Nalla Madras

If I asked you what the most critical instrument necessary for recording a song was, you would probably say violins. Some would say the tabla, while others might say it is the baton of the conductor and so on. I say it was the bicycle. Want to know why? Read on!

Indian films almost always have songs; some have five or more. Here is how the song is made, from the words of an insider!

A song is born

A prominent arranger Dattaram Wadkar, who is known for his association with Shanker-Jaikishan for over four decades, summed it up like this:

The song is composed on day one. This means the basic tune is composed. It is then handed over to the arranger, who adds all the song’s embellishments and interludes. The musicians are then called in and given their parts, and two or three rehearsals are done. The song is then recorded.

Until recently, recording meant a live performance by the entire ensemble, including the singer. If a mistake happens, then the whole recording must be done again.

If you want to know who Dattaram was, listen to tabla in the songs of Shri 420; Mud mud ke na dekh and Ramayyaa vastaavayyaa and Chori Chori: Aaja sanam madhur chandni mein hum.

Apart from the tabla, Dattaram also played the duff; Dil ka haal sune dilwala and Mera naam raju gharana annam in Shri 420 and Jis Desh Mein Ganga Bahti Hai.

He later became a percussion arranger for Shanker-Jaikishan. His colleague and fellow Goan, Sebastian D’Souza, would arrange the rest of the music on Western instruments, like guitar, saxophone, accordion, etc.

Now, all this is easier said than done. Very few music directors had a permanent orchestra. Often, there would be core musicians and the rest freelancers who would one day be playing for S-J, and on another day, Kalyanji-Anandji and so on. Sometimes, the permanent musician would suggest one of his friends for the job, who would then show up for the rehearsal and the recording.

In some cases, acquaintances alone could not fill all the vacant slots. The word had to be spread far and wide to get the required musicians.

The Messengers – the man on a bicycle

This gave rise to a need in the system. Those who could muster up the required musicians for a recording session at short notice. They were called messengers. Later, the messengers came to be known as music coordinators bringing about a modicum of respectability, maybe?

In those early days, telephones were not available to everyone. So the messengers would bicycle to the required musician and tell them that they had to report at this studio and, this time, with this instrument! This was because some of the musicians played multiple instruments. If the musician was unavailable, the messenger would cycle down to the next on the list. To the freelancer, this meant keeping the messenger happy by being very respectful.

Most of the messengers traveled the streets of Bombay close to midnight. So. if you heard a knock at your door in the middle of the night, it was probably the messenger bringing you the good news that you had work tomorrow!

In the orchestra, if you were in the first row, you had to be at the top of your game. Messengers had no say here since the music director would know the front row musicians by their names and specifically ask for them. But if you were in the fourth or fifth row, you had to keep the messenger happy, and some would even offer them a commission, a bribe of sorts!

Messengers were an essential part of the development of the cottage industry that was Old Bollywood; without them, no recordings would have been possible. In time, however, they came to play crucial economic roles in the lives of many musicians, as they were often the deciding factor between employment and unemployment.

Cine Music Association

In theory, the music director must inform the CMA (Cine Music Association) of their requirement. The CMA would then allot the number of musicians required based on equal and fair distribution. This would never happen in real life, so the messengers were all-powerful.

The A-R-P trio

Musicians Alfonso Albuquerque, who played cello, Ram Singh saxophone, and Peter Sequeira on violin and guitar, were known collectively by their initials as “A-R-P.” They were a trio, and often others would refer to them as A-R-P. They were among the first and most influential freelance musicians who also were music coordinators.

A-R-P not only provided their musical talents to composing early film scores but also served as orchestral brokers.

They helped recruit and coordinate other musicians’ efforts to fill out the small orchestras of the time. Of course, for a financial reward.

Ram Singh was succeeded by Manohari Singh much later. There was no alto sax used for a long time until Mahohari Singh took his place.

Some of Manohari Singh’s sax can be heard in this song and in the interludes of Mehabooba Mehabooba in the film Sholay.

The advent of the voice booth

Then another thing happened. The microphone of the singer had to be isolated. Either the technicians were striving for better recordings, or the listening public became more discerning. The long and short of it is that this gave rise to the silence booth, as it was called those days.

During the very early days, the singer would be in the same room as the orchestra and so would be able to sing correctly, maintaining pitch and beat.

This changed with the vocal booth. Many singers felt isolated and also went off scale and tempo. On the one hand, there was a clear vocal recording, but what use if it was off pitch and rhythm.

The song violinist

This gave rise to a song violinist. The song violinist would sit along with the rhythm section of the orchestra and play the song exactly as how the singer was supposed to sing. The song violinist would play into a separate microphone and a mixer which would mix the rhythm section and feed the mix to the singer. This helped to keep the singer in the right tempo and scale. Some of the finest violinists who were song violinists were Harishchandra Narvekar, Gajanan Karnad, and Prabhakar Jog. The absolute pity is that they were never heard in the final recording.

The scenario today

Fast forward to today. Anyone with a reasonably good computer, DAW software, and a good mic, can produce music that can rake in the millions. Bille Eilish, the singer-songwriter who won 4 Grammys in 2020, has this setup.

Finneas O’Connell, Billie’s brother’s modest production setup consisted of Apple Logic Pro X, a Universal Audio Apollo 8 interface, and a pair of Yamaha HS5 nearfields with an H8S subwoofer, all of which were housed in a standard bedroom with a bed against one wall, where Eilish sat to record her vocals.

The total cost of the setup is less than $3,000! Rewards, 4 Grammys!

Sources:

https://mehfilmeinmeri.wordpress.com/2018/03/23/songs-picturised-in-a-recording-studio/

Behind the Curtain – Making Music in Mumbai’s Film Studio – Gregory D. Booth

Most of us from India might have noticed how we try to credit every good thing, be it in science or the arts, for having its roots in India. I haven’t heard anyone say that English has roots in Sanskrit, at least until now. Having a good dose of patriotism is nice, but sometimes it goes to ridiculous lengths.

Now, let us tackle the issue on hand. Is the violin a European instrument, or did it originate in Asia, especially India? Read on, and it shall be revealed!

The violin is tailor-made for Indian classical music. It is not too loud and very expressive, obviously in the hands of talented musicians. The ornamentations in Carnatic music can easily be mimicked by the violin; the gamakas (oscillations), the grace notes, or kan-swars can be reproduced precisely like its rendered by the human voice. For some reason, the violin is not as popular in Hindustani as in Carnatic music. The harmonium still reigns supreme in Hindustani, an instrument that cannot reproduce meends or gamakas. Some virtuosos try to get around this by playing the notes bridging the meend or a gamak, but at the end of the day, it’s like trying to draw an elephant using straight lines. You can try to compensate for it with shorter straight lines, but it’s still straight and not curved lines!

I come in peace to all ye harmonium players, for I am not a violinist but a non-violen-ist. Get it? In Madras, we would call this a kadi joke!

North Indian classical music has adopted the violin as an accompaniment and a solo instrument. However, its use is still far less common than in its Southern counterpart. The sarangi, with its strikingly vocalistic tone, is still the most popular bowed string instrument in the region.

Violins were first incorporated into Carnatic music at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. The violin’s rise to prominence in Carnatic music saw it used as an accompaniment and a solo instrument. Many outstanding violinists dating back to the 19th century have contributed to the refinement of these methods.

At least four musicians are credited for incorporating the violin in Carnatic concerts. One of them is Balaswamy Dikshitar, who belonged to the lineage of Muthuswami Dikshitar, one of the trinities of Carnatic music; the other two are Syama Shastri and Thyagaraja swami. They made the violin famous. After that, it was carried on and improvised by different eminent personalities like Varahappa Iyer, Sri Vadivelu, and Sri Krishna Swamy Bhagavatar.

There is another strain of thought that Balaswamy Dikshitar studied violin with a European violinist in Madras and was inspired by Manali Mudalaichar. Since then, he’s spread the practice of playing the violin in the Carnatic style. His brother and mentor, Sri Muthuswamy Dikshithar, is credited with writing “Nottu Swarams” in the Sankarabharanam Raga for violin practice. Sankarabharanam ragam is all natural notes, like a major scale in Western music.

The ektara, dilruba, and sarangi are all common in Indian music and are bow-played string instruments well-suited for vocal accompaniment. However, the European-style violin found a natural home in the classical music of South India.

The instrument is identical to the ones used by classical Western musicians. Carnatic or South Indian classical music requires a different tuning and playing style, so the violin is adapted accordingly. Although the violin is typically used as an accompaniment to vocal music, it is also played as a solo instrument in Eastern music, albeit with a different grip and technique than in Western classical music.

Violinists from the South Indian subcontinent sit cross-legged on the floor, right foot forward, with the scroll resting on the ankle of the outstretched foot. The violin’s back rests against the player’s left collar bone or shoulder. One of the defining characteristics of South Indian music is the rapid tempo at which musicians play alankarams (ornamentations). This playing position is ideal for Indian music because it allows the hand to move freely all over the fingerboard while keeping the instrument in a steady position to accommodate such rapid tempos.

Vadivelu (1810-1845) was the youngest member of the famous Tanjore Quartet.

His contribution to South Indian classical dance is as significant as his innovations in music. He is widely regarded as the musician who made the violin an integral part of Carnatic music, to the point where even former purists accepted it as a fully-fledged Indian classical music instrument. Vadivelu, a composer, vocalist, violinist, and exponent of Bharatanatyam dance, is remembered for his early death at 35. He had studied the violin with a European missionary in Tanjore.

So does the violin have its roots in India, or did the East India Company import it?

According to INTO THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE VIOLIN FAMILY BY CARL ENGEL, published in 1883, the violin originates in (drum roll please) India! And here’s the proof!

Early Days

Arnold George Dorsey was born in Madras, British India (now Chennai, India), in 1936. He was one of ten children to British Army NCO Mervyn Dorsey, who was of Welsh descent, and his wife, Olive. She was of German descent. Like Sir Cliff Richard, some sources say he has an Anglo-Indian heritage. He was christened Arnold George Dorsey but became known professionally as Engelbert Humperdinck.

He dropped out of school at 15 to pursue his dreams alone and described himself as a dreamer. He and his family emigrated to Leicester, England, in 1946. He took up the saxophone out of a desire for music. For nearly a decade, he performed under the stage name “Gerry Dorsey,” a nickname he earned thanks to his ability to do impressions of Jerry Lewis. As a saxophonist in nightclubs by the early 1950s, he was already in the music scene. However, it is thought that he didn’t begin singing until he was well into his late teens.

Tuberculosis strikes

When the British Army requisitioned Humperdinck to serve in the Royal Corps of Signals in the ’50s, it ended his music career. His post took him to Germany. He was discharged from the Army in 1958, after which he recorded his song with the label Decca Records, his debut single, “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,”

Unfortunately, this bombed with the listeners. He resorted to singing in bars catering to eke a livelihood. In 1961, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, worsening his already difficult situation. It was nine months before he felt normal again. After getting better, he returned to singing in nightclubs. His life was challenging, and he had yet to achieve success.

Engelbert Humperdinck: the reason behind the name

After relocating from South Wales to the United States in the early 1960s, Sir Tom Jones’ career took off. Gordon Mills, who managed artists including Engelbert Humperdinck, helped him out. In 1963, promoter Gordon Mills signed the singer Thomas Woodward, who changed his name to Tom Jones so that he could cash in on the success of the Oscar-winning film of the same name. With Gordon’s help, Sir Tom signed a Decca recording contract. He quickly became a multimillionaire and international sensation after releasing the James Bond theme song for the film Thunderball.

Gordon then signed another promising young performer, Arnold “Gerry” Dorsey, whose stage name was changed to that of the legendary singer Engelbert Humperdinck. Tom Jones biographer Colin Macfarlane explained the reasoning behind the name change in an interview with Express.co.uk.

Arnold Massey asked Gordon, “Gordon, can you make me like Tom?”

Gordon said, “You’ve been around too much, so I can’t. I’m powerless to make you like Tom.”

But Gordon discovered one night that he had an album by the classical composer Engelbert Humperdinck sitting next to his record player. He instinctively decided to rename Arnold “Gerry” Dorsey Engelbert Humperdinck.

Although Englebert and Sir Tom Jones had the same manager, you would have thought this would bring them closer, but it didn’t. Vying for the top position on the charts might have caused a rivalry.

The singing ‘Paki’

Tom Jones referred to Engelbert Humperdinck as the Singing Paki. Paki was a universal epithet the British would use to tag anyone from the Indian sub-continent. You could be an Indian or a Sri Lankan, but you would still be called a ‘Paki’. 

His management always treated Engelbert as being something of a low priority. The song Release Me, which brought him success and launched his career, was earlier turned down by Tom Jones. Engelbert bitterly resented the step-brotherly treatment. He cannot have been pleased by Jones’s name either. Here he was, with the sonority of an opera singer. He could easily traverse a three-and-a-half octave range, a gift he got from his mother, an operatic singer, and still being given second-class treatment.

His rise to the top of the charts

In the 1960s, three of his singles were among the best-selling in the UK. When he recorded the ballads “Release Me” and “The Last Waltz” in 1967, both songs were top of the UK Singles Chart and sold over a million copies. Then came a string of hits, including 1967’s “There Goes My Everything,” 1968’s “Am I That Easy to Forget,” and 1969’s “A Man Without Love” (1968). In doing so, he amassed a sizable fan base, with many followers taking the moniker “Humperdinckers.”

After marking over 50 years as a successful singer, Humperdinck continues to record and tour, having sold more than 140 million records worldwide. In the 1970s, Humperdinck had significant North American chart successes with “After the Lovin'” (1976) and “This Moment in Time” (1979). With these, he gained a reputation as a prolific concert performer.

Englebert received renewed attention during the 1990s with his recordings of “Lesbian Seagull” for the soundtrack of Beavis and Butt-head Do America (1996) and a dance album (1998).

The 2000s brought in a lot of recording gigs for Englebert. The Grammy-nominated gospel album Always Hear The Harmony: The Gospel Sessions (2003) and a double album of duets, Engelbert Calling (2014). Humperdinck represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku in 2012 with the song “Love Will Set You Free.”

Humperdinck’s concerts were a more profitable enterprise than his recordings, so his manager went slow on recordings and encouraged him to do more concerts and fewer recordings. As a result, he did not figure in the rankings of the music charts. This affected his ratings quite considerably. In 1976, he signed a new deal with Epic Records, which returned him to the American Top Ten with “After the Lovin‘.” This album made it to the Top 20 and became his biggest-selling LP since 1970.
Humperdinck also topped the charts with 1979’s “This Moment in Time” in 1983, with “Till You and Your Lover Are Lovers Again.”

Engelbert attempted a recording comeback with the 1987 album Remember I Love You, which featured a duet with Gloria Gaynor and earned him a Golden Globe Entertainer of the Year award. The album Winding Road featured songs by Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Christine McVie, and others. This fetched Engelbert Humperdinck his second Grammy nomination.

Some stats:

• Sold more than 140 million records, including 64 gold albums and 23 platinum,
• Received four Grammy nominations, a Golden Globe, and stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Las Vegas Walk of Fame.
• Recorded everything from the most romantic ballads to movie theme songs, disco, rock, and gospel.
• Performed for the Queen and many heads of state.

After appearing on MTV several times, Engelbert struck a chord with the younger generation.

The sideboard trademark was copied by Elvis!

Even Elvis owed a debt to Engelbert. His sideboards, first introduced by Engelbert, were copied by Elvis.

Engelbert and Elvis were good friends and sang each other’s songs. Engelbert sang Love Me Tender. Elvis sang Release Me, and There Goes My Everything.

The Las Vegas concert circuit saw Engelbert earn the friendship and respect of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. The now famous Jimi Hendrix began his career as the first half of Engelbert’s show.

Engelbert Humperdinck was made an MBE in April 2022 during an investiture service at Windsor Castle. The British pop star, 85, was among a host of high-achievers to receive royal honors by Princess Royal on Tuesday. Others collecting awards included rocker Rick Wakeman, actor Sir Jonathan Pryce and former rugby player Rob Burrow.

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Pic credit: “After the Lovin’” by elvissa is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Engelbert Humperdinck (singer) – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engelbert_Humperdinck_(singer)

Engelbert Humperdinck – The Last Waltz, Pop Vocal cover by iggylee …. https://www.coverium.com/music-video/engelbert-humperdinck-cantante-the-last-waltz-vocal-cover-by-iggylee/TM7O7_MnM8c

Engelbert Humperdinck: How a shy Madras boy became pop heart-throb – dailyO. https://www.dailyo.in/arts/engelbert-humperdinck-british-pop-singer-golden-globe-elvis-presley-frank-sinatra-32995

Engelbert Humperdinck Biography, Songs, & Albums | AllMusic. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/engelbert-humperdinck-mn0000098081/biography

ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK LYRICS – SongLyrics.com. https://www.songlyrics.com/engelbert-humperdinck-lyrics/