How Can A Composition Be Older Than The Composer

Well-known musician and great composer, T.V. Hari Haran messed with my mind this morning. During our conversation, he said something that got me thinking. One of his compositions,”Hare Murare Madhukaika Baare”, he said, came much before he was born.

You can enjoy listening to this composition on raagabox.com –

Really? How is it possible for a composition to be born much before the composer is? All truly great musicians say the same thing, “I don’t know music, music knows me”, says Dr. Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna. “I don’t know music, it flows through me from higher consciousness” said Illayaraja. I suppose they are saying, music and art are not created, they are discovered. Perhaps the music always existed, within the artist and all around her. May be the artist discovers it, or not! May be music shows up in artist’s consciousness when she is ready.

T. V. Hari Haran‘s music is very meditative and calming. When the day seems long and nothing seems to workout well for you, listen to his music and find encouragement and inspiration.

Here are a few of his compositions

Om Namah Shivaya –

Anadamayi Chaitanyamayi –

Arunachala Shiva –

Soham Soham Dhyan Karo –

So long, enjoy the good music, be good, Santa likes it.

Update: Brother Hari Haran clarified to me that Hare Murare is an old bhajan that was composed by someone else, he sang it because it was lost in the pile of many such old gems. However, the article stands true to whatever else has been said about brother Hari and the stalwarts and it’s fun to think of the idea of a “composition older than the composer”, so I won’t change anything in the writeup.