OP Nayyar’s favourite instruments and his orchestration

Guest article by Ravindra Kelkar in the series of Centenar Celebrations of OP Nayyar (b. 16 January 1926 – d. 28 January 2007)

(Ravindra Kelkar is a well-known OP Nayyar-fan. The grand centenary celebration of Rafi on SOY inspired him to mount a similar centenary celebration for OP Nayyar. Ashok Vaishnav’s articles on RD Burman’s orchestration inspired him to write this exclusive post on OP Nayyar’s unique orchestration. Not every music director developed a signature style of orchestration. You could identify his songs from afar.

I am a reluctant and late admirer of OP Nayyar. Reluctant, because of his complete exclusion of Lata Mangeshkar. Late, because I started noticing his Rafi songs in a new light. Not only solos, duets too, in which Rafi started the song. They were out of this word, and I had no hesitation in putting him among the top five composers for Rafi. But this piece is quite an eye-opener, and makes you look at OP Nayyar’s famous songs with new insight.

Ravindra Kelkar has a double Master’s degree in Statistics and Computer Science. He has been an IT professional. Now retired, he is based out of Pune. I have to thank Mr. Kelkar for an excellent and comprehensive article on OP Nayyar’s unique orchestration. This is going to be his penultimate article in OP Nayyar’s centenary celebrations. This is also the last article in the year 2025. Therefore, I have to also wish a Merry Christmas and Season’s Greetings to all, and enjoy your vacation. – AK)

This year, so far we have four posts published on the SOY blog about RD Burman’s orchestration. All by Mr. Ashok Vaishnav with so much depth that I felt inspired to attempt to write a post of similar nature on OP Nayyar. RD Burman belonged to the next crop of MDs after the golden period of Hindi Film Music. Roughly speaking, I consider the years from 1950 to 1970 as the golden period. For me, the golden period ended with the advent of Kishore Kumar from Aradhana and emergence of RD Burman-Asha combination and subsequent decline in the premier position held by Lata and Rafi.

Everyone is aware that the orchestration aspect of a Hindi Film song is comprised of prelude/intro piece, interludes, and postlude piece. Then there is the facet of counter melody which runs parallel to the main song, enhancing the overall effectiveness of the song. It complements the main melody without overshadowing it. Mostly, the creation of the counter melody is a task assigned to the Assistant/Arranger. He writes the counter melody to harmonize with the underlying chord progression. For OP, this was taken care of by Sebastian D’Souza. OP in his interview given to Vividh Bharati has said that ‘In the songs that I have created, 50% credit goes to the lyrics, 25% is shared by the singers and orchestration and only the remaining 25% goes to composer, no more’. This was a very startling confession for me. In another interview, he mentioned that lyrics is the soul, tune is the body and orchestration and rendering of the song is the clothes and ornaments, and without the soul you have a dead body. It’s important to know these views of OP when one tries to study the orchestration in his songs. Generally speaking, the tune was the main focus of the song and orchestration was in supporting role, in the Golden Era. OP also had the same mindset when composing a tune.

Most of you will agree when I say that as soon as people heard the opening notes of an OP Nayyar song they were able to identify the composer. Of course, OP is not unique in this regard, but for other MDs the proportion of such songs is much less than that of OP. The main ingredient that created this identity was his orchestration.  OP’s career took off from the success of Aar Paar (1954). He enjoyed tremendous success till 1960. During this period his orchestration included some very typical musical arrangements which resulted in enabling the listener to associate the song with OP. This comprised of the combination of clarinet with flute and sarangi with cello. Clarinet/Flute combination was introduced by RC Boral. But sarangi/cello was OP’s creation. He also employed mandolin, double bass, electric guitar. The rhythm section looked after by his assistant GS Kohli, would comprise of dholak, tabla, bongo supported by percussion instruments like, tambourines, castanets, wooden blocks, Chinese temple blocks etc. All this forged a strong OP identity with his songs. The popularity of his songs and the commercial success his movies enjoyed at the box office in this period was phenomenal. As a consequence of this, in the time period from 1957 to 1960, many other MDs came up with songs which had likeliness with OP style (those interested to know more about this, may refer to my post ‘OP Nayyar’s influence on other Music Directors’ (published on this blog on 31 August 2017). This fact, along with OP’s strong character and uncompromising nature resulted in OP losing his foothold in Hindi Music Film industry. He did introspection and came to the realization that he must remodel his composing style and re-engineer is orchestration. This was evident when he made a successful comeback with Ek Musafir Ek Hasina (1962) and continued till his break-up with Asha Bhosle in 1972-73.  The orchestration of the songs in the period from 1962 to 1973 is quite different from the earlier period. Here we find that OP made ample use of sitar, santoor, sarod, taar shehnai, along with sarangi and flute. His rhythm section made pronounced use of drum beats along with dholak and other ensembles.

Why OP’s music sounds distinctly different than other MDs?

It is a fact that OP’s music sounds very different from his contemporaries’ due to his musical arrangements and composing style. Another reason is that the orchestration included many instruments not used much by other composers. I quote from an article which I came across some time back. I unfortunately, don’t know the name of the author. The author writes “OP Nayyar had uncanny ability to marry western rhythms with Indian beats. He often used Western instruments like drum and castanets to set the pace in the mukhra of the songs, only to seamlessly transition to Indian percussion instruments like the dholak and tabla in the antara. This duality lent his compositions a dynamic texture that was entirely his own. The  song Balma khuli hawa mein from Kashmir Ki Kali exemplify this fusion, with the Western drumbeats blending effortlessly into the earthy, melodious cadence of Indian folk rhythms. His music wasn’t contrived or forced; instead, it felt like a natural conversation between two musical worlds. In OP Nayyar’s book of rhythm, rules were merely suggestions and tradition was a starting point, not a boundary.”  I can’t agree more and could not have put it better!

Now let us listen to some of his songs which highlight this and also his use of some other musical instruments.

Fusion between Western beats and Indian beats

Let us begin with four songs where he has created fusion of the Western beats with the Indian rhythm in a delightful manner. I think, possibly, OP was the first MD to come up with the idea to have mukhra in western beats and antara in Indian beats. The first song OP composed of this nature was ‘Sun sun sun sun zalima’ in the film Aar Paar (1954) which was his fourth film. The popularity of this experiment probably encouraged OP to continue with this idea. There are more than fifty such OP songs.

1. Balma khuli hawan mein – Asha Bhosle – Kashmir Ki Kali (1964) – Lyrics – SH Bihari.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKeIUenJtAY

This song was not included in the film. Such a pity, since it’s a fabulous song sung so well by Asha Bhosle. The initial piece is not included in the soundtrack of the record. It’s a good guess that the song immediately followed this music piece.  The producer Shakti Samanta, considered Kashmir Ki Kali as the best musical film among all his films that he produced, which included Aaradhana, Amar Prem, An Evening In Paris, Howrah Bridge. Sawan Ki Ghata, etc.

2. Dekho kasam se – Rafi and Asha Bhosle – Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957) – Lyrics – Majrooh Sultanpuri.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCqYt3L3RhY.

A foot-tapping duet by OP. This was the movie which established the careers of Shammi       Kapoor and Nasir Hussain (director). The hero is angry with the heroine initially and in the end discards his fake anger. Nasir Hussain used this same formula in Teesari Manzil ( ‘O Mere Sona Re’) and Hum Kissi Se Kam Nahin (‘Ye Ladka Hai Allah’) songs. The vibraphone grabs your attention. There is an interview available of Burjor Lord in which he claims that OP guided him on where to play the vibraphone in the song. OP told him to play the note when there is silence and then it will have the desired effect.

3. Aankhon Hi Aankon Mein – Rafi and Geeta Dutt – C.I.D. (1956) – Lyrics  – Majrooh Sultanpuri.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23F1FF68w_w.

An evergreen duet by OP. A perfect example of the Western and Indian fusion. The stanzas are all sung by Geeta Dutt. The way Rafi takes over from Geeta Dutt in the Mukhra is exemplary.

4. Mere dil ki payal baaje sainyya – Asha Bhosle – Ragini (1958) – Lyrics – Qamar Jalalabadi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-Rv3uMydHc&list=PLpZLHt6c4Ik8esXK-zxVhvlRR6a3i2Qnj&index=1

This truly represents the genius of OP as a composer. The song has a prelude of more than a minute and a half. It starts with Western beats of bongo and shifts to Punjab folk. The song starts with stanza and then we get to the mukhra. Notice the way rhythm is introduced in the mukhra. The end piece in Western beats takes you to the climax of the song with claps enhancing the effect. Superb fusion of Western beats with Indian beats and Punjab folk melody. The total effect is mesmerizing.

Now let us dwell on another unique aspect of OP’s originality in orchestration. In many of OP songs you find that he changes the pace of the rhythm in the second line of the mukhra to make the song sound catchier. There is no doubt that the rhythm orientation was in his blood.  I present here three songs of this type.

5. Huzurewaalaa jo ho ijaazat – Asha Bhosle and Minu Purushottam – Ye Raat Phir Na Aayegi (1966) – Lyrics – Aziz Kashmiri.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6ym4uOOtEo

A very popular duet. It has a huge and enchanting prelude. Interestingly, in the song in the movie, the interlude has laughter by Asha Bhosle, however in the LP, the laughter is missing. Clapping is an added attraction. Impeccable use of claps which was an OP monopoly.

6. Ek pardesi mera dil le gaya – Rafi and Asha Bhosle – Phagun (1958) – Lyrics – Qamar Jalalabadi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJe9dNb6HZ4

Another duet which is extremely popular even after more than 67 years.  So many remixes are made of this song. Enjoy the song and the ‘shoulder’ dance by Bharat Bhushan!

7. Ye chand sa roshan chehra – Rafi – Kashmir Ki Kali (1964) – Lyrics – SH Bihari.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-bdclQyWGM

Astonishingly, OP has used the same idea of changing the rhythm in the second line of the mukhra in the song having western beats. Notice the subtle use of vibraphone when the rhythm changes on the word tarif. Shammi Kapoor loved this song the most amongst all his songs. The claps in the end give the song additional zest. It’s a pity that Shammi Kapoor preferred Shankar-Jaikishan to OP once he was established. The rhythm-oriented style of OP suited Shammi Kapoor much more than Shankar-Jaikishan. According to my thinking, though, Shammi Kapoor had great admiration for OP, he preferred to work with SJ because he could freely make suggestions in the song without any fear of retribution.

Now let us shift our focus to OP’s use of his favorite instruments. The remarkable thing in OP’s case is, you name an instrument and you find OP songs having that instrument being used exquisitely. In OP’s songs the instruments like sarangi, sitar, santoor, taar-shehanai, piano, etc. stand out. This is because he used them mostly one at a time and gave them individual place in the song. He ensured that the sound of the instrument will reach the listener without any interference. He avoided heavy orchestration as a rule. His motto was optimal orchestration with maximum effect and he succeeded in extracting the desired effect from the limited instruments he used in his songs.

Clarinet/flute combination

In the time period between 1954 and 1960 OP used this combination profusely, so much so that it became his signature tune. The various permutations and combinations he came up with is mind blowing.

8. Boojh mera kya naav (naam) re – Shamshad Begum – CID (1956) – Lyrics  – Majrooh Sultanpuri.

Though most of the already presented songs have a strong prelude/intro piece, this is one more song with a beautiful prelude.  A breezy prelude, full of zest was an attractive feature of OP’s orchestration. Though other composers have also composed many songs with beautiful prelude, OP has a very high proportion of such songs, compared to others. I remember listening to this song repeatedly to memorize the intro piece and there were many others who also did the same. For all the OP fans the intro piece remains integral part of an OP song.

https://youtu.be/Nyr_d2aW97k

9. Chhun chhun ghunghroo bole – Asha Bhosle – Phagun (1958) – Lyrics – Qamar Jalalabadi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UoqYy0lrm8

A lovely song. Another song where OP has doubled the rhythm beats in the second line of the mukhra.

Sarangi

OP’s association with Pt. Ramnarayan’s sarangi started from his Lahore days. Pt. Ramnarayan accompanied OP when he sang on the Lahore Radio. OP loved this instrument and popularized it by combining it with cello. This combination sounds more mellifluous than just plain sarangi. He very successfully transformed sarangi from being a Kotha / mourning instrument into a romantic instrument.

10. Kar ke pyar pyar pyar – Asha Bhosle – Mujrim (1958) – Lyrics – Majrooh Sultanpuri

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNN418vdFZw

Such a melodious song, having so many elements to take note of. The interlude piece is as expected from OP in that time period, having clarinet-flute combo and sarangi-cello combo. The sarangi piece and its accompanied rhythm is outstanding.

Accordion

Accordion was a favorite instrument of SJ and no doubt SJ almost had a monopoly over it. However, OP was not averse to this instrument and composed some beautiful songs having accordion as the main instrument.

11. Dekh ke teri nazar – Rafi and Asha Bhosle – Howrah Bridge (1958) – Lyrics – Qamar Jalalabadi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmNkJ7-1qgc&list=RDYmNkJ7-1qgc&start_radio=1

The song has accordion as the only instrument, with a token appearance of mandolin. Accordion here is played by Goody Seervai and I believe he is shown playing it in the clip of the song. Another example of how OP managed to achieve maximum effect with minimal orchestration. Listen to the opening intricate piece of accordion. It’s like you are listening to an end piece of a raag in a sitar/santoor concert, with the player finishing his presentation of the raag with a flourish, by weaving an intricate pattern of play.

Electric Guitar

This was one more instrument which was integral part of OP’s orchestration and by default got identified with OP along with clarinet. There are many OP songs which have this as main instrument. Generally he used it when the song was being picturized with water in the background. OP felt the sound waves of this instrument perfectly matched with the water waves. Electric guitar was played by Sardar Hajarasing.

12. Mohabbat Kar Lo – Rafi, Geeta Dutt and Suman Kalyanpur– Aar Paar (1954) – Lyrics – Majrooh Sultanpuri.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59KQ37zw43s&list=RD59KQ37zw43s&start_radio=1

The sound effect produced by electric guitar in conjunction with double bass is magical.

13. Nadi ka kinara ho – Asha Bhosle – CID 909 (1967) – Lyrics – Verma Malik

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1HMyrQvnGA

Note the bass of dholak and the thaap. OP always personally looked over the recording of the song along with the recordist and ensured that he got the desired sound effect, especially the bass of the dholak.

14. Piano

This majestic popular instrument has been effectively used by all the composers and OP is no exception. There are many songs of OP where he has used it with great finesse. I present here his best song.

Aap ke haseen rukh pe – Rafi – Baharein Phir Bhi Aayengi (1966)- Lyrics – Anjaan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQblX2TmEZI

Bongo

OP used this sparingly, since dholak and drumbeats were his favourites. But he had a unique way of using it in a few of his songs.

15. Main Bambai ka Babu – Rafi – Naya Daur (1957) – Lyrics – Sahir Ludhiyanvi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lLA1dColvo

The bongo here is used as a tasha. Tasha is a popular instrument used with dhol in Maharashtra during Ganapati immersion procession. Johny Walker owed his career to the opportunity he got in enacting OP’s songs in the voice of Rafi.

Flute

Flute is also a widely used instrument in Hindi Film music. OP used it in many songs.

16. Piya piya na laage mora jiya – Asha Bhosle – Phagun (1958) – Lyrics – Qamar Jalalabadi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSzu4_hBVGQ

This is an OP-Asha classic. The flute is played by Sumant Raj who was a versatile artist and played many other instruments.

Sexaphone

This is also a popular instrument used frequently in Hindi Film music and OP has made good use of it.

17. Hai duniya usi ki – Rafi – Kashmir Ki Kali (1964) – Lyrics – SH Bihari.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTNhMH4GqI4

Orchestration is almost totally based upon sexaphone, played by Manohari Singh. In sad songs, OP invariably used the main tune as the interlude to enhance the sad effect of the song, another unique feature of OP’s orchestration.

Sitar, Santoor, Sarod, Taar-Shehnai

Finally let us listen to songs having orchestration based upon these Indian classical instruments (in addition to flute and sarangi). One can only have admiration for OP that he used these instruments so beautifully, keeping in mind the fact that he received no formal training in Indian Classical music.

18. Na jaane kyun – Rafi – Mohabbat Zindagi Hai (1966) – Lyrics – SH Bihari.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIf7ml5fFqU

Superb lyrics, great tune, wonderful singing by Rafi and splendid interludes of sitar and santoor. What more do you need?

19. Tumhein mohabbat hai hum se mana – Rafi and Asha – Ek Musafir Ek Hasina (1962) – Lyrics – SH Bihari.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFtixrIEph4

Another wonderful duet. Notice that the orchestration includes sarod, santoor, sarangi, taar-shehnai and each instrument is given enough space that it stands out. Asha Bhosle has excelled in this song. Though other duets from this film are more popular, it’s the problem of plenty.

20. Phir miloge kabhi – Rafi and Asha – Ye Raat Phir Na Aayegi (1966) – Lyrics – SH Bihari.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzCmC5rDqKM

I have provided here audio link, since it has the initial sitar and sarod piece. One more example of the orchestration that includes sitar, sarod, sarangi, taar-shehanai, santoor and flute. It would have been some experience to attend the live recording of this song. Just imagine Ustad Rais Khan(sitar), Pt. Shivkumar Sharma (santoor), Pt. Ramnarayan (sarangi), Zarin Daruwala (sarod), Dakshina Mohan Tagore (taar-shehnai), Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasiya (flute) assembled and preparing for the recording!  It will be interesting to find out if any other composer has done it. OP was a master of duets because he utilized the contrast between the masculine and feminine aspect beautifully. This is a prime example of that.

Acknowledgement
1. YouTube
2. Internet in general