Ilaiyaraaja facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ilaiyaraja
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Ilaiyaraaja in 2017
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gnanathesigan |
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| Born | 3 June 1943 Pannaipuram, Madras Presidency, British India |
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| Years active | 1976–present |
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Ilaiyaraaja (born Gnanathesigan) is a famous Indian musician. He is a composer, arranger, conductor, and singer. He has worked on many films, especially in Tamil. He has also worked in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada films.
Ilaiyaraaja is known as one of the most creative composers. He has worked for over 48 years. During this time, he has created more than 7,000 songs. He has also composed music for over 1,000 films. He has performed in more than 20,000 concerts. People call him "Isaignani," which means "the musical sage." The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London gave him the title "Maestro."
He was one of the first Indian film composers to use Western classical music in his songs. He was also the first South Asian to compose a full symphony. In 1986, he used a computer to record a film soundtrack for the movie Vikram. This was a first for an Indian composer. He also created Thiruvasagam in Symphony (2006). This was the first Indian oratorio, which is a large musical work for voices and orchestra.
In 2013, a poll was held to celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema. Ilaiyaraaja was voted the country's greatest music composer. He received 49% of the votes. In 2014, a website called "Taste of Cinema" listed him among the 25 greatest film composers ever. He was the only Indian on this list.
Ilaiyaraaja has won many awards. In 2012, he received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. This is a top Indian award for artists. In 2010, he got the Padma Bhushan. In 2018, he received the Padma Vibhushan. These are two of the highest civilian awards in India. Since July 2022, he has been a Member of Parliament in India's upper house, the Rajya Sabha. A movie about his life was announced in March 2024.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Ilaiyaraaja was born on June 3, 1943. His birth name was Gnanathesigan. He was born in Pannaipuram, Tamil Nadu, India. When he started school, his father changed his name to "Rajaiya." People in his village called him "Raasayya." Later, when he learned music from Dhanraj Master, his name became "Raaja." For his first film, Annakili (1976), a producer added "Ilaiya" (meaning 'younger') to his name. This was because another popular music director was named A. M. Rajah. So, he became "Ilaiyaraaja."
Ilaiyaraaja decided to celebrate his birthday on June 2. This was to honor politician M. Karunanidhi, whose birthday is also on June 3. Karunanidhi was the one who gave Ilaiyaraaja the title "Isaignani."
Discovering Music
Ilaiyaraaja grew up in a village. He heard a lot of Tamil folk music when he was young. At 14, he joined a music group called "Pavalar Brothers." His older brother, Pavalar Varadharajan, led the group. For ten years, he performed all over South India. During this time, he wrote his first song. It was based on a poem for India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
In 1968, he started a music course in Madras (now Chennai). He learned about Western classical music. He also studied how to compose music and play instruments. He earned a gold medal in classical guitar. He completed his course through distance learning from Trinity College of Music, London. He also learned Carnatic music from T. V. Gopalakrishnan.
A Career in Music
Starting as a Session Musician
In the 1970s, Ilaiyaraaja played guitar in Chennai. He worked as a session musician for film composers. He played guitar, keyboard, and organ. One famous composer, Salil Chowdhury, said that Ilaiyaraaja would become "the best composer in India."
Later, Ilaiyaraaja became a musical assistant to G. K. Venkatesh. He worked on 200 film projects, mostly in Kannada cinema. He helped Venkatesh arrange music. This taught him a lot about composing. He also started writing his own music. He would ask Venkatesh's musicians to play his compositions in their free time.
Becoming a Film Composer
When Ilaiyaraaja started, his music style was different from other film music. In 1975, a film producer named Panchu Arunachalam heard him sing. He was very impressed. He asked Ilaiyaraaja to compose music for a Tamil film called Annakili (1976).
For Annakili, Ilaiyaraaja mixed modern film music with Tamil folk songs. This created a new sound that blended Western and Tamil styles. He was worried about how people would react. But when Annakili came out in 1976, the music was a huge success. For his next 12 films, he continued to use popular film music styles. Later, new types of films allowed him to explore his unique musical ideas.
Ilaiyaraaja's use of Tamil folk music brought new energy to Indian film music. By the mid-1980s, he became a very important composer in South Indian films. He worked with many famous poets and lyricists. Most of his songs were sung by popular singers like S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki, and K. S. Chithra.
Director R. K. Selvamani said that Ilaiyaraaja composed nine songs for his film Chembaruthi (1992) in just 45 minutes. This was a record! Cinematographer Santosh Sivan also said that Ilaiyaraaja composed the entire soundtrack for Thalapathi in less than "half a day."
When recording a song for Thalapathi in Mumbai, Ilaiyaraaja worked with R.D. Burman's orchestra. The musicians were so amazed by his composition that they gave him a standing ovation. He also composed the music for My Dear Kuttichathan (1984). This was the first 3D film made in India. He composed the soundtrack for Nayakan (1987), which Time magazine called one of the top 100 movies ever.
Other Musical Works
Ilaiyaraaja has also created music outside of films. His first two non-film albums mixed Indian and Western classical music. How to Name It? (1986) combined Carnatic music with Bach's classical styles. The second album, Nothing But Wind (1988), featured flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia and an orchestra.
He has composed Carnatic kritis (songs) for the album Ilayaraaja's Classicals on the Mandolin (1994). He has also made albums of religious songs. His Thiruvasakam: A crossover (2005) is a large musical work based on ancient Tamil poems. It was performed by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. His album The Music Messiah (2006) explores world music.
In May 2020, he composed "Bharath Bhoomi." This song honored people working during the COVID-19 pandemic. He released the song on his YouTube channel in Tamil and Hindi.
On his birthday in 2020, Ilaiyaraaja announced his 'Isai OTT' app. He said the app would have his songs and also behind-the-scenes stories about how they were made.
Ilaiyaraaja's song "Naanthaan Ungappanda" from the 1981 film Ram Lakshman was played at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics. His music has also been used in trailers and sampled by other artists. For example, The Black Eyed Peas sampled his song "Unakkum Ennakum" for "The Elephunk Theme." Rapper Meek Mill and artist M.I.A. have also sampled his music.
Live Performances
Ilaiyaraaja does not often perform live. His first big live concert was in Chennai in 2005. He performed for four hours. He also performed in Italy in 2004.
A TV show called Ithu Ilaiyaraja ("This is Ilaiyaraja") was made about his career. He performed live for the music launch of his films Neethaane En Ponvasantham and Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu in 2012. He also performed in Bangalore.
In 2013, Ilaiyaraaja performed in North America for the first time. He had concerts in Toronto, New Jersey, and San Jose. After this tour, he performed at The O2 Arena in London in August 2013. He was joined by actor Kamal Haasan and his sons Yuvan Shankar Raja and Karthik Raja.
Musical Style and Approach
Ilaiyaraaja once said that his music comes from his "life experiences and learning." He felt that some of his songs went beyond his own efforts. He said that when a composition comes to him, he feels a moment of clarity. "It is as if I am the subject and the object of art at the same time," he explained.
He uses the same harmonium for his studio work and concerts. He has used it throughout his career. When he was young, his brother would not let him touch it. But Ilaiyaraaja would play it when his brother was not around. "That's how I learnt how to play," he said.
Ilaiyaraaja's music blends Indian folk music and Western classical music. He uses both traditional Indian instruments and Western instruments. He also uses electronic music technology. This includes synthesizers, electric guitars, and keyboards.
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His songs often have strong, changing basslines. He also uses Polyrhythms, especially with Indian folk or Carnatic influences. His melodies are challenging to sing. Many famous Indian singers have performed his songs. Ilaiyaraaja has also sung over 400 of his own film songs. He is known for his deep voice. He has also written lyrics for some of his Tamil songs. He says that M. S. Viswanathan greatly influenced his music.
Ilaiyaraaja is called "Isaignani" (the musical genius) by Kalaignar Karunanidhi. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London gave him the title "Maestro." He was one of the first Indian composers to use Western classical music in his films. This helped him create rich sounds for movies. His music helped audiences feel the emotions of the films. He is very good at matching his music to the story of a movie.
Music expert P. Greene says that Ilaiyaraaja understands many different music styles. This allows him to combine them into unique and clear musical pieces. Ilaiyaraaja has mixed elements from many genres. These include Afro-tribal, bossa nova, disco, flamenco, funk, Indian classical, Indian folk, jazz, and rock and roll.
Because of this variety, his music appeals to many people. Rural Indians like his folk rhythms. Classical music fans enjoy his use of Carnatic ragas. City people like his modern, Western sound. He often creates the basic melodies for films very quickly.
Actor Rajnikanth said that Ilaiyaraaja used to complete the music for three films in one day. Modern composers often take 30 days for just one film.
Awards and Impact
Ilaiyaraaja has won five National Film Awards. Three were for Best Music Direction and two for Best Background Score. In 2010, he received the Padma Bhushan. In 2018, he received the Padma Vibhushan. These are very high civilian honors in India. In 2012, he won the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his creative music. He also earned a gold medal in classical guitar from Trinity College of Music, London.
His music for the 1991 film Thalapathi was listed in The Guardian's "100 Albums to Hear Before You Die." In 2003, a BBC poll asked over half a million people worldwide about their favorite songs. His song "Rakkamma Kaiya Thattu" from Thalapathi was voted fourth among the top 10 most popular songs ever. In 2013, a poll by CNN-IBN named him India's greatest music composer. He received 49% of the votes.
He is known as the world's most productive composer. He has created over 7,000 songs and music for more than 1,000 movies. He has also performed in over 20,000 concerts. He was one of the first Indian composers to use Western classical music in Tamil films. In 1986, he was the first Indian composer to record a soundtrack using a computer. In 1993, he became the first Indian to compose a full symphony. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London performed it. He reportedly wrote the entire symphony in less than a month. His work Thiruvasakam in Symphony (2006) is the first Indian oratorio.
Achille Forler, from the Indian Performing Right Society, said in 2017 that Ilaiyaraaja's work should place him among the world's richest composers. British musician Andy Votel said that Ilaiyaraaja has explored every type of music. Carnatic singer T. M. Krishna believes no other film composer understands music as broadly as Ilaiyaraaja. He calls him the "absolute master."
On July 6, 2022, the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, nominated Ilaiyaraaja to the Rajya Sabha. This means he became a Member of Parliament.
Personal Life
Ilaiyaraaja was married to Jeeva. They had three children: Karthik Raja, Bhavatharini, and Yuvan Shankar Raja. All of them are also film composers and singers. His wife Jeeva passed away on October 31, 2011. His daughter Bhavatharini passed away on January 25, 2024. His brother, Gangai Amaran, is also a music director.
Discography
| Ilaiyaraaja 1970s | Ilaiyaraaja 1980s | Ilaiyaraaja 1990s | Ilaiyaraaja 2000s | Ilaiyaraaja 2010s | Ilaiyaraaja 2020s | New / Non-Film |
See also
In Spanish: Ilaiyaraaja para niños
- List of songs recorded by Ilaiyaraaja
