Ilayaraaja: A Study of Approaches to Efficient Composition
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Abstract
This thesis aims to study a few aspects of composition in the south Indian film music realm. This will be realized primarily through a case study of one of the earliest and most prolific modern film music composers – Ilaiyaraaja. A section of the study would be to trace the musical journey of Raja and his evolution as a music composer. The focus of the study would be to run a qualitative analysis on selected works from different periods of the composer’s career that highlight commonalities in the approach to composition. This would particularly delve into the boundaries that Raja imposed on himself in order to fundamentally be an efficient composer, which supersedes the subjective evaluation of his creativity. Most salient parameters to observe would be the use of form as a restriction to composition, the introduction of Indian melodies in a Western harmonic context and the stylistic variations in phrasing and rhythm.
Publication Date
7-1-2016
Campus
Valencia (Spain) Campus
Recommended Citation
Ranganathan, Bharath. “Ilayaraaja: A Study of Approaches to Efficient Composition.” Master's thesis, Berklee College of Music, 2016. https://remix.berklee.edu/graduate-studies-contemporary-performance/40.
Comments
Project Components: paper (.pdf), presentation (.pdf), interviews (ZIP file containing 2 .wav files).