Tribute to MSV Part III

Tribute to MSV- Part III

“When the mind stills and becomes te music that it hears, when the heart recognizes that it has heard its soul mate, then you know it is MSV”- writes Ramesh vinayagam in The Hindu.

He has the greatest of them all. Original, versatile, innovative and prolific. He is a mystery.  How could he invent those exquisite melodies, those thousands of songs ?  How could he get into the minds of all the characters and sing like they would ?  How could the he make all those who heard the songs feel as if it were their own ?.  MSV was a boon to the Directors, a challenge to the singers, a friend to the lyricists, a revelation to the orchestra and above all else, a king to the people. So innovative, was he that he would just start with a raga and then change its course at will only to make it sweeter.

For example, MuthukkalO kangal begins like Madhyamavathi and somewhere along the way sounds like Darbari.  He was also expert in creating tunes devoid of a classical slant such as “Yengiruntho asaigal” or rock and roll “Viswanathan vElai vEndum.  His “laughter song”- “Sirippil undAgum” and a typical MGR  song “Pudhiya VAnam”

To me, he was a great psychologist- who knew his characters upside down and inside out. His real genius lay in the fact that he never composed anything which his characters would not sing  He never showed off his musicianship,

Can there ever be a more poignant song than “Kalamithu kAlamithu” or “Malai pozuthin”.   Can devastation be expressed more poignantly than in “Enge nimmathi”, “Yaar andha nilavu”  ?  What about “ilakknam marutho” or “Nalam nalam thirunalam” ?

Even today, these melodies stir emotions deep wihin us.  I realize he has created beautiful music that expresses every human emotion.

His creativity par takes, even with a whistle sound/humming can change the mood of the song.  Let me give you some of the songs :

NenjathilE nEE nerru vandhai – Shanthi-  Whistle sound

Ennirandu pathinaru vayasu- Annai illam- LR Easwari’s beautiful humming. It will take you a beautiful heaven.

Kallellam mAnikka-Alaya mani- beginning voice of LR Easwari will outshine the TMS voice followed.

Velli kinnamthan- Uyarntha manidhan-P.Susheela, rare background humming voice. What a beauty it is ?

To be continued.