The most influential composers in film music

Music is one of the oldest rituals of the human species and has been used since the dawn of civilization to reflect and express our emotions, passions and feelings. It is a language that is beyond the common one, traditionally used to satisfy man's need to communicate. As with languages, The different cultures that populate the blue planet have been defined in part, thanks to music. Our Western acrimony makes us recognize with a simple harmonic game soundtracks by John Williams, Ennio Morricone or Vangelis. Therefore, we are going to analyze film music in other cultures: Bollywood music.

If we see it from a Western perspective, and taking into account the music created expressly for the collective artistic product that is a film, we can paraphrase Bernard Herrmann when he said that “music must supplant what the actors cannot say, it can convey their feelings, and it must contribute what words are not able to express”. The opposite case to this is Quentin Tarantino's cinema, which uses pre-existing music from different origins to achieve an artistic object very close to something that has defined American culture, art or pop culture, of which Andy Warhol was a precursor.

Likewise, we can observe how cinema and music are intertwined throughout history in different ways in different cultures. The French "Group of Six", influenced by Jean Cocteau, rebelled against the impressionism prevailing years before; Meanwhile, at the beginning of the Soviet Union, soundtracks produced a significant part of the popular songs and experimental music of the avant-garde, in the compositions of Prokofiev for Eisenstein or Listov for Vertov; or currently, the production of music from Scandinavian series carried out by groups such as Heilung, Danheim or Wardruna, with clear reminiscences of Viking culture.

How did cinema originate in Bollywood?

India is one of the most important cinematic powers in the world. The name 'Bollywood' is a play on words between Bombay and Hollywood, but is often mistakenly used to refer to all films produced in India, when Bollywood refers only to the Hindi-language industry.

Its origin is closely linked to those who history grants the honor of having invented the seventh art, the brothers, Louis and Auguste Lumière, who in 1896 released documentary films based on popular stories such as 'Partie d'écarté' or the 'Arrival from the train to Ciotat' station. On July 7 of that same year, the Lumière brothers screened six films at the Hotel Watson, now known as Esplanade Mansion in Bombay, also known as Mumbai.

First Bollywood feature film

From that moment on, Harishchandra Sakharam Bhatawdekar laid the foundations of what Indian cinema has become in 1899. The first Bollywood feature film was made by Dadasaheb Phalke, in 1913, with the title 'Raja Harishchandra' and based on a epic story in which the king and his son follow the pattern of the paintings painted by Raja Ravi Varma, which is why he is considered the father of Indian cinema.
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How did film music originate in Bollywood?

Was in 1931, when the first film with Indian music and dance was released, the first sound, titled 'Alam Ara', a fantastic romance between a prince and a young gypsy girl. Six years later, in 1937, the first one arrived in color. The first productions were based on ancient texts, and almost entirely featured elements of ancient Indian poetry, Parsi theater and traditional Indian theatre.

The music of Hindi films is called filmi and is composed for the danced musical interludes obligatory in Indian films. We can easily recognize it, because it is that first image that we think of when we are told about the cinema of this country, it has already entered that cultural heritage. The songs are usually published pirated long before the film; When viewers see it, they already know the songs.

The best known composers and singers of Indian music

The musical emergence of Bollywood came in the 1940s, at which time film choreography became an essential part of Indian cinema. Much more so, when their heroines began to be selected for their skill in dance, even above acting. At that time, many of the classical dancers began their careers in cinema.

The beginning of Bollywood music in the 40s

The 1940s also mark the birth of some of the most important composers in the country's cinematic history for cinema. The first of them is Pankaj Mullick, who began creating soundtracks in 1931, for the film 'Chasher Meye' and worked in 35 films until ending his career with Subodh Mitra's 'Rai Kamal'. During the 1940s he composed one soundtrack a year, among which others by Mitra such as 'Dui Purush', from 1945, stand out.

Another of the fundamental musical directors of this era is Naushad Ali, considered one of the greatest and most prominent in the Hindi film industry. He is particularly known for popularizing the use of classical music in films. His first film as an independent music director was 'Prem Nagar' in 1940, and his first successful musical film was 'Rattan' (1944). It was followed by 35 silver jubilee hits, 12 golden jubilee hits and 3 diamond jubilee mega hits. Naushad received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and the Padma Bhushan in 1981 and 1992 respectively, for his contribution to the Hindi film industry.

For its part, Saluri Rajeswara Rao He would be part of these three most prominent composers. Orchestra conductor, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, actor, music producer and musician, he is known for his works predominantly in South Indian cinema. Considered one of the greatest music composers, Rao's works stand out for integrating Indian classical music into Telugu cinema, for more than half a century. He received awards such as the Kalaimamani, the Raghupathi Venkaiah (1992) and the Nandi Award for best music director in 1980.

Evolution of Filmi music in the 50s

In the 1950s, even though the country was facing political difficulties, India produced its most recognized films, which precisely portrayed the social problems of the time. During this period the most notable directors, actresses and actors emerged. In this context, the work of Satyajit Ray emerged, considered one of the great artists of the twentieth century because of his subtle, austere and lyrical style. He was influenced by Jean Renoir and Italian neorealism.

It is also at the end of the 50s, when the first Bollywood color films are released and the figure of the cmost important opponent of the time, Ms Viswanathan. Together with Ramamoorthy, he composed a duo that created soundtracks for more than 100 films between 1952 and 1965. In 1963, at a special performance, they received the title of Mellisai Mannar (Kings of light music).

Another of these musical couples is also notable for its importance in the history of Filmi music of the 1950s. Laxmikant and Pyarelal composed for most music directors, such as Raj Kapoor, Dev, Anand, Feroze Khan, BR Chopra, Shakti Samanta et al. In addition, the singer Lata Mangeshkar, a well-known musical dubber in Bollywood films, has collaborated with them on a large number of musical themes in the company of Mohammed Rafi, also famous as a singer for Hindi films.

Transition from film music to 70s pop

Starting in the 70s, Hindi cinema overtook the United States as the largest producer of motion pictures. At this time the term “Bollywood” began to be used. Hindi cinema, and, ultimately, the music of its films, since this time has moved in a transition between its influences from popular theater and Parsi, towards the pop of the 70s.

It is heavily influenced by Hollywood, from which Indian filmmakers have adopted glamour, inventiveness and the Star System. But, above all, what has influenced the most are American musicals. Rock had already made its appearance in the country in the late 60s and in the 70s the influence of soundtracks such as those of films like grease either Jesus Christ Superstar, it is palpable. An example of this influence is the music of Lagaan, once upon a time in India, considered among the best musical soundtracks in history, and which, in turn, reflects the entire tradition of Indian cinema.

Under Western influence, Tamil Nadu film music enters a time of innovation and eclecticism. The scores show mixtures of Carnatic, Western and other instruments, with a very wide variety of melodic and rhythmic patterns. Orchestral themes and minimalist songs usually appear. Recent trends of the time show prevalence of synthesizers and other electronic instruments.

AR Rahman: India's greatest film composer

Allah-Rakka Rahman is India's most influential film composer and also the one that has sold the most album copies in history. Between 1992 and 2008, it has had sales of 200,000,000 copies, including albums from all industries. His arrival in Hollywood took place in 2009, composing for the comedy Couples Retreat, with which he won the BMI award for best score.

But a year before, international recognition arrived. His music for Slumdog Millionaire, in 2008, earned him the Oscar for Best Original Score and Best Original Song at the 81st Academy Awards. It was also awarded Best Compilation Soundtrack Album and Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 2010 Grammy Awards.

He is nicknamed “Isai Puyal” (musical storm) and “Mozart of Madras”. In 2009, he was included in the list time of the 100 most influential people in the world and is credited with introducing 7.1 surround sound technology to South Indian films.18