Ilaiyaraaja (help· info) (Tamil: இைளயராஜா, IPA: [ɪləjəɹɑːdʒɑː]) (born June 2, 1943 as Gnanadesikan) is an Indian film composer, singer, and lyricist. He has composed over 4,000 songs and provided film scores for more than 800 Indian films in various languages in a career spanning more than 30 years.^[1][2] He is based in Chennai, the fourth largest city in India and the centre of the Tamil film industry (colloquially known as Kollywood). is the 153rd day of the year (154th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... A film score is the background music in a film, generally specially written for the film and often used to heighten emotions provoked by the imagery on the screen or by the dialogue. ... The title of music director is used by many symphony orchestras to designate the primary conductor and artistic leader of the orchestra. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making music. ... For other uses, see Singer (disambiguation). ... A playback singer is a singer whose vocals are pre-recorded for use in films. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Flute (disambiguation). ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... This article is about the musical instrument. ... Pianoforte redirects here. ... Image File history File links Ilaiyaraaja. ... Tamil ( ; IPA: ) is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people, originating on the Indian subcontinent. ... is the 153rd day of the year (154th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A film score is the background music in a film, generally specially written for the film and often used to heighten emotions provoked by the imagery on the screen or by the dialogue. ... Madras redirects here. ... Kollywood (Tamil : கோலிவூட் ) is a name often applied to the home of the Tamil-language film industry based in India, and to the industry as a whole. ...

Ilaiyaraaja was a prominent composer of film music in South Indian cinema during the late 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s.^[3] His work integrated Tamil folk lyricism and introduced broader Western musical sensibilities into the South Indian musical mainstream. He has thrice won the Indian National Film Award for best film scoring.^[4] Timeline and Samples Genres Classical (Carnatic and Hindustani) - Folk - Rock - Pop - Hip hop Awards Bollywood Music Awards - Punjabi Music Awards Charts Festivals Sangeet Natak Akademi – Thyagaraja Aradhana – Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana Media Sruti, The Music Magazine National anthem Jana Gana Mana, also national song Vande Mataram Music of the states Andaman... The geographical south of India includes all Indian territory below the 20th parallel. ... Languages Tamil Religions Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism Related ethnic groups Dravidian people Brahui people Kannadigas Malayalis Tamils Telugus Tuluvas Gonds The Tamil people are a multi-ethnic group from the Indian subcontinent with a recorded history going back more than two millennia. ... The National Film Awards, commonly known as the National Awards, are arguably the most prestigious and prominent film awards in India. ... A film score is a set of musical compositions written to accompany a film. ...

In the 2000s, he composed a range of non-film music, including religious and devotional songs, an oratorio, and world music. He is married to Jeeva, and the couple's two sons (Karthik Raja and Yuvan Shankar Raja) and daughter (Bhavatharini) are film composers and singers.^[5][6] World music is, most generally, all the music in the world. ... Karthik Raja (Tamil: கார்த்திக் ராஜா) is one of the youngest film music composer from India. ... {{Infobox Musical artist | Name = Clement. ... Her first song number Masthana Masthana… was a sizzling catchy number picturised on actress Roja and this was under her fathers baton. ...

Ilaiyaraaja (standing, right) conducting musicians during a film soundtrack recording session

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Career

Early life

Ilaiyaraaja was born into a poor rural Christian family in Pannaipuram, Theni district, Tamil Nadu, India, as Daniel Rasayya,the third son of Ramaswamy and Chinnathayammal. Growing up in a rural area, Ilaiyaraaja was exposed to a range of Tamil folk music.^[7] At the age of 14, he joined a travelling musical troupe headed by his elder step-brother, Pavalar Varadarajan, and spent the next decade performing throughout South India. His brother Varadarajan used the group's music to promote the ideals of the Communist Party of India.^[8][9] While working with the troupe, he penned his first composition, a musical setting of an elegy written by the Tamil poet laureate Kannadasan for Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister.^[10] Pannaipuram is a panchayat town in Theni district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. ... Theni district in Tamil Nadu, India Manjalaru Dam. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. ... For other uses, see Elegy (disambiguation). ... Kaviyarasu Kannadasan Kannadasan (24 June 1927 – 17 October 1981) was a famous Tamil poet and lyricist, who lived in Tamil Nadu, India. ... Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (Hindi: , IPA: (November 14, 1889 – May 27, 1964) was a major political leader of the Congress Party, a pivotal figure in the Indian independence movement and the first Prime Minister of independent India. ...

In 1968, Ilaiyaraaja began a music course with Professor Dhanraj in Madras (now Chennai), which included an overview of Western classical music, compositional training in techniques such as counterpoint, and study in instrumental performance.^[11] Ilaiyaraaja specialized in classical guitar, and won a gold medal from the Trinity College of Music in London for his performing skills.^[12] This article is about Western art music from 1000 AD to the present. ... For other uses, see Counterpoint (disambiguation). ... Spanish guitar redirects here. ... Trinity College of Music is one of the UKs top [[music conservatory|music conservatories], based in Greenwich, London, England. ...

Session musician and film orchestrator

In the 1970s in Chennai, Ilaiyaraaja played guitar in a band-for-hire, and worked as a session guitarist, keyboardist, organist for film music composers and directors such as Salil Chowdhury from West Bengal.^[13][14][15] After his hiring as the musical assistant to Kannada film composer G K Venkatesh, he worked on 200 film projects, mostly in the Kannada language.^[16] As G K Venkatesh's assistant, Ilaiyaraaja would orchestrate the melodic outlines developed by Venkatesh. During this period, Ilaiyaraaja also began writing his own scores. To hear his compositions, he would persuade Venkatesh's session musicians to play excerpts from his scores during their break times.^[8] It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Sideman. ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... Organ in Katharinenkirche, Frankfurt am Main, Germany The organ is a keyboard instrument played using one or more manuals and a pedalboard. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... , West Bengal (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ Poshchim Bônggo IPA: ) is a state in eastern India. ... Kannada - aptly described as sirigannada (known to few as Kanarese) is one of the oldest Dravidian languages and is spoken in its various dialects by roughly 45 million people. ... G K Venkatesh(21st Sep 1927 - Nov 1993) was a prominent composer of film music in Kannada cinema during the 1960s, 1970s till late 1980s. ... Kannada - aptly described as sirigannada (known to few as Kanarese) is one of the oldest Dravidian languages and is spoken in its various dialects by roughly 45 million people. ... G K Venkatesh(21st Sep 1927 - Nov 1993) was a prominent composer of film music in Kannada cinema during the 1960s, 1970s till late 1980s. ... Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble) or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Sideman. ...

Film composer

In 1976, film producer Panchu Arunachalam commissioned him to compose the songs and film score for a Tamil-language film called Annakkili ('The Parrot'). For the soundtrack, Ilaiyaraaja applied the techniques of modern popular film music orchestration to Tamil folk poetry and folk song melodies, which created a fusion of Western and Tamil idioms.^[17][18] Ilaiyaraaja's use of Tamil music in his film scores injected new influence into the Indian film score milieu.^[19] By the mid-1980s Ilaiyaraaja was gaining increasing stature as a film composer and music director in the South Indian film industry.^[3] Besides Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films, he has scored music for Hindi (or Bollywood) film productions such as Sadma (1983), Mahadev (1989), Lajja (2001) and Cheeni Kum (2007). He has worked with Indian poets and lyricists such as Gulzar, Kannadasan, [[Vairamuthu] veturi,sitaramasastry,bhuvanachandar and T.S. Rangarajan (Vaali),^[20] and film directors such as K. Balachander, Bharathiraja, K. Vishwanath, Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, Balu Mahendra, Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan.^[21] A film score is a set of musical compositions written to accompany a film. ... Tamil ( ; IPA: ) is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people, originating on the Indian subcontinent. ... Telugu redirects here. ... Malayalam (മലയാളം ) is the language spoken predominantly in the state of Kerala, in southern India. ... Kannada - aptly described as sirigannada (known to few as Kanarese) is one of the oldest Dravidian languages and is spoken in its various dialects by roughly 45 million people. ... -1... Bollywood (Hindi: , Urdu: ) is the informal term popularly used for Mumbai-based Hindi-language film industry in India. ... Moondram Pirai (1983) is a Tamil feature film directed by Balu Mahendra. ... Lajja, a movie in Hindi, released in 2001 directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, is based on the plight of women in India. ... Cheeni Kum (literally, less sugar) is a Bollywood film being made by advertising executive and debutant director Balkrishnan. ... Sampooran Singh Gulzar (born as on August 18, 1936), famously known as Gulzar, is an Indian poet, lyricist, film-maker, director, and playwright from India. ... Kaviyarasu Kannadasan Kannadasan (24 June 1927 – 17 October 1981) was a famous Tamil poet and lyricist, who lived in Tamil Nadu, India. ... Kailasam Balachander (born July 9, 1930 in Nannilam, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, India) is an Indian film director, scriptwriter and producer. ... Bharathiraja (born 17 July 1941 in Alli Nagaram, Tamil Nadu), is a South Indian filmmaker. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Balu Mahendra is a film director from South India. ... Mani Ratnam (Tamil: ) (born June 2, 1956) is a critically acclaimed Tamil Indian film director, writer and producer. ... Kamal Haasan (born November 7, 1954 in Paramakudi, India) is an Indian film actor and director, considered among the leading method actors of Indian cinema. ...

Impact and musical style

Ilaiyaraaja was one of the early Indian film composers to use Western classical music harmonies and string arrangements in Indian film music.^[22] This allowed him to craft a rich tapestry of sounds for films, and his themes^[23] and background score gained notice and appreciation amongst Indian film audiences.^[24] The range of expressive possibilities in Indian film music was broadened by Ilaiyaraaja's methodical approach to arranging, recording technique, and his drawing of ideas from a diversity of musical styles.^[22]

According to musicologist P. Greene, Ilaiyaraaja's "deep understanding of so many different styles of music allowed him to create syncretic pieces of music combining very different musical idioms in unified, coherent musical statements".^[3] Ilaiyaraaja has composed Indian film songs that amalgamated elements of genres such as pop,^[25] acoustic guitar-propelled Western folk,^[26] jazz,^[27] rock and roll, dance music (e.g., disco),^[28] psychedelia,^[29] funk,^[30] doo-wop,^[31] march,^[32] bossa nova,^[33] flamenco,^[34] pathos,^[35] Tamil folk/traditional,^[36] Afro-tribal,^[37] and Indian classical.^[38] For the gay mens lifestyle magazine, see Genre (magazine). ... This article is about the genre of popular music. ... Playing a steel-string guitar without a pick (fingerpicking). ... Folk song redirects here. ... For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. ... This article is about the music genre. ... Psychedelia in music (or also psychedelic music, less formally) is a term that refers to a broad set of popular music styles, genres and scenes, that may include psychedelic rock, psychedelic folk, psychedelic pop, psychedelic soul, psychedelic ambient, psychedelic trance, psychedelic techno, and others. ... For other uses, including related musical genres, see Funk (disambiguation). ... Doo-wop is a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music popular in the mid-1950s to the early 1960s in America. ... American march music is march music written and/or performed in the United States of America. ... For other uses, see Bossa nova (disambiguation). ... Flamenco is a Spanish musical genre with strong, rhythmic undertones and is often accompanied with a similarly impassioned style of dance characterized by its powerful yet graceful execution, as well as its intricate hand and footwork. ... Look up Pathos in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The ancient Tamil music was the music of the ancient Tamil people. ... The origins of Indian classical music can be found from the oldest of scriptures, part of the Hindu tradition, the Vedas. ...

By virtue of this variety and his interfusion of Western, Indian folk and Carnatic elements, Ilaiyaraaja's compositions appeal to the Indian rural dweller for its rhythmic folk qualities, the Indian classical music enthusiast for the employment of Carnatic ragams,^[39] and the urbanite for its modern, Western-music sound.^[40] Carnatic music, also known as is one of the two styles of Indian classical music, the other being Hindustani music. ... For other uses, see Rhythm (disambiguation). ... Yat Ranjayiti iti ragam is how ragam is defined in one of the earliest texts in Indian music. ...

Although Ilaiyaraaja uses a range of complex compositional techniques, he often sketches out the basic melodic ideas for films in a very spontaneous fashion.^[7][3] The Indian filmmaker Mani Ratnam illustrates:

"Ilayaraja (sic) would look at the [film] scene once, and immediately start giving notes to his assistants, as a bunch of musicians, hovering around him, would collect the notes [(musical parts)] for their instrument[s] and go to their places... A [film] director can be taken by surprise at the speed of events."^[41]

Musical characteristics

Ilaiyaraaja's music is characterised by the use of an orchestration technique that is a synthesis of Western and Indian instruments and musical modes. He used electronic music technology that integrated synthesisers, electric guitars and keyboards, rhythm boxes and MIDI with large orchestras that feature traditional instruments such as the veena, venu, nadaswaram, mridangam and tabla as well as Western lead instruments such as saxophones and flutes.^[3][42] The term synthesiser is also used to mean frequency synthesiser, an electronic system found in communications. ... An electronic keyboard. ... Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or MIDI, is a system designed to transmit information between electronic musical instruments. ... A portrait of Veena Dhanammal, legendary Veena player Veena (Telugu: వీణ, Kannada: ವೀಣ-veena,ವೀಣೆ-veene, Tamil: வீணை-veene, வீணா-vina, Malayalam: വീണ) is a plucked stringed instrument used in Carnatic music. ... The venu is a bamboo transverse flute used in the Carnatic music of South India. ... Nadaswaram, also spelt Nadhaswaram, and also called Nagaswaram, is one of the most popular classical instruments of south India and the worlds loudest non-brass acoustic instrument. ... A mridangam The mridangam (Tamil: மிருதங்கம்) is a percussion instrument from India, especially South India. ... The tabla (Hindi: तब्ला, tablā, Urdu: تبلہ) is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in the classical, popular and religious music of the Indian subcontinent and in Hindustani classical music. ...

He uses catchy melodies fleshed out with a variety of chord progressions, beats and timbres.^[43][44][45] Ilaiyaraaja's songs typically have a musical form where vocal stanzas and choruses are interspersed with orchestral preludes and interludes.^[46] They often contain polyphonic melodies, where the lead vocals are interwoven with supporting melody lines sung by another voice or played by instruments.^[47] A chord progression (also chord sequence and harmonic progression or sequence), as its name implies, is a series of chords played in order. ... In music, timbre, or sometimes timber, (from Fr. ... The term musical form refers to two related concepts: the type of composition (for example, a musical work can have the form of a symphony, a concerto, or other generic type -- see Multi-movement forms below) the structure of a particular piece (for example, a piece can be written in... In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. ... A refrain (from the Old French refraindre to repeat, likely from Vulgar Latin refringere) is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the chorus of a song. ... A prelude is a short piece of music, usually in no particular internal form, which may serve as an introduction to succeeding movements of a work that are usually longer and more complex. ... An interlude (between play) is: Look up Interlude in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In music, the word texture is often used in a rather vague way in reference to the overall sound of a piece of music. ...

The bass lines in his songs tend to be (melodically) dynamic, rising and falling in a dramatic fashion.^[44] Polyrhythms are also apparent, particularly in songs with Indian folk or Carnatic influences. The melodic structure of his songs demand considerable vocal virtuosity, and have found expressive platform amongst some of India's respected vocalists and playback singers, such as K.J. Yesudas, S.P. Balasubramaniam, P.Suseela, S.Janaki, K.S. Chithra, Malaysia Vasudevan, Asha Bhosle and Lata Mangeshkar.^[48] Ilaiyaraaja has sung over 400 of his own compositions for films.^[49][50]. He has penned the lyrics for some of his songs in Tamil and other languages.^[51][52][53] Ilaiyaraaja's film scores are known both for the dramatic and evocative melodies, and for the more subtle background music that he uses to provide texture or mood for scenes in films such as Mouna Raagam (1986) and Geethanjali (1989). ^[19] In popular music a bassline, also bass line, is an instrumental part, or line, which is in the bass or lowest range and thus lower than the other parts and part of the rhythm section. ... Polyrhythm is the simultaneous sounding of two or more independent rhythms. ... A playback singer is a singer whose vocals are pre-recorded for use in films. ... ... SP Balasubramanyam (born Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubramanyam, commonly known as SPB) is a prolific Indian singer from Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. ... K. S. Chithra is a singer who has made her mark in the Indian (film) playback industry. ... Malaysia Vasudevan is a Tamil singer who was born in Malaysia. ... Asha Bhosle[1] (Marathi: ) (born September 8, 1933) is an Indian singer. ... Lata Mangeshkar (Marathi/Hindi:लता मंगेशकर) (born September 28, 1929) is an Indian singer. ... Mouna Raagam (Silent Symphony) is a 1986 Tamil language film directed by acclaimed Indian filmmaker Mani Ratnam. ... Geethanjali (1989) is a Telugu film directed by Mani Ratnam, The films score and soundtrack are composed by Ilayaraaja. ...

Non-cinematic output

Ilaiyaraaja's first two non-film albums were explorations in the fusion of Indian and Western classical music. The first, How To Name It? (1986),^[54] is dedicated to the Carnatic master Tyagaraja and to J. S. Bach. It features a fusion of the Carnatic form and ragas with Bach partitas, fugues and Baroque musical textures.^[55] The second, Nothing But Wind (1988), was performed by flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia and a 50-piece orchestra and takes the conceptual approach suggested in the title — that music is a natural phenomenon akin to various forms of air currents (e.g., the wind, breeze, tempest etc.).^[56] How To Name It? is an instrumental Indian-Western fusion album by Ilayaraaja. ... Sri Tyagaraja (శ్రీ త్యాగరాజ) (17??-1848), an ardent devotee of Sri Ramachandra, was one of the most important composers of Carnatic music. ... Partita was originally the name for a single instrumental piece of music (16th and 17th centuries), but Johann Kuhnau and later German composers (notably Johann Sebastian Bach) used it for collections of musical pieces, as a synonym for suite. ... In music, a fugue (IPA: ) is a type of contrapuntal composition or technique of composition for a fixed number of parts, normally referred to as voices, irrespective of whether the work is vocal or instrumental. ... For other uses, see Baroque (disambiguation). ... Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia (b. ...

He has composed a set of Carnatic kritis that was recorded by electric mandolinist U. Srinivas for the album Ilayaraaja's Classicals on the Mandolin (1994).^[57] Ilaiyaraaja has also composed albums of religious/devotional songs. His Guru Ramana Geetam (2004) is a cycle of prayer songs inspired by the Hindu mystic Ramana Maharishi,^[58] and his Thiruvasakam in Symphony (2005) is an oratorio of ancient Tamil poems transcribed partially in English by American lyricist Stephen Schwartz and performed by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra.^[59][60] Ilaiyaraaja's most recent release is a world music-oriented album called The Music Messiah (2006).^[61] Its musical concept is based against a mythological narrative.^[46] Crete, sometimes spelled Krete (Greek Κρήτη / Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean Sea. ... Categories: 1969 births | Musician stubs ... Bhakti (DevanāgarÄ«: भक्ति) is a word of Sanskrit origin meaning devotion and also the path of devotion itself, as in Bhakti-Yoga. ... Ramana Maharishi was a great yogi who lived a few decades back in Tiruvannamalai,also known as arunachala,which is a small town in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India. ... Thiruvasakam in Tamil means `The Holy Text.Thiruvasakam is the report which was send to mankind about the arrival of God to the world according to Ayyavazhi mythology . ... An oratorio is a large musical composition for orchestra, vocal soloists and chorus. ... Stephen Lawrence Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) is a well-known American musical theater lyricist and composer. ...

Notable works

The cover of the Ilaiyaraaja album Thiruvasakam in Symphony (2005)

Ilaiyaraaja's composition Rakkama Kaiya Thattu from the movie Thalapathi (1991) was amongst the songs listed in a BBC World Top Ten music poll.^[62] He composed the music for Nayakan (1987), an Indian film ranked by TIME Magazine as one of the all-time 100 best movies,^[63] a number of India's official entries to the Oscars, such as Anjali (1990)^[64] and Hey Ram (2000),^[65] and for Indian art films such as Adoor Gopalakrishnan's FIPRESCI Prize-winning Nizhalkkuthu ('Shadow Kill') (2002).^[66] Ilaiyaraaja has composed music for events such as the 1996 Miss World beauty pageant that was held in Bangalore, India, and for a documentary called India 24 Hours (1996).^[67][68] The pop/hip-hop band Black Eyed Peas sampled an Ilaiyaraaja composition called "Unakkum Ennakum", from the film Sri Raghavendra (1985), for their tune "The Elephunk Theme" from their breakout album, Elephunk (2003).^[69] The alternative artist M.I.A. sampled his composition "Kaatukuyilu," from the film Thalapathi (1991) for her song "Bamboo Banga" on her second album Kala (2007). Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Thalapathi (1991) (The Commander) (a. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Image:Http://www. ... TIME redirects here. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... Anjali is a 1990 film directed by Mani Ratnam and starring Baby Shamili, Raghuvaran and Revathi. ... Hey Ram (Devanagari: हे राम, Nastaliq: ہے رام, translation: Oh Ram! or Oh God!) is a controversial Indian film released both in Tamil and Hindi in 2000 and written, directed, produced by and starring Kamal Haasan. ... Andrei Tarkovskys The Mirror Le Fantôme de la liberté, one of the last films by Luis Bunuel (1974), which depicts seemingly random events, disrupting the conventions of storytelling in film. ... Adoor Gopalakrishnan standing next to his portrait Adoor Gopalakrishnan (b. ... FIPRESCI (short for Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique), in English known as International Federation of Film Critics, comprised of the national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of... The plot is set in the 1940s in a Southern village of Kerala. ... This article is about the pageant. ... For other uses, see Bangalore (disambiguation). ... This article is about the American hip hop group. ... The Elephunk Theme is a song written and produced by hip-hop band The Black Eyed Peas. ... Elephunk is the third album by The Black Eyed Peas, first released in 2003. ... For other uses, see MIA. Mathangi Maya Arulpragasam (July 17, 1977), a British vocalist, songwriter, composer, record producer and visual artist, is a Tamil of Jaffna origin. ... Thalapathi (1991) (The Commander) (a. ... Kala is the second studio album by UK experimental electronica and rap artist M.I.A. and will be released in the United Kingdom on August 20, 2007 and on August 21, 2007 in the USA. The album had an advanced release in Japan on August 8, 2007. ...

Live performances

Ilaiyaraaja rarely performs his music live, which may be due to the time he devotes to his composing activities.^[70] His last major live performance, the first in 25 years, was a four-hour concert held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, India on October 16, 2005.^[71] The show was widely televised both in India and abroad. Less well-known was his live 2004 performance in Italy at the Teatro Comunale di Modena, an event-concert presented for the 14th edition of Angelica, Festival Internazionale Di Musica, co-produced with the L'Altro Suono Festival.^[72][73] He had done a few small-scale shows early in his career in Sri Lanka and Malaysia and was involved in a charity concert to raise funds for the construction of a Hindu temple in India.^[70] A television retrospective titled Ithu Ilaiyaraja ('This is Ilaiyaraja') was produced, chronicling his career.^[74] The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is a Chennai stadium and seats 40,000. ... is the 289th day of the year (290th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Awards and honours

Ilaiyaraaja has won the National Film Award for Best Music Direction for the films Saagara Sangamam (1984), Sindhu Bhairavi (1986) and Rudraveena (1989).^[75] He won the Gold Remi Award for Best Music Score jointly with film composer M. S. Viswanathan at the WorldFest-Houston Film Festival for the film Vishwa Thulasi (2005).^[76] The National Film Award (Silver Lotus Award) for Best Music Direction winners: Category: ... Saagara Sangamam (The Confluence) (1983) is a Telugu film directed by K. Viswanath. ... Sindhu Bhairavi - Staring Suhashini, Sivakumar, Sulokshana Songs sung by Yesudas and Chitra. ... Rudraveena is an Award-winning Telugu film which stars Chiranjeevi and Sobhana on Chirus home banner Anjana Productions. ... M. S. Viswanathan often referred to just as M.S.V., is a prolific film music composer in the Tamil film industry, which he dominated for two decades during the 1960s and 70s. ... WorldFest is an annual film festival held in Houston, Texas. ... Vishwa Thulasi (2004) is an award-winning feature film directed by Sumathy Ram. ...

He was conferred the title Isaignani ('savant of music') in 1988 by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and received the Kalaimamani Award, an annual award for excellence in the field of arts from the Government of the State of Tamil Nadu, India.^[77] He also received State Government Awards from the governments of Kerala (1995), Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh (The Lata Mangeshkar Award) (1998) for excellence in music.^[78] List of All Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu See Also Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers of India Links Categories: India-related stubs | Tamil Nadu | Indian politicians | Office-holders | Government of India ... M. Karunanidhi (Tamil: ) or Karunanidhi Muthuvel generally referred to as M.K (Tamil: )and Dr. Kalaingar (கலைஞர்), is the present Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. ... The Kalaimamani awards are given by the Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Manram (Sangeeth Natak Academy) for excellence in the field of art and literature. ... , Kerala ( ; Malayalam: കേരളം; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of southwestern India. ... Andhra redirects here. ... , Madhya Pradesh (abbreviated as MP)   (HindÄ«: मध्य प्रदेश, English: , IPA: ), often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. ...

He was awarded honorary doctorates by Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu, India (Degree of Doctor of Letter (Honoris causa)) (March, 1994), the World University Round Table, Arizona, U.S.A. (Cultural Doctorate in Philosophy of Music) (April, 1994), and Madurai Kamarajar University, Tamil Nadu (Degree of Doctor of Letters) (1996).^[78] He received an Award of Appreciation from the Foundation and Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America (1994), and later that year was presented with an honorary citizenship and key to the Teaneck township by Mr. John Abraham, Mayor of Teaneck, New Jersey, U.S.A.^[78] An Honorary degree (Latin: honoris causa ad gradum) is a degree awarded to someone by an institution that he or she may have never attended, it may be a bachelors, masters or doctorate degree - however, the latter is most common. ... Annamalai University is a STATE UNIVERSITY in Annamalai Nagar, Tamil Nadu, India. ... The Federation of Tamil Sangams in North America (FeTNA, established 1987) is an umbrella organization of many (but not all) local North American Tamil diaspora organizations. ... Teaneck is a township located in Bergen County, New Jersey. ... Teaneck is a township located in Bergen County, New Jersey. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ...

Illaiyaraja and Malayalam Films

Illaiyaraja has a very special place in Malayalam Film Industry. Of late he has given music mainly for Sathyan Anthikad's films. He started his carrier in Malayalam with the film Vyamoham. Illaiyaraja's notable Malayalam Films are Olangal, Oomakkuyil, Aa Rathri,My Dear Kuttichathan, Onnanu Nammal, Poomughappadiyil Ninneyum Kaathu, Anashwaram, Jackpot, Ente Sooryaputhrikku, Adharvam,Pappayude Swantham Appoos, Moonnam pakkam, Kaliyoonjaal, Guru, Kaalapaani, Season, Manasinakkarae, Ponmudippuzhayoram, Oru Yathramozhi,Achuvinte Amma and Innathe chinthavishayam. His yet to release ventures in Malayalam are Pazhashi Raja, SMS and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Illaiyaraja and Hindi Films

Even though Illaiyaraja has reached the saturation point in South Indian Film industry, he has a lot to offer in Hindi Films. In 80s and early 90s most of Illaiyaraja tunes were copied into Hindi by many music directors and the credit never went to Illaiyaraja; one of the very noted song was "Neele Neele Ambar par" which was a remake of Tamil song "Illya Nila". His famous work in Hindi are Sadma, Appu Raja, Hey Ram, Mumbai Xpress, Aur Ek Prem Kahani,Chaila, Ram Gopal Verma directed Shiva and its remade version Shiva 2006,also many Telugu dubbed films into Hindi. But he was requested by Rajkumar Santhoshi for the Back ground Score of his magnum opus Lajja and it was a brilliant BGM. Of Late Illaiyaraja has given Super hit music for R.Balki's film Cheeni Kum and also Illaiyaraja is expected to give music for Balki's his new film, Amithabh-Abhishek starrer Pa. Illaiyaraja has also composed music for a new Mithun Chakraborty starrer Chal Chale directed by Ujjwal Singh recently. Moondram Pirai (1983) is a Tamil feature film directed by Balu Mahendra. ... Hey Ram (Devanagari: हे राम, Nastaliq: ہے رام, translation: Oh Ram! or Oh God!) is a controversial Indian film released both in Tamil and Hindi in 2000 and written, directed, produced by and starring Kamal Haasan. ... Mumbai Express is a Tamil film directed by Singeetham Sreenivasa Rao, starring Kamal Haasan and Manisha Koirala. ... Ram Gopal Verma or better known as the factory is one of the few maverick film makers of the Hindi film indutry. ... For other uses, see Shiva (disambiguation). ... Shiva 2006 is a Telugu dubbed version of Ram Gopal Varmas Latest movie Shiva. ... Lajja (Bengali: লজ্জা Lôjja) is a novel in Bengali by Taslima Nasrin, a writer of Bangladesh. ... Cheeni Kum (literally, less sugar) is a Bollywood film being made by advertising executive and debutant director Balkrishnan. ... Look up Pa, PA, pa in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Mithun Chakraborty (Bangla: মিঠুন চক্রবর্তী) (born Gouranga Chakraborty June 16, 1950) is a National Film Award-winning Indian film actor as well as social activist. ...

Partial discography

Limited lists of some key soundtrack albums (in terms of film-score and song-content values) are provided below, classified by language. For extended discographies, see external links.   (Tamil: இைளயராஜா, IPA: ) (born June 2, 1943 as Gnanadesikan) is an Indian film composer, singer, and lyricist. ...

Tamil

Sigappu Rojakkal (Red Roses) (1978)is a South Indian Movie in the Tamil language starring Kamal Hasan and Sridevi. ... Thalapathi (1991) (The Commander) (a. ... Raja Paarvai (Kingly Vision) (1981) is a Tamil language feature film directed by Telegu film director Singeetham Srinivasa Rao. ... Guna (film) is a Tamil language film starring Kamal Haasan in the lead role of the protagonist. ... Thevar Magan (1992) is a Tamil feature film directed by veteran director Bharathan. ... Moondram Pirai (1983) is a Tamil feature film directed by Balu Mahendra. ... Kadhalukku Mariyadhai is a 1997 released Tamil film. ... Muthal Mariyathai (1985) is a Tamil film directed by Bharathiraja. ... Sindhu Bhairavi - Staring Suhashini, Sivakumar, Sulokshana Songs sung by Yesudas and Chitra. ... Sethu (1999) is a Tamil feature film directed by Bala. ... Mouna Raagam (Silent Symphony) is a 1986 Tamil language film directed by acclaimed Indian filmmaker Mani Ratnam. ... Punnagai Mannan is a Tamil language film starring Kamal Haasan in the lead role of the protagonist. ... Azhagi (2002) is a Tamil film directed by Thankar Bachchan. ... Image:Http://www. ... Adhu Oru Kana Kaalam (English: Those Were The Best Days) is a Tamil film directed by Balu Mahendra released in 2005, starring Dhanush and Priyamani amognst others. ... Apoorva Sagodharargal is a Tamil language film starring Kamal Haasan in the lead role of the protagonist. ... Vetri Vizha is a 1987 Tamil language film starring Kamal Haasan in the lead role of the protagonist. ... Ajantha (2007) is a forthcoming multi-lingual language film. ...

Malayalam

Kalapani (means black water or dark sea in Hindi), is a multi language Indian film. ...

Telugu

Saagara Sangamam (The Confluence) (1983) is a Telugu film directed by K. Viswanath. ... Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari is a Telugu film released on May 9, 1990 and was directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. ... Swathi Muthyam (1985) is a Telugu film directed by K. Viswanath. ... Rudraveena is an Award-winning Telugu film which stars Chiranjeevi and Sobhana on Chirus home banner Anjana Productions. ... Swarna Kamalam is a 1988 Telugu film written and directed by K. Viswanath. ...

References and notes

For followers of Hinduism, see Hindu. ... Sigappu Rojakkal (Red Roses) (1978)is a South Indian Movie in the Tamil language starring Kamal Hasan and Sridevi. ... Mouna Raagam (Silent Symphony) is a 1986 Tamil language film directed by acclaimed Indian filmmaker Mani Ratnam. ... Raja Paarvai (Kingly Vision) (1981) is a Tamil language feature film directed by Telegu film director Singeetham Srinivasa Rao. ... Punnagai Mannan is a Tamil language film starring Kamal Haasan in the lead role of the protagonist. ... Adhu Oru Kana Kaalam (English: Those Were The Best Days) is a Tamil film directed by Balu Mahendra released in 2005, starring Dhanush and Priyamani amognst others. ... Sethu (1999) is a Tamil feature film directed by Bala. ... Moondram Pirai (1983) is a Tamil feature film directed by Balu Mahendra. ... Vikram is a Tamil-language movie starring Kamal Hassan, Preethi, Dimple Kapadia, Amjad Khan and Sathyaraj, released in 1986. ... Thoongadhey Thambi Thoongadhey is a Tamil language film starring Kamal Haasan in the lead role of the protagonist. ... Apoorva Sagodharargal is a Tamil language film starring Kamal Haasan in the lead role of the protagonist. ... Muthal Mariyathai (1985) is a Tamil film directed by Bharathiraja. ... Sindhu Bhairavi - Staring Suhashini, Sivakumar, Sulokshana Songs sung by Yesudas and Chitra. ... Pagal Nilavu (Day-time Moon) (1985) is a Tamil language movie directed by Mani Ratnam. ... Image:Http://www. ... Guna (film) is a Tamil language film starring Kamal Haasan in the lead role of the protagonist. ...

Further reading

External links

General References

• Raaja.com: A website on Ilaiyaraaja
• An interview with Ilaiyaraaja (1989) (primary source: Indian news magazine Frontline)
• Ilaiya raja Albums and Discussion

Discographies

• For catalogues of film music albums categorised by film name, song name, singer etc., go to Raaja Information Center: Film Music Database or Rakkamma.com
• For a chronological listing of film music albums or a listing of film music albums by film genre (e.g., drama, romance, thriller), go to IMDb (by chronology) and IMDb (by film genre)
• A listing of this musician's non-film albums