How musicians Vishnudev and Lakshmi create musical dialogue in Vizhi

Lakshmi and Vishnudev say that one of the purposes of this composition is to broaden the scope of Carnatic and other ethnic genres of music

A difficult exploration that Carnatic musicians often undertake is achieving western-style harmony. Although there have been many attempts, very few have succeeded because intrinsically Carnatic music is not easily amenable to the idea of harmony as we understand it in western music. It’s not just the gamakas that stand in the way, but also the aesthetics, content, and the attributes of the genre. At best, it will end up as a good-sounding fusion song, and at worst, a cacophony of sounds trying to find a common ground.

Noted Carnatic musicians Lakshmi V and Vishnudev K.S. have come up with a single, ‘Vizhi’ that’s all about harmony. It’s a two-part harmony in which there’s no conventional main melody or counter melody. In simple terms, the closest example will be a western song, in which the lead singer is harmonised by a backup singer. What’s more interesting is that in ‘Vizhi’ the harmony is not only about music, but also about the ‘divine, nature and oneself’. “It implores a person to look beyond differences and to find the oneness that connects everything,” say Lakshmi and Vishnudev.

Although it may sound simple, the tricky part is writing/composing the two-part harmony and executing it, that too without compromising on the gamakas and the characteristic flavour of Carnatic music. “Both melody-leads have been given equal importance. The idea is to harmonise symmetric phrases/melodies within a Carnatic music scale so that when sung together, these phrases sound seamlessly blended and the listening effect is compounded. The phrases are chosen in such a way that every nuance is identical, including the measure of oscillations (gamakas) of each note. This is also done keeping in mind the aesthetics of the raga/scale,” explains the duo.

Lakshmi and Vishnudev say that one of the purposes of this composition is to broaden the scope of Carnatic and other ethnic genres of music, and to explore formats other than live or recorded performances. The technique of harmonising full-length compositions also helps male and female duo singers overcome their vocal-range differences.

Arresting visuals

Besides the two-part harmony, involving male and female voices, what makes the composition stand out are the visuals that accompany the music and the attractive arrangement. While the visuals created by director Gautham Soorya and actor/model Punya Elizabeth Bose try to explore the contiguity of music with nature and its elements, the arrangement brings a discernible generic diversity without diluting the essential quality of Carnatic music. Mridangam by Sumesh Narayanan sets the rhythm in a crisp and rhapsodic way. “The video intends to visualise the connection between us and nature, portraying the idea that we all possess an essence of the universe in our existence.”

Syamaprakash M.S.’s cinematography, Deepak Murali’s choreography, Malavika V.N.’s editing, and Studio D-Cloud Creations’s colouring add to the engaging allure of ‘Vizhi’. It was released on World Music Day through Bodhi Silent Scape’s YouTube channel, and has become one of the top viewed Carnatic-based compositions in recent times.

The writer is a journalist-turned-UN official-turned-columnist based in Travancore.