situation like that. In 1967 Dolly began working with Porter Wagoner on his television show. The two of them also recorded several albums together. After seven years of working together, Parton decided to part ways and launch out completely on her own. They fought a lot and Wagoner could not accept her going away. Parton wrote this song for Porter Wagoner. It was her way of saying good bye. When Dolly played that song to Porter he loved it and said she could go provided she let him produce that song. He did produce the song and song became a big hit.It is a wonderful song with simple lyrics yet deep meaning. Whitney Houston's funeral ended to this song. Partners parting ways, a love break up or as a farewell song when a person leaves the world, this song is perfect for all situations. Can you relate to this song? What is your story? let us know.https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-ts=1422579428&x-yt-cl=85114404&v=_utP1mGoutQLyrics: I will always love youIf I should stayWell, I would only be in your wayAnd so I'll go, but yet I knowThat I'll think of you each step of my wayAnd I will always love youI will always love youBitter-sweet memoriesThat's all I have, and all I'm taking with meGood-bye, oh, please don't cryCause we both know that I'm notWhat you needI will always love youI will always love youAnd I hope life, will treat you kindAnd I hope that you have allThat you ever dreamed ofOh, I do wish you joyAnd I wish you happinessBut above all thisI wish you loveI love you, I will always loveI, I will always, always love youI will always love youI will always love youI will always love you
January 24_KV
K Balachander, the master blaster of Tamil cinema/chinna thirai.KB was to Kollywood as RDB was to Bollywood music. A fresh coat of paint. He revolutionised film making with his creativity, subtlety, complex emotions handled so deftly, the delicate humane touch that the everyday film goer could identify as his own. His strong character statements, which were bold [to say the least] 3-4 decades ago, without a hint of lewdness. Every work of his was such a class apart from the rest that "balachander" became a separate genre and refreshingly so.The songs in his movies were always woven into the story. They never felt out of place or just for the "selling point". Similar was the treatment given to humor. It was never an offtrack / sidelined comedy. The adorable Nagesh&Manorama being his fav comic duo.He identified & nurtured talents. He gave people ample opportunities to grow; never gave up even on those thought most unlikely to make it e.g. our superstar. It is believed he never held grudges or fostered enemity; however his intolerance to indifference/irresponsibility on the job was quite infamous.A few favs of mine are Edhir Neechal, Bama Vijayam, Server Sundaram, Sindhu Bhairavi, Punnagai Mannan, Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal, Unnal Mudiyum Thambi, Duet, Thillu Mullu... I can't do this. I just love them all. And 2 of his serials I still have fond memories of are Rayil Sneham & Premi.K Balachander, a man, a director, a legend, an institution! An irreplaceable loss for the film fraternity. May his soul find peace.Oops! I almost forgot. This being a MWC post, I shall get back to the main point.... Music. To pick "a few" fav songs from his movies is a near impossible task for me. There are simply tooooo many to list. A measly few would be:Avalakkenna Azhagiya Mugam - Server SundaramOne of the first (maybe the first, not sure) movies that revealed a few secrets of movie making. The journey of a man from being a server to a super star, the unbiased cruelty of the industry, how his personal life takes a hit. This song shows the amazing "live music recording" of the yesteryears. Tough job.http://youtu.be/oXOs-ytaqD0Kalaivaniye-Sindhu BhairaviFor the beautiful exchanges between the characters, that each speak of a different story, brings the movie & the sub stories to its subtle climax.http://youtu.be/xfGV8aa3vmIOne of my favouritestest scenes & relationships from my all time fav Ethir Neechalhttp://youtu.be/-WcUXbWR3RwWhat are your KB favourites (movies/songs/scenes)?
December 24_DK
On Christmas Eve, we have a special Music with Coffee edition. In a few hours we will be celebrating the birth of our King , so I'd like to wish every one a Merry Christmas. Though this time of the year, church choirs round the world sing Christmas carols, I'd like for us to hear the 'Litany of Saints'. This is a formal prayer in the Catholic Church and a few other Churches as well. It's a prayer to the Trinity, comprising of The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost, and also calls upon The Virgin Mary, Saints and martyrs upon whom the Church was founded. Though traditionally sung during Easter and All Saint's Day, I am posting this Litany as most non Christians may not have heard it. It is one of the oldest prayers in the Catholic Church.Litany of the SaintsLord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.God, the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.God the Son, Redeemer of the world,God the Holy Ghost,Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.Holy Mary, pray for us.Holy Mother of God,Holy Virgin of virgins,Saint Michael,Saint Gabriel,Saint Raphael,All ye holy angels and archangels,All ye holy orders of blessed spirits,Saint John the Baptist,Saint Joseph,All ye holy patriarchs and prophets,Saint Peter,Saint Paul,Saint Andrew,Saint James,Saint John,Saint Thomas,Saint James,Saint Philip,Saint Bartholomew,Saint Matthew,Saint Simon,Saint Thaddeus,Saint Matthias,Saint Barnabas,Saint Luke,Saint Mark,All ye holy apostles and evangelists,All ye holy disciples of the Lord,All ye holy innocents,Saint Stephen,Saint Lawrence,Saint Vincent,Saints Fabian and Sebastian,Saints John and Paul,Saints Cosmos and Damian,Saints Gervase and Protase,All ye holy martyrs,Saint Sylvester,Saint Gregory,Saint Ambrose,Saint Augustine,Saint Jerome,Saint Martin,Saint Nicholas,All ye holy bishops and confessors,All ye holy doctors,Saint Anthony,Saint Benedict,Saint Bernard,Saint Dominic,Saint Francis,All ye holy priests and levites,All ye holy monks and hermits,Saint Mary Magdalene,Saint Agatha,Saint Lucy,Saint Agnes,Saint Cecilia,Saint Catherine,Saint Anastasia,Saint Clare,All ye holy virgins and widows, pray for us.All ye holy men and women, saints of God, make intercession for us.Be merciful, spare us, O Lord.Be merciful, graciously hear us, O Lord.From all evil, O Lord deliver us.From all sin,From Thy wrath,From sudden and unprovided death,From the snares of the devil,From anger, and hatred, and all ill-will,From the spirit of fornication,From the scourge of earthquake,From plague, famine, and war,From lightning and tempest,From everlasting death,Through the mystery of Thy holy Incarnation,Through Thy coming,Through Thy birth,Through Thy baptism and holy fasting,Through the Institution of the Most Blessed Sacrament,Through Thy cross and passion,Through Thy death and burial,Through Thy holy resurrection,Through Thine admirable Ascension,Through the coming of the Holy Ghost the Paraclete,In the day of judgment, O Lord deliver us.We sinners, we beseech Thee, hear us.That Thou wouldst spare us,That Thou wouldst pardon us,That Thou wouldst bring us to true penance,That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to govern and preserve Thy holy Church,That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to preserve our Apostolic Prelate and all orders of the Church in holy religion,That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to humble the enemies of holy Church,That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to give peace and true concord to Christian kings and princes,That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to bring back to the unity of the Church all those who have strayed away, and lead to the light of the Gospel all unbelievers,That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to confirm and preserve us in Thy holy service,That Thou wouldst lift up our minds to heavenly desires,That Thou wouldst render eternal blessings to all our benefactors,That Thou wouldst deliver our souls, and the souls of our brethren, relatives, and benefactors from eternal damnation,That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to give and preserve the fruits of the earth,That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to grant eternal rest to all the faithful departed,That Thou wouldst vouchsafe graciously to hear us,Son of God, we beseech Thee, hear us.Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.Let us pray.Almighty, everlasting God, who hast dominion over both the living and the dead and art merciful to all who, as Thou foreknowest, will be Thine by faith and works; we humbly beseech Thee that they for whom we intend to pour forth our prayers, whether this present world still doth detain them in the flesh or the world to come hath already received them stripped of their mortal bodies, may, by the grace of Thy fatherly love and through the intercession of all the saints, obtain the remission of all their sins. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth God, world without end. Amen.http://youtu.be/jb23Z5X3uhAThe Litany of Saints in Latin transports me mentally to the Sistine Chapel in Italy. It gives solace to us when we hear it.
December 25_RJ
On the day of Christmas, we look at a tamil song that celebrates the arrival of the lord to this world. The song மண்ணுலகில் இன்று தேவன் இறங்கி வருகிறார் (MannuLagil Indru Devan iRangi varugirAr) from the movie Punidha Anthoniyar is composed by M.S. Viswanathan and sung by Vani Jairam and Muthuramanhere is the lyrics, if you want to sing along....ViNNil thOndrum thaaragaiyellaam Devadhaiyaagum VeNNilavO Devan amarum vaaganamaagumGnyaanajOthiyae, Uyarvaana jothiyae Thaanagavae ulagail irangum Dharmajothiyae! MaNNulagil indru Devan irangi varugiraan Nalla manidhar naduvil kuzhandhai vadivam perugiraan Ennilaadha adhisayangal seidhu kaattavae Oru puNNiyanin madiyinilae pudhalvan aagiraan MaNNulagil indru Devan irangi varugiraan Nalla manidhar naduvil kuzhandhai vadivam perugiraan Ennilaadha adhisayangal seidhu kaattavae Oru puNNiyanin madiyinilae pudhalvan aagiraan Mazhalai mozhigal kaetkka kaetkka manadhu thuLLaadhO Madiyil vandhu amarum pOdhu mayakkam koLLaadhO Paarvai pattaal pOdhum nam paavam yaavum pOgum KaigaL thottaal pOdhum udan kavalai ellaam theerum MaNNulagil indru Devan irangi varugiraan Nalla manidhar naduvil kuzhandhai vadivam perugiraan Ennilaadha adhisayangal seidhu kaattavae Oru puNNiyanin madiyinilae pudhalvan aagiraan Adiyavarin madiyinilae Aandavaraam Pillai AravaNaikkum adiyavarO Iraivanukkum Annai Kodumai paavam thuyaRilirundhu meetppavar vandhaar Kulam thazhaikka kuzhandhaiyaaga meippavar vandhaar MaNNulagil indru Devan irangi varugiraan Nalla manidhar naduvil kuzhandhai vadivam perugiraan Ennilaadha adhisayangal seidhu kaattavae Oru puNNiyanin madiyinilae pudhalvan aagiraan maNNulagil indru Devan vandhu iranginaar Nalla manidhar naduvil kuzhandhai vadivam perugiraar Note0: This song celebrates the arrival of lord to earth in the form of a child and praises the lord as an embodiment of knowledge and peace. Note1: What makes this song special is the voice of Vani Jayaram. Note2: Trichy AIR used to play this as a part of the religious songs at 7 AM. So this song also kindles quite some nostalgia for me....http://youtu.be/vUPZF_PhCYE
December 27_AS
Today's MWC features Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's performance at the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony at Oslo earlier this month. The 2014 nobel peace prize was shared between Kailash Satyarthi from India and Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan.Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is primarily know for his Qawwali music. He also performs Ghazals and other light music and is also a Bollywood playback singerSome interesting facts about Qawwali music gathered from wiki:* A Qawwali performance is done by a group of 8-9 musicians including the lead singer.* A sarangi was used earlier and is now replaced by the harmonium since sarangi needed to be retuned in between a performance* The other musicians in the group include one-two side singers, one or two harmoniums played by the lead singer, side singer or some one else, one or two percussionist.* If there is only one percussionist, he plays the tabla and dholak, usually the tabla with the dominant hand and the dholak with the other one (i.e. a left-handed percussionist would play the tabla with his left hand). Often there will be two percussionists, in which case one might play the tabla and the other the dholak.*There is also a chorus of four or five men who repeat key verses, and who aid percussion by hand-clapping.*The performers sit cross-legged on the ground in two rows — the lead singer, side singers and harmonium players in the front row, and the chorus and percussionists in the back row.* Women used to be excluded from traditional Muslim music, since they are traditionally prohibited from singing in the presence of men. These traditions have changed, however, as is evident by the popularity (and acceptance) of female singers such as Abida Parveen.*Although Abida Parveen performs many songs that are in the traditional qawwali repertoire, she does not perform them in the traditional qawwali style. Typically missing is the chorus which repeats key verses, as well as the hand clapping.The first is a link to the popular Qawwali "Alla hu" and the second is a link to the main concert.Link to "Alla hu"http://www.ndtv.com/…/rahat-fateh-ali-khan-performs-…/348039Link to main concerthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO0ux0UqM9IWiki gives a detailed description of Qawwali music. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QawwaliAfter seeing his performance on youtube, I feel it is like watching a Shankar movie on small screen.
December 27_KV
A Comic song is simply a humorous song. They were especially popular in the British music halls of the 19th and 20th century. Comedians specializing in musical satire and directing their wit at the new music.This is how a book that introduced me to this genre of music described it:"You don’t look for much of a voice in a comic song. You don’t expect correct phrasing or vocalization. You don’t mind if a man does find out, when in the middle of a note, that he is too high, and comes down with a jerk. You don’t bother about time. You don’t mind a man being two bars in front of the accompaniment, and easing up in the middle of a line to argue it out with the pianist, and then starting the verse afresh. You do expect the words."So, the tune is peppy and the lyric is hilarious. The story behind is biting satire; about a crisis, a failure or the general absurdities of life. Most musicals fall under this category.The Laughing Policemanhttp://youtu.be/hI1nPd7hezMAbout a crazy old local policeman. Simply a laughing riot!! "Mister, Here's Your Mule"http://youtu.be/1y5CS4Mo0EgThe most popular & probably the oldest known comic song; is said to have originated at a soldiers' camp in the Civil War days. At a time when the armies and farmers experienced a growing shortage of horses and mules, which hurt the economy and the war effort.The story (one of the many versions) goes thus:The soldiers in a camp take a farmer's unattended mule and hide it. On knowing the mule is missing, he goes around the camp inquiring about it. A soldier would holler "Mister, here's your mule." When the farmer went towards the call, a soldier in another part of the camp would yell the same. This continued, taking the farmer all over the camp.The joke spread from camp to camp, and before long the sight of anyone on riding a mule or a horse would cause someone to mutter this punchline and provoke widespread hilarity.Elephant Elephanthttp://youtu.be/o7vZqpsJQo0This is also a children's story book. The song, extremely funny at the outset, is pretty sad once you know the story. The girls Eva and Lyn, are a pair of conjoined twins attached at one side, and also orphans. They work for a circus with a pair of conjoined elephants (two heads, one body), whom they've affectionately nicknamed Elephant Elephant. These animals are the girls' only friends in the world.Unfortunately, Elephant Elephant succumb to an illness, their condition worsening over the next several weeks. The bit at the end where they both whisper, "Good night, Elephant" is them saying goodbye as the animals die.
December 28_SV
Among the stringed instruments in Indian music, the Veena occupies a special place. The Goddess of learning, Saraswati, holds a Veena in her lap. This plucked string instrument is of ancient Indian origin and is said to have been mentioned in the Rigveda.Veenas can be of different kinds1. With frets : Rudra Veena (used in Hindustani music) and Saraswati Veena (used in Carnatic music)2. Without frets : Vichitra Veena (used in Hindustani music )and gottuvadyam or Chitra Veena (used in Carnatic music)The Yazh or the ancient Indian harp is said to be the predecessor to the Veena.Veena has been an integral part of the Carnatic music scene for scores of year. Stalwarts like Muthuswami Deeshitar, Veenai Dhanammal, Veenai Duraiswamy iyer,Veena Sheshanna and Subbanna, Emani Shankara sastri, Chittibabu and Tanjavur K.P Sivanandam and Sarada Sivanandam (my music teachers), ofcourse, Veenai S Balachander brought fame and popularity to the Veena.The current crop of Veena players Jayanthi kumaresh, E. Gayathri, Nirmala Rajasekhar, Chitraveena Ravikiran and Rajhesh Vaidya have taken Veena to newer heights.For the past decade or so, the Chennai music season has seen a reduction in solo Veena concerts. When quizzed about this, the sabhas (concert halls) maintain that Veena concerts are not big crowd pullers, implying that the number of rasikas (listeners) for the Veena has reduced.Subbudu (PV subramaniam), the famous Carnatic music critic, once quipped that the Veena was not an instrument to be played to a big audience. He went on to say that it is an instrument that should remain behind closed doors. He was a close friend and mentor to Veena S Balachander.Veenai Dhanammal: Her bani (unique style) adhered to traditional values and intensity of musical expression on a Veena.Link to a documentary about Dhanammal’s life - gives an insight into her lifehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDuZxVI5edsRecordings of Dhanammal’s concerts are few, and the quality is not very good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P-qRCJaECEHope you enjoy!
