R.D. Burman and Rhythm: “Making the Youth of This Nation to Dance”

Abstract

Rhythmic intensity and complexity are frequently defined as key elements in the innovative success of the songs of film composer R.D. Burman (1939–1994). In a primarily musicological study, this article uses key rhythmic theory to examine the rhythmic innovations heard in the songs that were generated in Burman’s music workshop. These innovations are considered in the context of their relationship to the newly expressive and increasingly rhythm-oriented choreographic practice that appears in the film scenes of which those songs were part. These developments are further juxtaposed with Burman’s famous and largely successful engagement with global popular music styles, especially musical and cinematic representations of foreign “youth” culture that were featured in many films that Burman’s music accompanied.