RMIM Archive Article "317".


From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian

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# RMIM Archives..
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# Subject: Musical memories of Madan Mohan 
# Author: Saeed Malik
# Source: The Nation Midweek (Pakistan)
# Contact: Khawaja Naveed Aslam (knaslam@paknet1.ptc.pk)
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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