Rahman is often called the Mozart of Madras. A very apt description but I like to compare him to Beethoven instead. Beethoven broke every rule in the composition rule book when it suited him. The opening in his Fifth Symphony shocked the listeners at the time. We do not feel that shock today because our ears have become desensitized by all kinds of sounds. Like Beethoven, Rahman broke many rules. He succeeded without sticking to one or more favorite singers. No singer was greater than his music. Many times he used newcomers and still made hit songs. This slight touch of arrogance – even though Rahman is a very humble person – is what makes him very similar to Beethoven. Rahman is what I would call an eclectic composer. His inspirations range from Indian Classical to Rock to Gangasta Rap. Composition wise, his songs are full of new experiments. A defining feature of most Rahman songs is that the composition is so strange that after first hearing, you start wondering how anyone can like this song. After repeated hearings however, the same songs seeps into your subconscious and you become addicted to it. Then you start thinking – how can anyone not like this song!
It has become a matter of great curiosity for me to listen to Rahman songs and try to uncover the hidden structure and influences. This curiosity was put to test when I first heard the song Aila Aila from the movie I. The song is in Tamil by the way and I do not understand a word of it. That does not stop me from listening to it. Rahman’s music transcends trivial matters like a language barrier. Aila Aila was unlike anything I have ever heard. It was difficult to place the song in a known structure. In addition, there was a moment when the music stopped. This is known as coda, more popular in pop music but extremely rare in Indian film music. This intrigued me, so I decided to go to the origin of coda – the Sonata – and bingo! Aila Aila fits perfectly into the Sonata format.
Sonata form was established in the early eighteenth century. Its most basic type consists of three parts.
Exposition : Two musical themes are introduced, often in contrasting styles. Beethoven’s Fifth starts with a violent minor chord theme (A) followed by a mellow major chord theme (B).
Development : A and B are developed further. They may change forms and the contrast may deepen.
Recapitulation : We return to either A and B or their modified forms. In Beethoven’s Fifth, the theme in major chord triumphs over the one in minor chord. This has been a subject of great discussion and many interpretations have been proposed.
Coda : This is like a punctuation mark. It indicates end of one theme and beginning of the next theme. This may also occur at the end.
The singers in Aila Aila are Natalie di Luccio and Aditya Rao. The themes are easy to identify since they are sung in an alternate manner in male and female voices. Song starts with theme A in Natalie’s voice, followed by theme B in Aditya’s voice. Then comes the coda C sung by Natalie (1:02). The music stops for a moment and this marks the end of exposition. Development starts at 2:07 where Natalie sings a variation of theme A – A’ – and Aditya sings B’ followed by Natalie’s A and Aditya’s B’. This is the end of development section. Recapitulation starts with Natalie singing both A and B while Aditya sings the coda C. This is exactly in reverse of the exposition section. In the end, Rahman introduces a final trick. While Aditya is singing the coda C, Natalie joins him halfway through with a time lag, creating brief moments of polyphony and the song ends on a high note in Natalie’s voice. Natalie is popularly known as Bollywood’s soprano and Rahman has fully utilized her amazing voice range.
Rahman’s music is what great art is all about. You make discoveries as you go deeper into it.
