RMIM Archive Article "317".
From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian
#
# RMIM Archives..
#
# Subject: Musical memories of Madan Mohan
# Author: Saeed Malik
# Source: The Nation Midweek (Pakistan)
# Contact: Khawaja Naveed Aslam (knaslam@paknet1.ptc.pk)
#
Musical Memories of Madan Mohan
SAEED MALIK
The highest reward for a writer is the appreciation he
receives from his readers. Not only does it gladden his
heart, but also further energises his creative faculties
to produce more and better reading material. In recent
months, I have received a number of e-mail messages and
also letters from our readers from India, Japan Canada
and the United States, praising my Golden Jubilee series
of articles, especially written for The Nation Midweek,
on music and about musicians. Some of them have made a
number of valuable suggestions which I have not only
gratefully acknowledged, but will also incorporate in my
future writing assignments.
Mr Riaz Qayyum, a friend from Lahore, whose knowledge of
film songs and composers I envy, has asked me to write
about composer Madan Mohan, who provided a new direction
to the art of composition, especially to the melodic
interpretations of ghazals. An astute connoisseur and an
avid collector of classy film songs, Riaz Qayyum has also
provided me vital basic information which has gone into
the making of this article.
Lexicographically defined, music means the arrangement of
sounds in pleasant patterns. Monotone, or the use of one
and the same note at one time, dos not constitute music
as such, although the sonic impact of such an exercise,
lasts for some time. The art of composition in a musical
sense, means the act of putting together a number of
notes to become a melodic phrase, or a sentence, which is
used in a piece of music. In other words, it is the
arrangement of tones in a particular manner which creates
music.
A composer is part of the world about him. He can prosper
only in an environment that cultivates music. An
individual can hardly develop a gift for composition in a
society which has no outlets for music. The melodist, or
a composer, also needs an audience, for his work of art
springs not only from his desire for self-expression, but
also from his need to communicate with the people who
constitute that society. He is groomed and his art
prospers by their approval and response; he has to
develop a feeling that members of his society - the
general run of the people - will understand and enjoy his
creative expressions. This feeling provides him enough
strength in his struggle to set down his ideas. It helps
in freeing him from the melancholic loneliness of the
creative art.
Composers of music can be divided into two broad
categories. Those who are born as creative artists; a
natural gift for which they did not do much work. It is
with little education and training in music that they
acquire the skill to communicate their creative ideas
through the medium of music. After some experience of
working with competent senior melodists, they are
transformed into seasoned composers who can easily
reflect their creative ingenuity. They depend mostly on
their intuitive power to invent new tunes.
The other category of composes are those melodists who
rely on their theoretical knowledge and skill in
vocalising, or in playing a musical instrument, to create
new music. They use the academic and scientific methods
to compose new tunes which are mostly based on grammar
and syntax. History of Sub-continental film music is
replete with numerous examples of both these categories
of composers, whose compositions were widely appreciated
by music buffs and cinegoers. But a majority of famous
composers belonged to the category of those who thrived
on their intuitive power. Songs composed by them created
enduring impact on the listeners and retained their sonic
enchantment even after 50 years of their invention and
recording.
Among composers known for their strong intuitive powers
in the domain of compositions were Master Ghulam Haider,
Khurshid Anwar, Master Inayat Hussain, Shyam Sunder, Khem
Chand Prakash and Madan Mohan. Because of the originality
of their compositions, erosion of time has failed to
reduce the sonic appeal of their songs. Also, there have
been some composers who specialised in different aspects
of compositions. If Khurshid Anwar was the king of geets,
Madan Mohan was the king of ghazals, and rightly so.
Madan Mohan belonged to that golden era of film music in
which many landmarks were created by a host of sensitive
composers. With their creative ingenuity, they
contributed so much to the further refinement and
enrichment of film music that perhaps will not be matched
in the future. Listening to their music casts a
nostalgic spell on those who have had the pleasure of
either meeting the composers in the bygone days, or
watched the movies for which they scored music.
The period to which Madan Mohan belonged has produced a
number of composers who relied much on melody which was
the hallmark of their popular songs. Courtesy the
reproductive playback devices, the music of the class of
Madan Mohan penetrates the minds and hearts of the
listeners as their 'delectable compositions wafts through
the air'.
The son of Filmastan's Chief, Rai Bahadur Chuni Lal, and
a former army officer, Madan Mohan recorded his first
song, a duet with Lata Mangeshkar, which was composed by
Master Ghulam Haider. Soon thereafter, he realised that
his creative urges could only be satiated through the art
of composition.
Another factor which went into his option for the art of
composition was his father's dislike for 'his sons
hanging around the studios'. He (the father) wanted him
to 'pursue a steadier career outside', which was more
rewarding and enterprising than was singing for the
films. Although his father's opposition changed the
course of his career, Madan Mohan surreptitiously carried
on with his creative pursuits until such time when he
could convincingly demonstrate his skill in the art of
composition.
The blurb used with an LP: The treasure revealed: Musical
Memories of Madan Mohan on November 1, 1996, is
reproduced (in part) for the enlightenment of our
readers. It says:
"Madan Mohan, a composer in the true sense of the
word, never failed to invest his classy tunes
with the mass touch. The envy of every other
composer, he had to his credit, among others, the
scintillating scores of Adalat, Anpadh, Dekh
Kabira Roya, Woh Kaun Thi, Jahan Ara, Haqeeqat,
Mera Saya, Heer Ranjha, Hanst-e-Zakhm, Dastak,
Mausam, and Laila Majnu. " "He was no
tunesmith", it went on to say, "But a creative
genius, whose melodies, with a plaintive strain
running through them, could evoke the purest,
noblest and the most sublime emotions of the
human heart... Often referred to as the Ghazal
King, Madan Mohan, harnessed the ghazal with a
rare, simple charm thus popularising it with the
masses."
During his 25-year long career, Madan Mohan created
scores of hit songs which helped in carrying his name to
every nook and cranny of the Sub-continent (and abroad)
where Urdu ghazals and songs were understood and
enjoyed. Even those listeners who could not comprehend
the meaning of lyrics, thoroughly enjoyed the melodic
contents of his songs. Writing about his own art, Madan
Mohan had this to say:
"In composing tunes, my main concentration is
focussed on the melodic content of the song. I
have always believed that melody is the soul of a
song and a simple tune, typically Indian in form,
with melody as its predominant feature, always
reaches deep into the hearts of the audience..."
About ghazals, which he composed with much fondness,
aplomb and penchant, he said:
"Ghazals occupy a special place in most of my
film tunes. They are so typically Indian in form
and their limited number of metres are always a
challenge to a music director, while creating
fresh tunes. I love ghazals and the challenge
they pose".
Madan Mohan, a composer of Punjabi ancestry, died on July
14, 1975, but not before wining kudos and approbations
from almost everyone who mattered in the world of
music.
Lata Mangeshkar, the nightingale of India in an obiturial
message said:
"Madan Mohan's music will prevail, for it
embodied, the basis of Indian music. It was my
privilege to have sung for him".
The doyen of composers, Naushad Ali had this to say:
"The King of Ghazal is gone and has left no peer".
The late Muhammad Rafi paid glowing tributes to Madan
Mohan by saying: "In all my many concert tours, I was
flooded with requests for Madan Mohan-tuned songs".
Talat Mahmood, who lent his voice for a number of Madan
Mohan hit songs, observed:
"Madan Mohan never made any compromise in his
life and every tune that he produced, there was
newness (in it)".
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian