Falsetto in Indian Film Music

GOODBYE TO FALSETTOS

In Malayalam film songs rendered between seventies and eighties, falsetto ( sing notes beyond the vocal range of the normal or modal voice) was de rigeur and you had to suffer and listen to high pitched and shrill squealing (Painkilli Shabdam) by female singers.

In the western hemisphere there was an operatic singing style that had its roots in the 15th Century Italy. It was known as the Aria (Italian for air; plural: arie, or arias in common usage, diminutive form arietta) Use of Aria in music involved falsettos since it was meant to emote a state of mind and a vocal ability borne out of a context in the Opera. Listen to Mozart's Magic Flute rendered here for an illustration of an Aria.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2ODfuMMyss

 A typical example of  falsetto in Malayalam playback singing  can be heard in the playback singer Chitra's singing. Chitra in her nasal voice and uses falsetto to reach the high notes (Almost like a Pressure Cooker going off)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjkz_N6rXk0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J1yEL9gvZ8

Prior to Chitra you had S. Janaki and Madhuri singing in false voices

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO7ZDUpKqyE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErIDWv8XwkE&list=PLB6B8594380B9A721

I am sure there are equal number of songs in Hindi and other Indian film music that adopted this style of singing. 

 The shrill falsetto ousted excellent Malayalam female playback singers who had natural voice. Playback singer P. Leela was outplaced by singers like S Janaki or P Susheela in the seventies. If you listen to P Leela, you will notice the most natural voice of a Malayali Woman. Here is a immensely popular song by P Leela that every Keralite sings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Djs_DXBh2A0

Its almost as natural and sincere as listening to Ella Fitzgerald singing "Summer Time" in the late sixties

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2bigf337aU

However this Paingilli Sound of Kerala has continued to haunt the media. Today you can listen to most women even speaking in falsettos. Listen to the women who do voice overs in Kerala Jewelry Advertisements. You feel like wringing those necks which has become the order of the day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwBKagI4wWE

Watch any Malayalam feature film and you will find that these women also dub for prominent female characters in the film.

I was able to hear the excellent husky and natural voice of this female in a Jose Alukkas Jewelry advertisement

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CG08RLZBJE

The trends in singing are briskly changing and more and more songs are being sung in the natural voice.  Hopefully this will end falsetto singing once and for all.  Here are some of my favorite songs in Malayalam.

Listen to this classic song called "Enundodee" from the award winning movie CELLULOID rendered by Sithara

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNOXR99SaY4

Also the song Katte Katte by Singers : G Sreeram & Vaikom Vijayalakshmi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AksjQ9UBOs

I also loved the earthy and natural voice of Kala Thilakam Remya Nambeesan in the following song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lt5D987Dsw4

Also loved the voice of Neha Nair in her rendition of  "Mandarakatte" in Anchu Sundarikal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_83WA7vNC4

and the voice of Anna Katherina Valayil in the following song from ABCD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBAyPfU9LMc