Beautiful music revitalizes Yazh, a harp used in ancient Tamil music

Boston based composer and multi-instrumentalist Aneesh Kashalikar and Chennai based Music collective Uru unite to revitalize yazh along with Armenian duduk, showcasing beauty of these ancient instruments.

Agandai Tegam is a unique fusion song using a plethora of instruments from across the world about how love conquers ego, as described in the title. The composition uses instruments such as the ancient arched harp, a Tamil veena from the Sangam times known as yazh both in treble (Sagoda) and bass (Seeri) forms, Armenian duduk, a double reed like nadaswaram but much more soft, velvety, and warm with a very lyrical quality, 4 string fretless bass played in Latin style, kudamuzha, an ancient Sangam period drum, and a plethora of Indian and middle eastern percussion such as daf, darbuka, talking drums, chenda, and more. The song’s lyrics describe how the ego of a formidable warrior is pierced after seeing this beautiful girl, her words waking the passion in his heart as he saw her face covered in the rain. The song is a fusion of Indian music, middle eastern music, Latin music, hip hop and more.

Boston-based musician Aneesh, who composed the song, expresses, “I wanted to create a music album that brings together diverse musical instruments from around the world. During my research, I discovered Tharun Sekar, known for his dedication to reviving ancient instruments like the yazh. Impressed by his work, I reached out to him with the idea. We began brainstorming together in 2023 and recorded the song in August of the same year.”

Initially, they planned to create a song solely featuring the ancient Tamil Yazh and the Armenian Duduk. As they collaborated, the piece naturally evolved, incorporating contributions from other performers. The ensemble extended to include additional instruments such as the daf, darbuka, talking drums, chenda and more.

The song’s lyrics are inspired by the Silapathikaram from Sangam literature. Aneesh tells this writer. “I drew a lot of inspiration from Tamil and Sangam literature while working on the song. My father is a Maharashtrian and my mother hails from a Tamil-speaking family settled in Bengaluru. So, it was a privilege to immerse myself in such rich literary works during the composition process.”’

Aneesh aims to raise awareness about ancient musical instruments by incorporating a variety of them into the composition. “Only those deeply involved in the music industry are familiar with these instruments. Through engaging collaborations like this, people could listen to and appreciate ancient instruments from across the globe.”

Combining Indian, Middle Eastern, Latin, hip-hop, and other influences, the song offers a distinct flavor guaranteed to captivate listeners’ attention.

Listen to the music on any of the major music apps. https://youtu.be/IKIeKUaHaeY?si=RIq8ySH5ob1mx4jT https://open.spotify.com/album/6rKOuEhYn7VUeRtlIJVB8R?si=Sg9tmDAbRKqHYx40hnAEXQ

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