S D Burman- The Pioneer in Experimenting in Music

Few weeks ago I wrote a Blog on R D Burman about his lust for new and different sound for his songs.These genes he inherited from his father S D Burman. Burman Dada as called by those who loved and revered him was the first music director who was always busy in experimenting in his music whether its tunes ,melody or lyrics.  Sometimes, he faced opposition but stood firm, the skeptical falling in line when the experiment succeeded.
Music Maestro Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma said in an interview that While composing a song, Dada would say, ‘Even if my songs flop, I will still create something new’. What Dada meant was, ‘I will not take the beaten path. I will not compose as per the existing trend. Even if my songs flop, I will still do something new’.
 From 1930 to 1936, over these five to six years, he composed music fusing Indian classical music and folk music, which did not resemble anybody else’s. This way,he was able to create his own brand of music”Listen to this Bengali song Mono Dukkhe Mori re Shubol (1934),composed and sung by him.This song is a Kirtan which used to be sung in semi classical style but Sachin Da throws the words in the Bangal dialect that makes it more rural to the roots. The dialect is of East Bengal with some Sanskrit words used. Such songs are sung by boatmen from that part of the world.

Mono Dukkhe Mori re Shubol (1934)

His innovative tendency were visible as early as in 1934 during a Bengal Music Conference in 1934, inaugurated by Rabindranath Tagore, Sachin Dev Burman was asked to sing after Ustad Faiyaz Khan. Ustad Faiyaz Khan had finished with ‘Jhan, jhan, jhan…’, a song that spellbound the audience. Sachin Da began with the same song in Bangla, ‘Jhan, jhan, jhan – manjira baaje’. The audience roared in unison and Karta extended the song to last more than half an hour. Sukla Devi vividly remembers how Ustad Faiyaz Khan came to the stage and hugged Sachin Da.The same tune he used in the Buzdil(1951) song sung by Lata and asked Shailendra to keep same mukhda with a slight change in words.Listen to both version

                                          jhan jhan jhan manjira baje..S D Burman

                                jhan jhan jhan manjira baje by Lata from Buzdil 1951

The biggest contribution that Sachin Da carried out was to create the tune first and ask lyric writer to fill in the words to suit the meter and the situation. Earlier  the film songs was that the film director and the music director would ask the writer to write lyrics based on the situation and the emotion to be conveyed. With Dada’s arrival, it all changed. Gulzar the legendary Lyricist and poet agrees that the music is the soul of a song.He believe that in any song that becomes a hit, the primary factors are the rhythm and the tune. The words follow. In fact, the quality of the words depends on how much it matches the melody and the beat. That is why I consider the role of the lyricist as secondary to that of the composer.

Another experiment he did with Ghazals.For the Baazi song he asked Sahir Ludhianvi to write Gazal for his tune. Sahir wrote the lyrics and wanted the song to be sung in a mujra style. Burman Dada composed a jazzy tune for this Ghazal. Dada also asked Geeta Roy (Dutt) to sing it. During the rehearsal Sahir didn’t like it one bit and went to complain to the director Guru Dutt, who asked Dada what the matter was. Dada asked Guru Dutt to decide who was the music director, “Sahir or I?” Guru Dutt conveyed to Sahir that Dada will do as he wishes. Sahir then and there decided that he will never write again for S. D. Burman, but changed his mind after the song became super-hit and the film too was a big draw for the audience who used to return again and again.

Song from Baazi 1950

Similar situation happened during the making of Jaal 1951 song Yeh raat ye chandni.He transformed its Ghazal mood giving it a regular stressed beat. When he sang the tune to Sahir Ludhianvi, Sahir laughed.Sahir sugested that it should be sung by Talat but Sachin Da wanted Hemant Kumar.Even when the song was recorded by Hemant Kumar, Guru Dutt wanted to re-dub the song in Rafi Sahib’s voice. Dada stuck on to his choice and the song was a very big hit.

Song from Jaal 1951

One of the most marvelous experiments that Sachinda carried out was in the song O nighahen mastana (Paying Guest -1957). Young Kishore’s voice, supported by Asha Bhosle’s humming and alaap throughout the song, adds tremendous charm to the song.The unique thing about this song is that when the second antara gets over, the interlude music and the lights start fading out till the music can be hardly heard. While the remaining lights dim out, the third antara is sung in a softer tone.It is one of the most romantic songs ever created by any music director.

Song from Paying Guest 1957

In another Navketan production Kala Pani, in  the song Hum bekhudi mein tum ko pukare chale gaye. He used the rhythm of a ghazal in the mukhda and geet in the antara. This song was originally sung by Dada himself in Bengali,every body wanted Dada to sing this in hindi but he felt that rafi's voice  will suit well to Dev Anand in this situation.one finds Rafi’s soothing voice with only a few instruments used by Dada – Sarangi, tabla, gunghroo, khadtal and harmonium.

Song from Kala Pani 1958

Another innovation he did was the use of different singers for the same hero or heroine singing in the same film.In 1949 film Shabnam he used the voice of  Lalita Deolkar, Shamshad Begum and Geeta Roy (Dutt) for Kamini Kaushal.In Jewel Thief 1967 Kishore, Rafi, and Bhupindra Singh sang for Dev Anand.In Abhiman 1973 Kishore, Rafi and Manhar Udhas  sang for Amitabh Bachchan.

 Sacin Da was the composer  who would understand the subject matter, the situation, and choose the voice best suited, before composing a song.Some time he would suggest the Director to change the situation.For the song Khoya Khoya Chand he sugested that Dev Anand should walk fast in the song.In the same film in the song "Apni To Har aah Ek Toofan Hai"Waheeda is travelling in a train along with her parents. Dev Anand, trying to woo her, gets into the same compartment.In this song situation Dada thought of introducing the sound of the engine-whistle in the song. Using his ingenuity, he used a flute to create that sound effect. The result was so good, that the viewers did not realize that a flute had been used. 

Song from Kala Bazar 1960

Another gem of his innovation was Kaanton se kheench ke yeh aanchal, tod ke bandhan baandhi payal  from Guide 1965,the song starts with an antara,it was unique in itself Very rarely would a composer dare.

Song from Guide 1965

In a song "Gum Pe Dhool Daalo" from Prem Pujari he tried a unique thing  He used four different genres in the mukhda. The first two lines  based on folk. The third on classical. The fourth on pop. And the last line based on qawwali

Song from Prem Pujari 1970

In the song O PANCHHI PYARE from Bandini he used the actual sound of wheat and the soop

Song from Bandini 1963

Music Director Uttam Singh who was one of his musician said in interview that In the last 50 years Piya tose naina lage re (Guide – 1965) in ‘Roopak’ taal is the only dance song composed in seven matras (beats). It is difficult, very difficult, to compose a dance song in seven matras, but not for one who is an expert in the field. No one else has attempted it so far. 

Song from Guide 1965

His penchant & passion for experimenting has kept him at the forefront of the music world even at the last days of his life whereas his contemporaries, all greats, lost their way after certain period of time.Even his last released song “Chal Sapnon Ka Shahar” from Deewangi has unique kind of designing which could only be conceived by SDB.

Song from Deewangi 1979

He was innovative in Background Music also.In a scene in Kala Pani he used the actual sound of Printing press.In that scene he used the sound of Sitar along with the noise of the press.Besides using a single instrument for background music in Kala Pani, Dada used a single instrument for a scene in Bandini (1963).In an interview Music Director Pyarelal of LP, who was a violinist during those days said that his Guru Anthony Gonsalvis who was the music arranger for S D in that film,prepared some music for that scene which everyone liked. But S.D. Burman was not impressed, and rejected it.

Dada kept on thinking but nothing was coming in his mind suddenly he heard flutist Kamal Mitra, who was also getting bored, fiddling with the flute by putting his thumb on the wrong end of the flute and creating a noise, ‘tup, tup, tup’ like that. Dada asked him to do it in front of the mike, and used it as the background music for that scene. This was appreciated by Bimal Roy and everyone else.