Can you compose a song in 10 minutes? Ben Folds, American pianist, singer, composer, actually pulls it off in style, and performs it with the National Symphony Orchestra, Washington. He asks the audience to select a key — he picks A minor from a babble of suggestions — and then sets out to make a tune for lines snatched randomly from a publicity brochure. The conductor and musicians are as quick and catch his ideas instantaneously. As you watch, a neatly structured song emerges. Check out the video to see how a quick, fun song is created.
Bhaja Govindam again
Twenty-one well-known musicians have come together to pay a tribute to the legendary M S Subbulakshmi with a rendering of Bhaja Govindam. The long poem, by Shankaracharya, was rendered by Subbulakshmi for an LP record, which went on to become a favourite alongside her other best-selling recordings. The singers, from the worlds of classical music and film music, have sung the poem in the exact same tune as in the Subbulakshmi recording. Check online for a video featuring the new rendering of the devotional hymn, believed to date back to the 7th century.
Adiga classic
Kattuvevu naavu, one of Gopalakrishna Adiga’s early poems, is sung widely on the sugama sangeeta stage. Adiga was a pioneer of modernist poetry, and much of his later poetry is sharp and acerbic. This early poem is upbeat, and represents the optimism of the freedom struggle. Mysore Ananthaswamy’s tune for Kattuvevu naavu remains popular, and is broadcast on the radio. To hear another rousing tune, check out Chandrashekar Kedilaya. His rendering, in raga Mohana, is rousing, and brings to mind the dramatic power of Yakshagana music.