The Birth Of A Movie Song, Hindi Movie Songs Options

[maheshks]

I am reproducing a great article that I found in my collections. The article gives you a threadbare analysis of the hindi movie songs beginning right from 30s. Really worth preserving.....Admns to consider whether it can be pinned.
By Nalin Shah

In early 1931 when Ardeshir Irani recorded the first film song through a warmed-up carbon microphone, he probably did not realise that he was creating history. The sound had, at last, broken the silence in 'Hundred per cent talking picture' (as advertised) in 'Alam Ara'. It also ended the careers of many goodlooking Anglo-Indian damsels who had to make way for the professional singing girls. Sulochana (Ruby Meyers) who was the highest paid actress, earning Rs 5,000 a month, and D Bilimoria, the actor of the masses, had to be replaced by Master Vithal and Zubeida in the first talkie only because the latter could sing and talk fluent Hindi.

Since that day, nearly 60,000 songs have been composed. This fact bears testimony to the importance of music in the success of films at the box office.

Do we have a cultural personality in music? Art reflects the times and the forms of expression change with the passage of time. It is this change which keeps the art alive. The classical music we hear today is not what it was in the past. The musical expressions in films too have changed considerably compared to what they were in the '30s.

Film music in those days had a strong classical base as did the composers. Govind Rao Tembe of Prabhat was a disciple of Alladiya Khan, Timir Baran of New Theatres studied under Allauddin Khan, Ramchandra Pal of Bombay Talkies was trained by Badal Khan, and Saraswati Devi studied under V N Bhatkhande and Keshav Rao Bhole, R C Boral, Zende Khan, Ghulam Hyder and Pandit Amarnath also had an impressive classical background.

What was significant about the music of the '30s was the simplicity of the compositions and minimal use of the musical instruments. The eminent vocalist Phiroz Dastur sang 'Kalok tori nazaria' and 'Jao sidharo falha pavo' in 'Lal-e-Yaman'(1933) which were pure classical 'bandish'. From the very first talking film, songs became an indispensable part of the film, mainly because the Indian audience, since time immemorial, had been conditioned and made receptive by the popular musical folklores in forms of nautanki, tamasha, kirtan, etc.

The film 'Indrasabha' in 1932, to illustrate the point, had 71 songs. Gradual revolution in the gramophone industry also played a major role in popularising film songs. The manually rotating machine marketed in 1900 was soon replaced by the spring-motor. Recording on wax, in 1901, gave further impetus to the industry. The gramophone was still considered a status symbol, hence beyond the reach of the common man. Fortunately for the film makers, by the time the first song was recorded, the electrical recording which could control the voice and the sound of the musical instruments was already invented.

The invasion of cheap Japanese gramophones made music easily accessible. Prabhat, Bombay Talkies, and New Theatres attained respectability and achieved tremendous success in the late'30s. The combination of a good voice, a charming face and an ability to act was a rare phenomenon and Shanta Apte had all these in ample measure which probably accounts foe the tremendous popularity of her songs. For example 'Kamsinon ke dil pe' (Amrit Manthan'- Keshav Rao Bhole - 1934),'Ab maine jana hai' and 'Suno suno, banke prani' (both 'Amar Jyoti'- Master Krishna Rao - 1936).

Unlike Ranjit Movietone, which presented a mixed fare of romance, history, mythology and stunt, Prabhat stuck to the devotional, the social, and exploited the traditional folk music of Maharashtra. Amongst the singers Sunderabai, Vishnu Pant Pagnis, Raikumari, Kantilal, Amirbai, Wahidenbai held sway. The composers of the period leaned heavily on classical music without any orchestral embellishment, while composing for films. Khorshed Homji, popularly known as Saraswati Devi, became the first woman music director. She effectively used her classical ragas while composing for Bombay Talkies' films. Though New Theatres had started the vogue of playback singing with 'Dhoop Chhaon'(1935), Saraswati Devi experimented with it while singing 'Kit gaye ho khaivan haar' in 'Achhoot Kanya'(1936) while her sister Manek, known as Chandraprabha, acted. The song was immensely popular, and so was 'Main ban ki chidiya' in the same film sung by Ashok Kumar and Devika Rani. It is significant to note that both were unknown singers and had to rehearse the nursery rhymelike song for hours before it was finally recorded.

Listeners adored the simple, sweet melodies in 'Sooni padire sitar' (Leela Chitnis -'Kangan'- 1939) and 'Piyu piyu bol' (Pradeep -'Bandhan'- 1940). Bombay Talkies did not have any reputed singer in its fold except, perhaps, Pradeep and Arun Kumar, who entered at the fag end of the decade. The orchestra at that time consisted of tabla, sarangi, sitar, flute, organ and violin. Saraswati Devi made generous use of jaltarang and her use of chaste classical 'bandish' for songs matched the theatre atmosphere of the '30s. Ramchandra Pal, who created lilting melodies in 'Chal chal re navjawan' in 'Bandhan'(1940) and 'Nacho nacho pyare man ke mor' in 'Punar Milan'(1940), claims to have introduced Western instruments in 'Bandhan' title music. In fact, it was an extension of the experiment carried out by Anil Biswas (Sagar Movietone) who employed Goan musicians popularly known as Dhobi Talaowallas (because of their concentration in that area).

Anil Biswas gave his first hit in 'Jagirdar' in 1937 ('Banke bihari bhool na jana', 'Nadi kinare baith ke') both by Maya and Motilal and 'Pujari more mandir men aao' by Surendra and Bibbo. 'Mahageet'(1937) and 'Gramophone Singer' (1938) became popular with the masses.. The Western rhythm of 'Hum aur tum aur yeh khushi' ('Ali Baba'- 1940 - Wahidenbai,Surendra) is fondly remembered by old timers even today.

The experiment to modernise the orchestra was followed successfully by Pankaj Mullick in 'Chale pawan ki chal ('Doctor'- 1941) and 'Pran chahe nain na chahe'.
New Theatres had better equipped studios, competent recordist in Mukul Bose and a formidable team of singers and composers in R C Boral, Pankaj Mullick, Saigal, Kanan Devi, Pahari Sanyal, K C Dey, Timir Baran and Asit Baran. In spite of all the efforts of Anil Biswas, Surendra in Bombay remained a poor substitute for Saigal Pankaj Mullick in 'Mukti' (1937), 'Dhartimata'(1938), 'Dushman'(1938), 'Kapaal Kundala' (1939),'Nartaki'(1940) and 'Doctor'(1941) and R C Boral-Saigal team in 'Chandidas' (1934), 'President' (1937), made the Elephant banner of New Theatres a symbol of excellence amongst the discerning audience.

Timir Baran's soulful music in 'Devdas' (1935) ('Dukh ke din' and Balam aye baso') presented Saigal in the image of eternal lover. 'Street Singer' (1938) created a romantic pair in Saigal and Kanan ('Lachhmi moorat' and 'Hamari nagariyan men'). Saigal 'Babul mora' in Raaga Bhairavi left an indelible mark on the minds of the listeners.

Apart from the fact that New Theatres explored the magnificent treasury of contemporary Bengali literature and boasted of the creative team of composers and singers and poets like Arzo and Kidar Sharma, what made it an unforgettable experience was its heavy dependence on Rabindra Sangeet. Rabindranath Tagore drew his inspiration from the choral music in church, Indian classical ragas and the folk music of Bengal known as Bhatiyali. The essence of that inspiration gave birth to the Rabindra Sangeet in the form of nearly 3,000 compositions which inspired Rai Chand Boral, Pankaj Mullick and Kamal Das Gupta to create some memorable tunes to enrich the repertoire of H indi film music.

During the '40s, the musjc scene in Bombay and Pune underwent a visible change but New Theatres continued its proud tradition in music with 'Saugand' ('Ab aai basant bahar'- Asit Baran and Boral - 1942). 'My Sister' ('Do naina matware', 'Chhupona chhupona 0 pyari', both Saigal and Punkaj Mullick -1944), 'Wasiyat-nama' ('Kahe man bechain sajni' -Asit Baran, and 'Guzar gai hai chaman ki bahar'- Boral - 1945) and 'Yatrik' ('Tu dhoondhta hai jisko' and 'Dilwale', both Dhananjay ). Bhattacharya)and 'Prem lagana chahire' ('Binota Chakravarty and Pankaj Mullick-1952).

A devastating fire in 1940 in New Theatres Studios did not break the spirit of its founder B N Sircar but the changing values in art and life did disillusion him, spelling the doom of the prestigious institution in 1956.

The advent of the '40s inundated the eerie world of Hindi film music with a torrent of melodies which had force, and a feeling never experienced before. Dentist-turned-composer Master Ghulam Hyder of Pancholi (Lahore) who made his debut in 1935 suddenly burst upon the scene with the spirited and rhythmic Punjabi folk music in 'Khajnchi' (1941),'Sawan Ke Nazare Hai' (Ghulam Hyder and chorus) was a rage. The film overflowed with the high-pitched and robust voice of Shamshad ('Ek kali nazonki pali', 'Laut gayi papan andhiyari').

Ghulam Hyder followed up the unprecedented success of 'Khazanchi' with 'Khandan' in 1942. Noor Jehan who was earlier introduced as a juvenile artiste in Punjabi 'Heer Sayal' in 1938, captivated listeners with thehaunting sweetness of her voice in 'Tu kaunsi badli men mere chand ai aaja' sadness in 'Mere liye jahan men'- based on Punjabi Marsai (dirge) - deepens when expressed in the inimitable voice of Noor Jehan. She continued her triumphant march with 'Kis tarha bhulega dil' and 'Baithi hun teri yaad ka lekar ke sahara'. 'Gaon Ki Gori'- (Shyam Sunder - 1945) and K Dutta's pathos-laden strain in 'Badi Maa' (1945) such as 'Aa intezar hai tera', 'Diya jalakar aag bujhaya, and the depth of sorrow in 'Kisi tarah se mohabat men chain paa na sake' has endowed the composition an ageless charm.

'Zeenat' (Hafiz Khan - 1945) was an unforgettable experience with her pathetic cry in 'Bulbulon mat ro yahan', the song Lata Mangeshkar sang for an audition. 'Anmol Ghadi' (Naushad - 1946) brought a torrent of melodies in 'Mere bachpan ke sathi mujhe', 'Kya mil gaya Bhagwan' and 'Awaz de kahan hai' (with Surendra). 'Jugnu' (Firoz Nizami), was Noor Jehan's last memorable film in India which had an all time hit in 'Yahan badla wafa ka', a duet which spelt a meteoric rise for Rafi. It was a sad finale when she sang 'Hame to sham-e-gham men katni hai zindagi apni' to close the glorious chapter in her music-career. It was not a quirk of history that she came to be known as 'Malika-e-Tarannum.

The '40s turned out to be the most fruitful period in the history of Hindi film music. The influence of the stage and the constraints of the recording system played a major role in shaping the musical form during the greater part of the '30s. Even some of the die-hard classicists, who adopted an uncompromising attitude in the matter of the traditional classical music, could not withstand the gust of the new age cultural phenomenon, Music director Keshavrao Bhole, the purist from Prabhat frowned upon the music of 'Nai Kahani' (Prabhat- 1944), though Shyam Sundor had composed captivating melodies, 'Neend hamari khwab tumhare'- Durrani, Balakram and 'Ab khizan aye na aye -Durrani.

In spite of the tremendous popularity of the songs, the Prabhat-purist considered, the music a violation of the sacred tradition of Prabhat. While expressing his unhappiness, Keshavrao Bhole did not realise that the music was the reflection of the time. It was at this time (1942) that SaigaI migrated to Bombay to play 'Bhakta Surdas' (Ranjit Movietone). The film was notable for Gyan Dutt's scintillatingscore. Saigal was at his luring best when he sang 'Maiya mori main nahin makhan khayo'. 'Madhukar Shyam hamare chor', 'Nain heen ko raah deekha Prabhu', is a bhajan endowed with eternal appeal. Saigal continued to cast his spell but the evil spirit of Bombay's film world did not spare this minstrel. His health was failing. Khemchand Prakash, the master of classical and Rajasthan folk music, scored a memorable music in 'Tansen' (11943). Saigal was all pervading. He sang without a trace of illness in 'Shahjahan' (Naushad - 1946).'Gham diye mustaqil' and Jab dil hi toot gaya' are popular to this day.

Director Kardar sadly remembers how it took him 8 days to shoot just one song 'Kar lijiye chalkar meri jannat ke nazare' because, ill that he was, Saigal could not walk. 'Parwana' (Toot gaye sab sapne mere'- Khurshid Anwar - 1947) was the last film. After 28 films and 250 songs, the Saigal legend came to an end on January 18,1947, at the young age of 43.

While the wind of change was blowing, Anil Biswas, like Ghulam Hyder, created a musical revolution with 'Basant' (Bombay Talkies - 1942). His sister Parul Ghosh (wife of flautist Pannalal Ghosh) sang the sad re-train 'Ummeend unse kya thi', 'Humko hai pyari hamari galiyan' (Parul and Suresh), became a rage with the listeners.The music, however, was credited to Pannalal Ghosh since Anil Biswas was under contract with National Studios.

'Kismat (1943), following in the wake of 'Basant' success, created history. Every song was a hit which helped the film to run for more than 3 years in a single theatre (Roxy) in Calcutta. The pathetic cry of a love-lorn lover 'Pahpihare, (Parul Ghosh), and 'Ghar ghar, men diwali hai (Amirbai) held the audience spell-bound. 'Sanjh ki bela panchi akela', in 'Jwar Bhata' is a classic example of rhythm and harmony creating evening hues on horizon. The master of classical and Rabindra Sangit, Anil Biswas continued to surge forward in the grooves of time effortlessly without sacrificing the quality. He made Mukesh's career with 'Dil jalta hai'('Paheli Nazar'- 1945) and introduced Talat (Ai dil mujhe aisi jagah le chal' -Arzoo-1950). The pathos in the voice of Meena Kapoor (Mere liye woh ghame intezar chhod gaye- Anokha Pyar- 1948) and the sweetness in 'Tumhi kaho mera man kyun rahe' (Lata - 'Girl School' - 1946-49) illustrate the rare ability of the composer as a creative artiste. The '40s may easily be considered a blessed period in the history of film music.

The musical firmament was adorned by luminous stars like Amirbai ('Chanda desh piya ke ja' and 'Bharthuhari'), '0 roothe huve Bhagwan' ('Sindoor - both Khemchand Prakash, Zohranjan Ambalewali ('Akhiyan milake'-'Ratan'- Naushad and Zeenat Begum), ('Sun tu meri ilteza'- 'Nek Parvin'- Firoz Nizami), Naseem Akhtar ('Panchhi meri khushika zamana' - 'Chand' - Husnalal - Bhagatram'), S D Batish ('Khamosh nigahen ye sunati hai'- 'Daasi' - Pandit Amamath), Raj Kumari ('Kali ghata chhai ho raja' - 'Panna' - Amir Ali), S D Batish- Geeta Roy ('Mera sunder sapna'- 'Do Bhai'- S D Burman), Khurshid ('Barasore'- 'Tansen'- Khemchand Prakash), Sitara of Kanpur (Pardesi kyun yaad aata hai'- Man Ki Jeet'- S K Pal), Meena Kapur (Kisise meri preet lagi'- '8 days' - S D Burman), Suraiya ('Beech bahnwarmen' - 'Dard'- Naushad).

The talented composers of the period made melody reign supreme. Pandit Amarnath, director of HMV orchestra, was one of the highly-rated music directors. He gave a classical touch to the emotion-laden compositions ('Daasi'). His younger brothers Husnalal and Bhagatram, entered in 1944 with 'Chand' ('Do dilon ko yeh duniya'- 'Manju'). The placid pace of life had suddenly disappeared and the talented and creative com-posers of the period were in search of new forms, ideas, expressions and innovations. Naushad who made his debut in 1940 with 'Prem Nagar' sprang a surprise with 'Ratan' in 1944. It was a significant film as it gave further impetus to the catchy rhythmic compositions.

Karan Diwan, an indifferent singer, sang a hummable hit 'Jab tumhi chale pardes'. The music was an extension of the trend started with 'Khazanchi' by Ghulam Hyder who remained a model for the most of the later period composers. Naushad, with his 'Man Friday', Ghulam Mohammad, continued his march with 'Anmol Ghadi', 'Anokhi Ada', 'Mela', 'Chandni Raat', 'Dillagi' and 'Dard'. Having worked under Ustad Zande Khan ('Chitralekha'- 1941) and Khemchand Prakash, Naushad had a classical base and made effective use of the folk music of Uttar Pradesh The exponent of classical music, S N Tripathi, an old guard of Bombay Talkies, came up with a hit in 'Panghat' (1943). S D Burman, an excellent composer but weak in orchestration, had to be helped by C Ramchandra. He gave popular tunes in 'Shikari', '8 Days' (both 1943), 'Do Bhai' (1947), 'Shabnam' (1949) and in the later period made Rabindra Sangeet his magic wand for success.

On the other hand, C Ramchandra attempted to be different, in keeping with the times when he composed 'Aana meri jaan Sunday ki Sunday' in 'Shehnai' (1947). He invited the wrath of his guru Anil Biswas but nevertheless got his blessings when he convinced him about his need to have his own identity. Even the composers who had brought in spicy music frowned upon his frivolous compositions in 'Safar', 'Shehnai', 'Samadhi', 'Patanga' and 'Nadiya Ke Paar'. But public recognition is what he cared for and he got it in good measure. While Roshan held promise with 'Bawre Nain' and Vasant Desai with 'Shakuntala', he tried to be different in 'Apna Desh'. It was Shyam Sunder who held his sway over the masses and the discerning listeners, too.

Bulo C Rani who made his appearance on the musical scene with a heart-rending melody in the robust voice of Amirbai 'Gar humko jalaoge' ('Pagli Duniya' - 1944) presented the sensuous voice (Vishni Lal) 'Badi bhool huyi tujhe pyar kiya' ('Magroor') based on Sindhi melody. While talking of music and musicians we cannot lose sight of the lyricist Dinanath Madhok and the poet-singer Pradeep who influenced the composers and their work. Pradeep who began his career with 'Kangan' (1939) singing 'Main to aarti utaroon Radhe Shyam ki', he was in the habit of fitting words in the melodic structure of the popular tunes of his liking with his own brand of variation. He had a deep sense of rhythm and melody and composers invariably accepted his version as final.

Likewise D N Madhok was as good a composer as a lyricist. Music of the rustic Punjab was flowing in his veins. Many a well-known composer earned fame and fortune by taking credit for the compositions which D N Madhok sang to him by tapping his fingers on his cigarette tin.

The passage of time cannot break the spell of the '40s. Looking back, one wonders why there was a sudden influx of new melodies. The answers could be many and all relevant. The music directors were coming out of the shackles of the stage influence. The pace of life increased, the recording technique improved, but what was more significant was that the war affected the life and culture of the society in a big way. Many independent producers had cropped up to absorb their war-time profits. The artistes started breaking away from the institutions for better returns which dealt a severe blow to even the prestigious institutions like National Theatres, Bombay Talkies and Prabhat. The puritan standards of the '30s were suddenly replaced by more permissiveness and gay abandon. Music did not remain confined to the drawing rooms of the affluent class only, but projected the mood, hopes and aspirations of the common man.

Though classical music continued to hold sway as the legacy of the rich musical past, listeners were fascinated by the force and the sweetness of the Punjabi, Rajasthani and the UP folklore and the eternal Rabindra Sangeet. Music directors often envied a good composition by a rival and the reason why there was so much variety in music was that each song was fashioned with care keeping in view the range, depth and quality of the voice.

Amirbai, Raj Kumari, Shamshad, Noor Jehan, Suraiya, Zohra and Geeta all had their particular brand of sweetness which helped the composer to paint musical scenes in varied hues. When Lata and Rafi appeared on the musical horizon, the talented and the inspired composers of the period got the much needed range and the rare opportunity to explore the intricacies of the musical scale. Master Ghulam Hyder who could not use Lata's voice in Filmisthan's 'Shaheed', as the producer S Mukherji found it too shrill, presented her in BT's 'Majboor' ('Dil mera toda'- 1948) and a legend was born. Pandit Amarnath and K L Saigal died in 1947. Partition snatched away Noor Jehan, Master Ghulam Hyder, Firoz Nizami, Khurshed, Naushad (Shaukat Dehlvi) and Roshan Ara. India was torn apart. It was a severe blow to the Hindi film music culture especially at a time when Magnetic Recording held promise to further revolutionise the music world.

The music scene in the tinsel town of the Hindi cinema changed suddenly with partition. Most of the composers of the '30s found themselves at odds with the new culture. R C Boral and Anil Biswas ('Arzoo' - 1950, 'Tarana'- 1951, 'Aaram'- 1951) continued to reign supreme.

The departure of the protagonists of the Punjabi folk tradition created a void which was soon filled by the influx of new composers like Shanker-Jaikishan ('Barsaat' - 1949), Roshan ('Neki Aur Badi'- 1949), Madan Mohan (Ankhen'- 1950), Hemant Kumar ('Anandmath'-195 1) and 0 P Nayyar ('Asman'- 1952). There was innovation and vitality in the air. By this time the Lata-Rafi-Mukesh factor had added a new dimension to film music and this helped both old and new composers to reap rich rewards later.

Lata, a legend in her lifetime, had a voice that changed the course of music in films. Her first Hindi song was 'Pa lagoon ker jorire' (Aap Ki Sevamen' -1947). She found a mentor in Master Ghulam Hyder who saw tremendous potential in the natural sweet-ness of her voice with its sound classical base. It had such range and flexibility that it inspired talented composers to delve into unfathomable depths of music in search of sparkling gems. Ghulam Hyder presented her in a light number in ('Majboor'- 1948); Dil mera toda' and 'Angrezi chhora chala gaya' (her first duet with Mukesh) but effectively brought out her full potential the same year in 'Bedard tere dard ko sine se laga ke' ('Padmini'). Lata sang some of the finest melodies possible, such as 'Chanda re' (Khemchand Prakash), 'Dil hi to hoi tadop gaya' (Aadhi Raat' - Husnalal - Bhagatram), 'Aaj mere nasib ne' ('Hulchal'- Sajjad),'Kaun sune fariyad hamari ('Dulari' - Naushad), Tum kya jano tumhari yaad men' ('Shin Shinaki Bublaboo'- C Ramchandra).

Noor Jehan had been Lata's idol and if she sounded like Noor Jehan in some of her early melodies, the fault, if any, lay mainly with the composers who suffered from a Noor Jehan-fixation while composing for Lata. 'Ek aas bandhaye jaati hai' ('Lahore' - Shyam Sunder), 'Toote huve armanon ki ek duniya basaye' ('Gaon ki Gori' - Shyam Sunder), 'Tod diya dil mera' ('Andaz'- Naushad), 'Sajan ki galiyan chhor chale' ('Bazaar'- Shyam Sunder) are some of the songs that illustrate the point.

Lata, for her part, soon outgrew Noorjehan by the time she sang 'Aayega aanewala' ('Mahal'- 1949) and went on to warble some of her most unforgettable songs out of 1,766 she sang during the '50s.

The spirit of the new age was catching on. Vasant Desai sounded totally different in 'Sheesh Mahal' -'Bhoole zamane yaad na kar'- Pushpa Hans - 1950) and 'Hyderabad' ('Nazron men samane se quarer aa na sakega'- Rajkumari - 1952). Husnalal Bhagatram who composed five captivating melodies in 'Mirza Sahiban' continued to be popular, with Suraiya in 'Pyar Ki Jeet' (1948) and 'Badi Bahen' (1949). Their assistant Shanker teamed up with Jaikishan and they became the most successful musical duo ever. Their music had rhythm, melody and a new-age orchestration. What trumpeteer Ram Prasad (father of music-director Pyarelal) was to Anil Biswas and Chick Chocklet to C Ramchandra, Sebastian was to Shanker-Jaikishan. He dressed their tunes, enabling them to win popular acclaim.

'Albela' C Ramchandra, who had established an identity as a rebel composer in 'Shehnai', 'Safar' ('Kabhi yaad kar ke'), 'Samadhi' ('Gore gore o banke chhore') and 'Nadiya Ke Paar', made creative use of classical ragas in 'Anarkali' (1953). He was the fastest composer, and scored more than 100 films but after 'Navrang' (1959) where Mahendra Kapoor sang his first song 'Aadha hai chandrama', his creative spirit deserted him and he just drifted till he died in 1982.

Sachin Dev Burman found a niche in Rabindra San-geet (with the help of his talented wife Miradevi), and made lilting melodies the soul of his music. In spite of Vinod's efforts ('Tare vohi hai' - Lata -'Anmol Ratan'), Hansraj Behl ('Tu hamse juda hai'- Lata- 'Chakori') and lyricist D N Madhok's dedication, the influence of Punjabi folk music waned after the partition exodus. This in turn gave a fillip to the rustic music of U P (Naushad), Rajasthan and Marwar (Khemchand Prakash), Bengal (Anil Biswas, S D Burman, Salil Chowdhry) and Gujarat (Avinash Vyas).

By the time the decade of the '40s came to a close, the magnetic recording system had come into vogue and this changed the complexion of film music drastically. The magnetic tape recording had a frequency response from 50 to 10,000 cycles per second. Apart from the superior quality of recording, sound quality, which had improved further in the mid-'60s with the introduction of stereophonic recordings, could be judged immediately. In 1970, extended play and long-play records replaced the fragile 78 RPM records. To this day, people of those times are nostalgic about the 10-inch 78 RPM records.

The giant HMV set-up was also disturbed for a brief period when, in 1938, Young India Records made its appearance. It made the tri-colour flag a part of its logo and tried to cash in on the nationalist spirit of Indian buyers. What jolted HMV was V Shantaram's decision to join the new company as one of its directors. His 'Parbat Pe Apna Dera', 'Shakuntala' and 'Doctor Kotnis' were issued on the Young India label. It also exploited gullible buyers by publishing version records of the popular HIVIV film songs sung by obscure singers. Eventually the inferior quality of its pressing and recording sealed Young India's doom and the company folded up within a few years.

Like Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi - a disciple of Wahid Khan (Kirana gharana)- rose to dizzy heights of glory and had perceptible impact on the style of film music. Having -sung his first Hindi song in 'Pahle Aap' (Naushad - 1944) Rafi - who first attracted attention in 'Yahan badla wafa ka' (with Noorjehan in 'Jugnu' -1947) - suddenly came into prominence with 'Suno suno ai duniya walo Bapu ki ye amar kahani', an eulogy on Mahatma Gandhi, written by Rajendra Krishna and composed by Husnalal-Bhagatram in early 1948. 'Dil lagi', 'Chandni Raat' (both 1949 - Naushad) and' Meena Bazar' (1950- Husnalal Bhagatram ) established his enviable position in the glossy world of music. Humble as he was, Rafi always considered as his proudest moment the opportunity to sing one solitary line in Saigal song 'Mere sapno ki rani' ('Shah Jehan' -1946). In the lush '50s he went on to sing 1,236 songs as against 300 of Manna Day, 182 of Hemant Kumar, 170 of Mukesh and 165 of Kishore Kumar.

With the vastly improved recording system, the orchestra grew in size and innovations were tried out. Just as Ghulam Hyder had introduced the dholak, Naushad introduced a vibrophone in 'Mohe bhool gaye san-wariya' ('Baiju Bawra' - 1952) and employed a hundred-piece orchestra for 'Aan' (1952). Like Anil Bis-was ('Dharam Ki Devi'- 1935 -'Chhoti Chhoti Baten'-1965), Naushad had an eventful career which started in 1940 ('Prem Nagar'). He popularised classical music once again with films like 'Baiju Bawra' and 'Shabab' (1954). Background music had always been his forte and 'Mughal-e-Azam' is a classic example of his mastery over the medium. Though he had a strong sense of orchestration Naushad too fell in step with modern trends when he engaged Kersi Lord to dress his tunes in 'Saathi' (1968). This did not help to boost Naushad's sagging career. After Ghulam Mohammed left his team, Naushad's compositions in the '50s and beyond became more complex and always took time to grow on the listeners.

Unlike Naushad, Anil Biswas was a fast composer who created some of his finest compositions for Lata ('Badli teri nazar', 'Badi Bahu'- 1951, 'Mere pyar men tujhe kya mila' -'Maan'- 1954, 'Roothke tum to chal diye'- 'JaIti Nishani'- 1957). Mukesh sang the prophetic 'Alvida alvida' for his mentor Anil Biswas in his last Film 'Chhoti Chhoti Baten' in 1965.0 P Nayyar was another rebel composer who gave a twist to film music. After scoring the background music for 'Kaheez' (1949), he scored his first hit 'Preetam aan milo' ('Aasman'- C H Atma - 1952). By 1958 he was so popular, he could name his price for a film. Asha Bhosle has every reason to be grateful to Nayyar who, like R D Burman later, gave her a chance to show her mettle. Her swan song for Nayyar remains one of her best ('Chain se hum ko kabhi'- 'Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye'- 1973). S D Burman's feud with Lata in the late '50s also helped Asha's career and unbelievable as it may sound, she sang 3,349 songs by her more celebrated sister, Lata.

It is unfortunate that Nayyar, a talented composer, had to fall prey to the unjust demands of his director (Guru Datt) to fashion his compositions directly on borrowed western tunes in 'Aar paar' ('Sing sing sing sing, sing with me'- Bing Crossby, 'Sun sun sun sun zaalima'- Rafi). When compared to frolicsome melodies of Anil Biswas' in 'Kuchh sharmate huve' (Lata-'Girl's School') and C Ramchandra in 'Mere piya gaye Rangoon' (Shamshad-Chitalkar -'Patanga'), Nayyar's 'Mera naam chin chin choo' ('Howrah Bridge'- 1958) sounded frivolous, indicating the degradation of film music with the passage of time.

As against that, S N Tripathi, a propagator of classical music and an erstwhile assistant to Saraswati Devi, scored music in 90 films in 25 years and continued to lay stress on classical-based compositions ('Aa laut ke aaja mere meet'- Mukesh -'Rani Rupmati'- 1959, 'Na main kisi ki aankh ka noor hun' - Rafi - 'Lal Quilla -1960).

Even in the jet age of music composers like Salil Chowdhry ('Do Bigha Zamin'- 1953, 'Anand'- 1970), Hemant Kumar ('Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam'- 1962, 'Kohra' - 1970) continued to create profound and pathos-filled 1964) and Madan Mohan ('Madhosh'- 1951,'Dastak - 1970) continued to create profound and pathos-filled compositions.

The musical scene was becoming more and more confused with most of the composers trying to,grab as many films as they could lay their hands on. The situation was becoming intolerable to Naushad, who, in his hey day, did not accept on an average more than one or two films a year. For the sake of promising newcomers he introduced a resolution in the Music Directors Association preventing a member from accepting more than six films at a time. The proposal was merrily turned down.

Kalyanji, who later took his brother Anandji into the fold, had entered with 'Samrat Chandragupta' in 1958, Laxmikant-Pyarelal began with 'Parasmani' in 1963, Dada burman's son Pancham (R D Burman) started with 'Chhote Nawab' (1961) but had to mark time till 1966 to be part of the scene with "Teesri Manzil'.

Jaidev, assistant to S D Burman, scored with 'Hum Dond' ('Allah tero naam') in 1961 and 'Mujhe jeene Do' in 1963 ('Nadi nare ne jao shyam'- Asha), 'Gaman' in 1978('Seene me jalan'- Suresh Wadkar) all the while maitening the high standard he set for himself.

Kalyanji Anandji ('Ek tha gul'- 'Jab Jab Phool Khile'- Nanda, Rafi- 1965, 'Mere desh ki dharti'- Upkar'- Mahendra Kapoor- 1967) composed nearly 100 songs for Mukesh ('Mujhko is raat ki tanhai me'- 'Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere'- 1960) a large number of them being hummable and emotive. Their 'Saraswati Chandra' (1968- 'Chod de sari duniya' - Lata, 'Humne apna sabh kuch khoya'- Mukesh) has remained their crowning glory. They continued to look for new forms of expression and groom promising new singers and it won't be surprising if their latest discovery Sadhna Sargarn becomes the voice of the '90s.

Laxmikant-Pyarelal established themselves with their very first film. Theirs has been an eventful musical jour-ney from 'Parasmani'- 1963 to'Karma'_1 986. Pyarelal, son of Ram Prasad (trumpeteer) and the more talented of the duo has a keen sense of orchestration. Lata has always been crucial to their success. Having scored excellent music at times ('Dosti', 'Bobby', 'Ek Duje Ke Liye', 'Milan') they have, like R D Burman, added to the caco-phony to project the marijuana-mood of the present generation. Statistically they do not lag behind Kalyanji-Anandji who have crossed the 200-film mark in about 25 years.

R D Burman too proudly claims to have crossed 250 films during the same period and claims that he composes four-five songs a day. The speed, like his music at times, is mind-boggling. Being a son of a celebrated father he probably wanted to establish his own identity when 'Teesri Manzil' (1966) came his way. It would be wrong to judge him by his noisy output. This harmonica expert who studied with Dada Burman has proved his musical capacity by creating some intense and moving compositions in 'Amar Prem'- 1971 ('Kuch to log kahenge', 'Chingari koi bhadke' - both Kishore) and 'Aaandhi' 1975 ('Tere bina zindagi se koi shiqua'- Lata, Kishore).

Ravindra Jain too had his share of success ('Geet Gata Chal', 'Ram Teri Ganga Maili') all the while keeping to his beaten track whereas Bappi Lahiri moved far and wide to be the champion of the computer-age music. The son of talented parents, Bappi does sometimes come out with a sentimental strain- 'Tumhara pyar chahiye' ('Manokamana') for a change from 'Bambai se aaya mera dost' ('Aap Ki Khatir'). Today he happens to be the most sought after composer, though Annu Malik of "Sohni Mahiwal'- 'Coolie'- 'Mard' fame is desperately trying to grab the coveted position. It is a race where the public calls the tune. Son of an erstwhile composer Sardar Malik ('Hui yeh humse nadani teri mehefil men aa baithe' - 'Chor Bazar'), Annu Malik considers Shanker-Jaikishan the last word in film music - proving the dictum 'each to his own taste'.

Just as Rafi and Talat overshadowed Mukesh in the mid-'50s, the yodelling star Kishore Kumar eclipsed all other singers after 'Aradhana' (1969 -'Mere sapno ki rani kab ayegi'- S D Burman). The alchemy of this music was recognised by the early composers like Khemchand Prakash ('Marne ki duaen kiyun mangu'- Kishore's first song -'Ziddi' and 'Jag mag jag mag karta nikla' -'Rim Zim' and Anil Biswas ('Aa mahobat ki basti basaenge hum' - 'Fareb') and S D Burman ('Dukhi man mere -'Fantoosh'.)

This talented singer who adored Saigal wants to get away from the pseudo-world of glitter that dazzles but does not impress.

To the older composers, each song was a mission in itself which they tried to fulfil by keeping in view the range and the potential of the voice. Only Rafi could sing 'Taqdeer ka fasana' ('Sehra'- Ramlal) and Manna Dey 'Bhai bhanjana' ('Basant Bahar'- Shanker-jaikishan), only the tremulous voice of Talat could add pathos to 'Tera khayal dil se mitaya nahin kabhi' ('Do Raha'- Anil Biswas) and only the sonorous voice of Hemant could warble 'Chandan ka palna' ('Shabab'- Naushad) and it had to be only Kishore who could project the spirit of the modern age in 'Om shanti Om' ('Karz' - Laxmikant Pyarelal).

The versatile 'Umrao Jaan' Asha has remained a highly successful female counterpart to Kishore. Geeta too would have succeeded had she not, after singing songs from 'Yaad karoge' ('Do Bhai'- 1947) to 'Waqt ne kiya ('Kagaz Ke Phool'- 1959),become indifferent to singing and had she not,alas, died.

Suman Kalyanpur, with all her sweetness, after she sang her first song 'Koi puakare dheere se tujhe' ('mangu'- Mohammed Shafi- 1954) always remained good only when Lata was not around, whereas Sudha Malhotra, however good, needed a composer like Ghulam Mohammed to fashion a 'Awaz de raha hai koi' ('Gauhar')- type melody.

Lata might sing 'Main tera disco, tu mera disco', ('Khuddar'-Rajesh Roshan) once in a while but it is only Asha who can meet the demands of sound-makers of the'80s. Jaidev ('Ankahee') and Khayyam ('Umrao Jaan') are fortunately still around and talented composers like Benegal's Vanraj Bhatia ('Sawan ki aayi bahar'- Asha-'Janoon', 'Maro gaon katha pare'- Preethi Sagar- 'Manthan'), Ajit Verman ('Maa bolo'- Asha- 'Wasta') and Hridaynath Mangeshkar ('Tumhi ho mere apne', 'Main to jaungi re us paar'- Lata- 'Chani') are looked upon by discerning listeners as rays of hope at the other end of the tunnel.

This does not mean that old-timers like Kalyanji-Anandji, Laxmikant-Pyarelal and R D Burman have dried up. They have a lot of potential and capacity left and with their age, experience and authority can assert themselves (if only they would), not only to churn out what people like but create something that people should like.

There was a time when men of music asserted their rights. Kardar, for instance, is still nursing the grudge that Naushad, way back in 1950, recorded a song in 'Dastan' without consulting him. The hero (Raj Kapoor) rushes out of the house in anger, Kardar recalls, and instead of a fast song to match the pace, Suraiya breaks out into a long-drawn pathetic cry in 'Mohabat badhakar juda ho gaye'! History has proved Naushad's judgement to be correct. Similarly, Anil Biswas left 'Girl's School' in anger because the poet (also a producer) Pradeep did not like the slow tempo of 'Bar bar turn soch rahi ho'. Today Pradeep sadly admits that Anil Biswas was right.

The appeal of an emotional and lilting melody is a perennial affair. Why otherwise should R D Burman fashion his 'Sagar kinare' ('Sagar') out of Dada Burman's old hit 'Thandi hawaen' and Ravi do the rehash of Naushad's 'Babol' number 'Milte hi aankhen dil hua diwana', to create a hit in 'Dil ke arman aansuon men bah gaye' ('Nikah' - Salma Aga) and Annu Malik accuse Bappi Lahiri of lifting S D Burman's 'Megh de, megh de' to compose 'Pyar de pyar de'?

Looking back, a lover of music cannot miss the inevitable conclusion that recording techniques have taken great strides and side by side with multi-channel recording, the orchestra too has grown in proportion. Composers, by and large, have come to depend on music arrangers to give final shape to their creations. In the name of public taste, music has been reduced to the cacophony of sound with melody as the first victim.

In the latter half of the '40s and the early'50s, music was rich with shades and nuances. The credit mainly goes to composers with their feel for aesthetics. That is the reason why even Naseem Banu could give an unforgettable 'Zindagi ka saaz bhi kya' ('Pukar ) and Pushpa Hans created a hit in 'Dile nadan tujhe' ('Apna Desh', Purshottam) and Binapani sing with feeling 'Main to karun pyar' ('Safar'- C Ramchandra) and Uma Devi ('Tun Tun') make you sway with 'Dil wale' ('Natak'- Naushad').

Public demand is a myth. Taste is always shaped by great artistes. These are the days of angry young men (in films), angry young writers and, shall we say, angry young composers?

A Shakeel or a Sahir has no place in the madding crowd and Anand Bakshi has taken over where D N Madhok left.

But the day is not far off when the music wheel will turn full circle. Till then we must weather this autumn of music.

[pradeepasrani]

The self confessed 'Saigal Bhakt', Nalin Shah has made an attempt to present the music of 4 decades and many of the legends who created those unforgettable melodies in one article. In the process he has brought back memories of that glorious era when melody was queen and rythym was king. The music of subsequent decades, with a few honourable exceptions, seems to suffer from the marijuana influence - to quote Nalin Shah's phrase - , an era heralded, perhaps unwittingly, by RDB with his Dum Maro Dum in the very first year of 70s.

Pradeep