Experience the Northern Indian and Western musical fusion that makes the characters of Tigers - Tracking a Legend come alive.
Some of the authentic Northern Indian instruments used: Daf, Dholak, Dumbek, Harmonium, Ney, Santur, Sarod, Shenai, Sitar, Sumandal, Tablas, Tanpura and Zils. Many of their sounds were incorporated into musical motifs for the story's many characters - tigers, elephants, wildlife and their human guardians. Following this, Western orchestration was carefully added to complement the film score.
Listen for these unique Indian Instruments! (Quicktime or MP3 Player required.)
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 Tiger Worship Beautiful vocal chants lend a spiritual quality to the tease of the film -- a montage of it's many characters. Quicktime (453 K) Mp3 (447 K) |
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Bachhi The Tigress Bacchi rests while her cubs explore. To create a playful feel for this young mother and her family, light sitar melodies interact with guitar, played by Eddie Freeman. Orchestration sews it all together. Quicktime (713 K) Mp3 (671 K) |
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Badi & Choti, Cubs at Play Sister cubs romp and run to the sound of rhythmic tablas and an infectious daf (Northern Indian tambourine). Quicktime (611 K) Mp3 (593 K) |
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Charger, Noble Monarch Charger, the 17 year old monarch tiger in our story, required a traditional sound. The instrument of choice became the santur. Listen for its "bouncing on strings" melody. Quicktime (317 K) Mp3 (276 K) |
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Bad Boy Banda Banda, as the up-and-coming lord of the realm, is a threat to all creatures, including his own kind. Dark vocal riffs paint strength and foreboding. Quicktime (360 K) Mp3 (329 K)
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Cital Chase Deem Danna Deem Danna -- the hint of Indian Tarana at the end of this cue works especially well to underscore the flight of the chital -- the deer that Bacchi hunts to feed her cubs. Quicktime (689 K) Mp3 (677 K) |
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Dayaram and Lalu, Tiger Trackers Part of their charge to protect tigers means that mahavats Dayaram and Lalu must journey deep into the forest on elephant back. Flute breaths add a percussive element to this cue as father and son move through the tall grass from their elevated vantage-point. Quicktime (450 K) Mp3 (456 K) |
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Elephant Puja Dayaram and Lalu, Mahavat and son, pay homage to the elephant by performing "puja" ceremonies. Mystery is heightened through the use of electric violin. Though the violin is not historically an Indian instrument, it has gained amazing popularity in present-day culture. Quicktime (533 K) Mp3 (528 K) |
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Nighttime Scary Theme Cats are nocturnal and hunt at night. The electric violin played here by Robert Aviles has been specially designed with an extra lower string, and adds a haunting, cello-like darkness to this moonlit forest scene. Quicktime (285 K) Mp3 (243 K) |
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Village Love Song - Jiya Lage Na Jiya Lage Na, roughly translated, means "my heart is missing someone." The simplistic beauty of sitar with vocals here accompanies a land thirsty for water. Light, teasing rains are intercut with scenes of Chital deer drinking from thin streams. Quicktime (431 K) Mp3 (414 K) |
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Ek Kahani Sher Ki Translated, this title means "the legend of the tiger." In separate cues, both Hidayat Khan and Sudakshina Alagia ad lib vocally around the phrase. Ad libbing is a highly-cultivated skill of traditional singers. This version is Sudakshina's, and accompanies Bachhi during one of her nighttime jaunts. Quicktime (528 K) Mp3 (477 K) |
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Elephant Bath Imagine bathing something 500 times your size! Every day, Lalu does just that - when he and hisfather wash their pachyderm pal to both free the elephant's skin from parsites and help keep it soft. The percussive melody for this theme is a combination of juice harp and cowbell. Quicktime (219 K) Mp3 (210 K) |
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Tiger Dancers In another "puja," villagers worship the tiger by decorating their bodies, performing music and dancing. These live sounds were recorded by the filmmaker during her attendance at an actual ceremony. Quicktime (535 K) Mp3 (1 MB) |
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Early in the film's script writing process, the composers were asked to create musical themes for each of the story's characters; including tigers, man and other wildlife. The music grew as the characters developed.
Since Carol Amore, Executive Producer, had pre-determined that the origins of the music for Tigers-Tracking a Legend would draw from both Western and Northern Indian cultures, the composers tapped both traditional and contemporary means to tackle the job. "Traditional" meant including musicologists and instrumentalists, such as master sitarist, Hidayat Kahn and UCLA's Abhiman Kaushal. These experts added their wisdom and performances to the final palette, as did many other musicians, including the composers themselves. Singer Sudakshina Alagia's lovely vocal stylings were recorded for the opening theme, sacred chants and Indian folk music. These dedicated artist's talents had been cultivated through one-on-one training by masters who had, in turn, been trained by masters before them.
So how did the "contemporary" part of this film's music process happen? Via the internet! Preparation was done through a broad and respectful search into the world of Northern Indian music by surfing India's rich musical history across miles of web sites. Using these references, the composers expanded their knowledge of Indian modes called ragas, which are played during specific times of the day. They then picked ragas that represented the tigers' ages -- sunset modes for elderly tigers (Charger), midday ragas for young adults (Bachhi), and so on.
The composers also worked with unusual rhythms, which are popular in Indian music, such as 7/4. Sacred sounds from Indian culture, such as Ohm; and indigenous folk songs were also integrated into the film scenes. Then Western orchestration was designed and recorded to complete the film score.
Visit Icarus Music or E=mail icarusmusic@mediaone.net
About the Composers
Marta Victoria and Eddie Freeman, owners of Icarus Music, have a musical philosophy that supports the dramatic nature of the film. They believe their scores should create an atmosphere of involvement, so that viewers can get inside their own emotions and relate with what is happening to the creatures in the film. To best convey a sense of place, the composers strive to remain faithful to the sounds of the culture's and the wildlife's environment by working with native musicians. Through this blending of diverse music culture, they want audiences to experience the film in a more engaging and personal way.