A.R. Rahman, Ani Choying, & Farah Siraj and Sherlock Holmes
Today I wanted to explore a completely different realm of music, one that is often overlooked or never really seen at all. This song is a composition that was made by one of the greatest Indian composers I have had the privilege to hear. Many of you know A.R. Rahman as the man who brought you the score of Slumdog Millionaire. However, as someone who has grown up in the culture of Bollywood, A.R. Rahman is the composer who has brought about some of the most beautiful and unique sounds to both Indian, Eastern, and Western cultures. This song is no different and blends together three worlds which would usually not seen or heard together.
In this song, we get to hear an entirely different spin on the phrase "world music." A.R. Rahman is known very well for bringing us beautiful music, with a hint of a religious and spiritual flair. He brings that same flavor to this composition. A.R. Rahman brings together Jordanian, traditional Buddhist, and Indian music to create a truly unique musical masterpiece. There are so many things that make this song incredibly beautiful that I find myself struggling to know where to start. There is something so captivating and utterly spellbinding about A.R. Rahman's composition that you can't help but be drawn in.
The song starts out with this beautifully executed Buddhist melody and chant. And while there is very little instrumentation accompanying this chant and mantra, there is so much power channeled into these words. Powerful, but gentle and almost healing, Ani Choying delivers a performance that is wrought with strength. Serving as a background to the Buddhist melody, we have a very soft choir singing. This choir serves to create the effect of a long and sustained note which is a wonderful base note for the Buddhist chant. This choir then breaks out of the single note shell and blossoms into a beautiful chorus that is sung in Hindi. This is where we get exposed to the second culture for the first time. The choral lyrics are so beautiful and moving, creating a sense of peace, tranquility, and harmony. The vocal choir in the background tends to take on a higher pitched sound, while also being more light hearted and soft. The way these words and melody are juxtaposed against the raw power of the Buddhist chant is absolutely mesmerizing.
Then, we hit another spectacular and important moment in the composition. This is where the Jordanian singer comes in. At the completion of the Buddhist chant, we get a brief moment of pause before the Jordanian singer, Farah Siraj, comes in. She starts out with something that is similar to an aalap. In essence, this is the elongated singing of a syllable at different pitches, creating a melodious progression of sounds. Farah Siraj starts her portion of the song in this way, serving as an excellent bridge between the meditative tranquility of the Buddhist mantra and the upbeat and energized sounds of traditional Jordanian music. Once the Jordanian portion of the song comes into full swing, we get an explosion of energy and sound in a way that is incredible. There is so much life that comes into the song! It isn't as if there wasn't a liveliness prior, but we get something now that is so full of energy and charisma and even a little mischievousness. I love that so much because the transition between the calm Buddhist mantra and the upbeat Jordanian melody works so well, that we don't feel at odds with the dramatic shift. For the rest of the song, we get this gorgeous mixture of Indian, Jordanian, and Buddhist music. The choral background continues with Hindi lyrics, and the Jordanian & Buddhist melodies remain the central focus of the composition. There is just so much culture and wonder to this piece, that you cannot help but recognize the genius that is A.R. Rahman.
Today's instrumental song is from a movie that relies a lot on the Middle Eastern and "gypsy" melodies which we all so love and got to hear earlier. Sherlock Holmes seems to be the last place where you would find melodies like this, but my goodness does it work well. In this piece, we definitely hear a lot more gypsy than anything else, but teh piece runs very well withthe rest ofthe score. I hope you enjoy the music and please feel free to comment !
In this song, we get to hear an entirely different spin on the phrase "world music." A.R. Rahman is known very well for bringing us beautiful music, with a hint of a religious and spiritual flair. He brings that same flavor to this composition. A.R. Rahman brings together Jordanian, traditional Buddhist, and Indian music to create a truly unique musical masterpiece. There are so many things that make this song incredibly beautiful that I find myself struggling to know where to start. There is something so captivating and utterly spellbinding about A.R. Rahman's composition that you can't help but be drawn in.
The song starts out with this beautifully executed Buddhist melody and chant. And while there is very little instrumentation accompanying this chant and mantra, there is so much power channeled into these words. Powerful, but gentle and almost healing, Ani Choying delivers a performance that is wrought with strength. Serving as a background to the Buddhist melody, we have a very soft choir singing. This choir serves to create the effect of a long and sustained note which is a wonderful base note for the Buddhist chant. This choir then breaks out of the single note shell and blossoms into a beautiful chorus that is sung in Hindi. This is where we get exposed to the second culture for the first time. The choral lyrics are so beautiful and moving, creating a sense of peace, tranquility, and harmony. The vocal choir in the background tends to take on a higher pitched sound, while also being more light hearted and soft. The way these words and melody are juxtaposed against the raw power of the Buddhist chant is absolutely mesmerizing.
Then, we hit another spectacular and important moment in the composition. This is where the Jordanian singer comes in. At the completion of the Buddhist chant, we get a brief moment of pause before the Jordanian singer, Farah Siraj, comes in. She starts out with something that is similar to an aalap. In essence, this is the elongated singing of a syllable at different pitches, creating a melodious progression of sounds. Farah Siraj starts her portion of the song in this way, serving as an excellent bridge between the meditative tranquility of the Buddhist mantra and the upbeat and energized sounds of traditional Jordanian music. Once the Jordanian portion of the song comes into full swing, we get an explosion of energy and sound in a way that is incredible. There is so much life that comes into the song! It isn't as if there wasn't a liveliness prior, but we get something now that is so full of energy and charisma and even a little mischievousness. I love that so much because the transition between the calm Buddhist mantra and the upbeat Jordanian melody works so well, that we don't feel at odds with the dramatic shift. For the rest of the song, we get this gorgeous mixture of Indian, Jordanian, and Buddhist music. The choral background continues with Hindi lyrics, and the Jordanian & Buddhist melodies remain the central focus of the composition. There is just so much culture and wonder to this piece, that you cannot help but recognize the genius that is A.R. Rahman.
Today's instrumental song is from a movie that relies a lot on the Middle Eastern and "gypsy" melodies which we all so love and got to hear earlier. Sherlock Holmes seems to be the last place where you would find melodies like this, but my goodness does it work well. In this piece, we definitely hear a lot more gypsy than anything else, but teh piece runs very well withthe rest ofthe score. I hope you enjoy the music and please feel free to comment !
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