'WHEN I THINK OF YOU' is an ABSOLUTE SENSATION of PUNJAB DRUMMING, PUNJAB DANCE and PUNJAB COSTUME with ACTRESS: MUMTAZ and ACTOR: ALI EJAZ plus PUNJABI SINGING DIVA: MADAM NOOR JEHAN - A VOCAL LIKE NO OTHER...BALE BALE! [Click 'Show more' for Analysis] The 1983 PUNJABI FILM 'HEERA AUR PATTHAR' or 'DIAMOND AND STONE' is an example of the CREATIVE BLITZ that was EXPLODING ACROSS PAKISTAN and INDIA of the 1980s. The STORYLINE and ACTING were part of the DECADES of FASHION for PUNJUBI 'DACOIT' or 'BANDIT' FILMS that followed the HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL 1979 film 'MAULA JAT'. PUNJABI MYTHOLOGY was a CENTRAL FEATURE of LAHORIE CINEMA of the 1980s due to INCOMING PRESIDENT: ZIA-UL-HAQ'S 'ISLAMIC SCISSORS' that CENSORED FILMS plus the REFLECTION of his RURAL and PUNJABI BACKGROUND as a LEADER. PAKISTAN was an INSULAR and INWARD-LOOKING COUNTRY at that TIME and the NATIONAL PRIDE of CULTURE was PROMOTED and not DILUTED by OUTSIDE FORCES. HENCE, the FILM INDUSTRY was MORE TRADITIONAL than the PEOPLE IN THE STREET, which is a STRANGE PHENOMENON. The PUNJABI 'DACOIT' FILMS themselves were PURELY GEARED for GROUP VIEWING on the BIG SCREEN with INTERACTION between the AUDIENCE and ACTORS. PAKISTAN'S CINEMA is a UNIQUE PART of MODERN CULTURE. However, the TRADITIONAL and FEUDAL COUNTRYSIDE STORIES began to make AUDIENCES WEARY. The CINEMA responded with MORE OF THE SAME with ADDED MUJRA DANCES and 'VULGARITY'...Eventually, this EMPTIED the CINEMAS of all but GANGS of WHISTLING YOUTHS. However, a TWIST in the STORY is that the PUNJABI THEATRE of 'VULGAR' MUJRA and PUNJABI STORIES still THRIVES and actually SPEEDED the DECLINE of PAKISTANI CINEMA? CONTRAST OF SOUNDS AND TIMBRES CONTRAST is the AIM of the ORCHESTRATION of the COMPOSER: MASTER ABDULLAH in PERCUSSION and MELODIC ELEMENTS of the song ARRANGEMENT. This is due to the SONG having a THIN TEXTURE with NO BASS or HARMONY. A DRUMMER from LAHORE'S EMI MUSIC STUDIOS** explained the RECORDING SESSIONS, "Those drum tracks for the big Punjabi films of the 1980s were rehearsed by the drummers for about 8 hours then they were recorded in one take in the studio with all of the orchestra. Madam Noor Jehan would come in an record the vocal line three times and they would choose which one sounded the best and use it for the film". [** EMI of LONDON sold EMI of PAKISTAN studios in 1993 to ENTREPRENEUR AHMED RIAZ. RIAZ had to close down LAHORE'S MALL ROAD EMI STUDIO and CASSETTE PRODUCTION in 1996 due to ILLEGAL COPYING BANKRUPTING the COMPANY. Full Story on BBCNEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4495679.stm] 'TOUN YAAD KARIN MAIN' has an SOPHISTICATED ACCOUSTIC PUNJABI DRUMMING and PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE that is SHAPED into a WESTERN POP SONG FORM. The PERCUSSION is built up on traditional DHOLAKS, which are DOUBLE-HEADED HAND DRUMS that LIE on their SIDES. One end is TUNED to the TONIC [Note I] and the other end is TUNED to the DOMINANT [Note V]. The FUNCTION of the TUNED DHOLAK PATTERNS is to offer a COUNTERPOINT* to the MELODY. [*COUNTERPOINT means the DRUMS and MELODY are INTERDEPENDENT in TONALITY, but INDEPENDENT in RHYTHM and CONTOUR]. VARIETY of DRUM PATTERNS A VARIETY of DRUM PATTERNS are ROTATED and CONTRASTED across the song. - INTRODUCTION has OPENING FLOURISHES UNDERPINNING VIOLIN SWIRLS with HEAVY but BASIC PUNJABI FOUR-FOUR PATTERN with STOPPING and STARTING POINTS employing ANTIPHONAL SOUNDS of ORCHESTRAL LINES with HIGH 'JAWS HARP' and LOW DRUMMING for the ACTRESS STRIKING STILL POSES for the CAMERA. The INTRODUCTION is LONG for SHOWING OFF DANCING and COSTUMES. - CHORUS and VERSES have a LIGHT and REDUCED DYNAMIC of PERCUSSION to SHOWCASE the VOCAL and LYRICS plus MUTE the DRUMMING for CONTRAST. - The INSTRUMENTAL BRIDGES are each different and HIGHLY ORNATE DRUMMING with INCREASED DYNAMIC of DRUM VOLUME to give an ARENA for the ACTRESS to PROMENADE a NEW COSTUME that is INTRODUCED on SCREEN for every NEW BRIDGE. The FINAL BRIDGE is a TRIUMPH of DRUM SOLOS without MELODIC INSTRUMENTS. The REASONING for the LONG and SUPER-SONIC BRIDGES is that the SUNG SECTIONS are FOLK-BASED and quite MONOTONOUS and need BREAKING UP. Also the DRUMMERS will DRIVE sections of THRILL of BHANGRA DANCING, THRILLING FROZEN POSES and EXTRAORDINARY CAMERA ANGLES [also used by UK 1970s HAMMER HORROR CINEMA to try to make LOW BUDGET FILMS look EXPENSIVE!]. ORCHESTRAL ENSEMBLE Soprano singer 10 violins Traditional wood flutes [low, middle, high pitches] Dilruba [Traditional Punjab cello] Harmonium Santoor [Traditional zither] The STRINGS are mostly PLAYED either HARD BOW like TRADITIONAL PUNJAB MUSIC or in a RHYTHMIC way, or acting in CADENCES [musical full stops at the ends of phrases or sections]. FLUTES are used to give a COSMETIC SOUND of the TRADITIONAL PUNJAB. FIND 'TOUN YAAD KARIN MAIN' original EMI AUDIO TRACK at MOHAMMED FAROOQ: 'PAKISTANI CLASSICS' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paPeTMfFrxI

• published: 20 Jul 2014
• views: 108