Aananda Bhairavi begins around the twentieth minute !

Anandabhairavi

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For the 2004 film, see Anandabhairavi (2004 film). For the 2007 film, see Anandabhairavi (2007 film).

Carnatic Music

Concepts

Sruti • Swara • Raga • Tala • Melakarta • Asampurna Melakarta

Compositions

Varnam • Kriti • Geetham • Swarajati • Ragam Thanam Pallavi • Thillana

Instruments

melody: Vocals • Saraswati veena • Venu • Violin • Chitra veena • Nadaswaram • Mandolin

rhythm: Mridangam • Ghatam • Morsing • Kanjira • Thavil

drone: Tambura • Shruti box

Composers

List of Carnatic composers

Anandabhairavi or Ananda Bhairavi (pronounced ānandabhairavi) is a very old melodious rāgam (musical scale) of Carnatic music (South Indian classical music). This rāgam has been used even in Indian folk music. Ānandam (Sanskrit) means happiness and the rāgam brings a happy mood to the listener.

It is a janya rāgam (derived scale) of the 20th Melakarta rāgam Natabhairavi[1] [2], although some suggest that it is janya of 22nd melakarta Kharaharapriya.

Contents

 [hide] 

1 Structure and Lakshana

2 Swara phrases

3 Popular Compositions

4 References

[edit] Structure and Lakshana

Parent scale Natabhairavi with shadjam at C

Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure is as follows (see swaras in Carnatic music for details on the notations used):

ārohaṇa : S G2 R2 G2 M1 P D2 P S

avarohaṇa : S N2 D2 P M1 G2 R2 S

(chathusruthi rishabham, sadharana gandharam, shuddha madhyamam, shuddha dhaivatham, kaisiki nishadham)

It is a sampoorna rāgam – rāgam having all 7 swarams, but it is not a melakarta rāgam, as it has vakra prayogam (zig-zag notes in scale) and uses anya swaram (external note) in comparison with its parent rāgam. The anya swaram is the usage of chathusruthi dhaivatham (D2) in some phrases of the rāgam[1].

It is vakra rāgam since its arohana is not in proper sequence. Its arohana is “sa ga ri ga ma pa da pa sa” (“ga” comes before “ri” and after “pa” comes after “da”). These two technicalities makes this rāgam vakram but only in arohana. In avarohana it is normal, that is “sa ni da pa ma ga ri sa”.

Anandabhairavi ragam is also a bhashanga rāgam, since it uses more than one anya swaram. Anya swaram of a rāgam is the swaram which does not belong to the arohana or avarohana of its melakarta (Tamil: thāi – parent) rāgam but it is sung in prayogams (phrases used in raga alapana, kalpanaswarams).

[edit] Swara phrases

The three anya swarams of Anandabhairavi are antara gandharam (G3), chathusruthi dhaivatham (D2) and kakali nishadham (N3)[1]. But all these anya swaras occur only in prayogas (not in arohana avarohana). “G3” occurs in “ma pa ma ga ga ma”, “D2” occurs in “ga ma pa da”. Generally “N3” is not sung these days. It is said that Tyagaraja and Muthuswami Dikshitar do not use any of the anya swarams in their compositions.

Anandabhairavi also has unique swara patterns both in manodharma (impromptu improvisations by performer) and in its compositions. The popular patterns are SGGM, SP, and SGMP. The musician isn’t allowed to stay long on nishadam, this characteristic distinguishes it from Reetigowla. Few allied ragas (similar) to this are Reetigowla and Huseni.

[edit] Popular Compositions

Anandabhairavi is one of the favourite ragams of Syama Sastri. He is said to have made this a popular rāgam and also to have given the present form for this rāgam[1]. More or less Anandabhairavi’s synonym is “Marivere gati” by Syama Sastri. In “Mariverae” and in “O jagadhamba” Syama Sastri uses the anya swara “ga(2)”.

Marivere Gati and O jagadhamba by Syama Sastri

Maanasa guruguha, Kamalamba Samrakshatu and Thyagaraja yoga vaibhavam by Muthuswami Dikshitar

Samaganapriye by Periyasaamy Thooran

Nike Teliyaka in Adi thalam by Thyagaraja

Paluke Bangaru by Ramadas

iTTi muddulADibAluDeDavADe by Annamacharya

kaMTi SukravAramu by Annamacharya

rAmabhadra raghuvIra by Annamacharya

[edit] References

^ a b c d Ragas in Carnatic music by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications

^ Raganidhi by P. Subba Rao, Pub. 1964, The Music Academy of Madras

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