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Dheerashankarābharanam commonly known as
Shankarābharanam, is a
rāgaA raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...
in
Carnatic musicCarnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
(musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 29th
MelakartaMelakarta is a collection of fundamental ragas in Carnatic music . Melakarta ragas are parent ragas from which other ragas may be generated. A melakarta raga is sometimes referred as mela, karta or sampurna as well.In Hindustani music the thaat is equivalent of Melakarta...
rāga in the 72
melakarta rāga system of Carnatic music.
It is known as
Bilawal in the Hindustani music system. The Western equivalent is the major scale.
[Raganidhi by P. Subba Rao, Pub. 1964, The Music Academy of Madras] Hence this rāga is one of the most popular scales across the world, known with different names in different musical styles.
Its nature is mellifluous and smooth. This rāga offers a large scope for compositions. It is ideal for a melodious, but still laid back majestic presentation.
Structure and Lakshana
It is the 5th rāga in the 5th
chakra Bana. The mnemonic name is
Bana-Ma. The mnemonic phrase is
sa ri gu ma pa dhi nu. Its structure is as follows (see
swaras in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms):
{{Carnatic}}
Dheerashankarābharanam ({{lang-sa|धीरशंकराभरणम्}}, {{lang-te|ధీరశంకరాభరణం}}, {{lang-kn|ಧೀರಶಂಕರಾಭರಣ}}, {{lang-ta|தீரசங்கராபரணம்}}), commonly known as Shankarābharanam, is a rāgaA raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...
in Carnatic musicCarnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
(musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 29th MelakartaMelakarta is a collection of fundamental ragas in Carnatic music . Melakarta ragas are parent ragas from which other ragas may be generated. A melakarta raga is sometimes referred as mela, karta or sampurna as well.In Hindustani music the thaat is equivalent of Melakarta...
rāga in the 72 melakarta rāga system of Carnatic music.
It is known as Bilawal in the Hindustani music system. The Western equivalent is the major scale.[Raganidhi by P. Subba Rao, Pub. 1964, The Music Academy of Madras] Hence this rāga is one of the most popular scales across the world, known with different names in different musical styles.
Its nature is mellifluous and smooth. This rāga offers a large scope for compositions. It is ideal for a melodious, but still laid back majestic presentation.
Structure and Lakshana
It is the 5th rāga in the 5th chakra Bana. The mnemonic name is Bana-Ma. The mnemonic phrase is sa ri gu ma pa dhi nu. Its {{IAST|ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa}} structure is as follows (see swaras in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms):
{{Carnatic}}
Dheerashankarābharanam ({{lang-sa|धीरशंकराभरणम्}}, {{lang-te|ధీరశంకరాభరణం}}, {{lang-kn|ಧೀರಶಂಕರಾಭರಣ}}, {{lang-ta|தீரசங்கராபரணம்}}), commonly known as Shankarābharanam, is a rāgaA raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...
in Carnatic musicCarnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
(musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 29th MelakartaMelakarta is a collection of fundamental ragas in Carnatic music . Melakarta ragas are parent ragas from which other ragas may be generated. A melakarta raga is sometimes referred as mela, karta or sampurna as well.In Hindustani music the thaat is equivalent of Melakarta...
rāga in the 72 melakarta rāga system of Carnatic music.
It is known as Bilawal in the Hindustani music system. The Western equivalent is the major scale.[Raganidhi by P. Subba Rao, Pub. 1964, The Music Academy of Madras] Hence this rāga is one of the most popular scales across the world, known with different names in different musical styles.
Its nature is mellifluous and smooth. This rāga offers a large scope for compositions. It is ideal for a melodious, but still laid back majestic presentation.
Structure and Lakshana
It is the 5th rāga in the 5th chakra Bana. The mnemonic name is Bana-Ma. The mnemonic phrase is sa ri gu ma pa dhi nu. Its {{IAST|ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa}} structure is as follows (see swaras in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms):
- {{IAST
Arohana, Arohanam or Arohan, in the context of North Indian Classical Music and South Indian Classical Music, is the ascending scale of notes in a raga...
: S R2 G3 M1 P D2 N3 S
- {{IAST
An Avarohana, Avarohanam or Avarohan in Indian classical music terminology is the descending scale of any raga. Each raga has an avarohana and arohana. The notes descend in pitch from the octave tonic down to the lower tonic...
: S N3 D2 P M1 G3 R2 S
The notes in this scale are shadjam, chathusruthi rishabham, antara gandharam, shuddha madhyamam, panchamam, chathusruthi dhaivatham and kakali nishadham. As it is a melakarta rāga, by definition it is a sampurna rāgaIn Indian classical music, Sampurna ragas have all seven swaras in their scale. In general, the swaras in the Arohana and Avarohana strictly follow the ascending and descending scale as well...
(has all seven notes in ascending and descending scale). It is the shuddha madhyamam equivalent of 65th melakarta rāga Kalyani.
Janya rāgas
Due to the even spacing of swaras, many janya rāgas can be derived from Shankarābharanam. It is one of the melakarta rāgas that has high number of janya rāgas (derived scales) associated with it.
Many of the janya rāgas are very popular on their own, lending themselves to elaboration, interpretation and evoking different moods. Some of them are Arabhi, AtaanaAtana is a raga in Carnatic music . It is a Janya raga , whose Melakarta raga is Shankarabharanam, 29th in the 72 Melakarta raga system....
, BilahariBilahari is a rāgam in Carnatic music . It is a janya rāgam from the 29th melakarta scale Shankarabharanam. It is a janya scale, as it does not have all the seven swaras in the ascending scale...
, Devagandhari, HamsadhvaniHamsadhvani also known as Hansadhwani, is a rāga in Carnatic music . It is an audava rāgam...
, Kadanakutoohalam, NiroshtaNiroshta is a rāgam in Carnatic music . It is a pentatonic scale . It is a derived scale , as it does not have all the seven swaras ....
, Shuddha SāveriShuddha Saveri , , ) is a rāgam in Carnatic music . It is an audava rāgam . It is a janya rāgam , as it does not have all the seven swaras .The equivalent of Shuddha Saveri in Hindustani music is Durga.Raganidhi by P. Subba Rao, Pub...
, Purnachandrika, Janaranjani, Kedaram, Kurinji, Navroj, Sarasvati-manohari, Nagadhvani etc.
See List of janya rāgas for full list of rāgas associated with Shankarabharanam.
Compositions
Shankarābharanam has been decorated with compositions by almost all composers. A few of the compositions are listed here.
Edhuta nilachite, Bhakti Bhikshameeyave, "Mariyada Kaadhura", Swararagasudharasa, Sundareshwaruni, Manasusvadhinamaina and Enduku peddalavale by Thyagaraja- Dakshinamurthe, Sadasivam Upaasmahe, Akshayalingavibho and Shri kamalamba by Muthuswami Dikshitar
Muthuswami Dikshitar is a South Indian poet and composer and is one of the Musical Trinity of Carnatic music...
- Pogadirelo Ranga by Purandara Dasa
Purandara Dāsa is one of the most prominent composers of Carnatic music and is widely regarded as the "father of Carnatic Music". Purandara Dasa addressed social issues in addition to worship in his compositions, a practice emulated by his younger contemporary, Kanaka Dasa...
- Sarojadala netri and Devi Meenanethri by Syama Sastri
Syama Sastri is one of the most renowned composers of Carnatic music. He was the eldest of the so-called Trinity of Carnatic music, Tyagaraja and Muthuswami Dikshitar being the other two. A major source for his biography is a chapter in P. Sambamoorthy's book, Great Composers, 69-94...
- Chalamela (Ata tala varnam) by Swathi Thirunal maharaja
- Alarulu Kuriyaga Adenade by Annamacharya
Sri Tallapaka Annamacharya was the official songmaster of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, and a Telugu composer who composed around 36000 keertana songs, many of which were in praise of Venkateswara, the presiding deity of the temple...
Muthuswami Dikshitar also has a list of 22 "nottusvara" compositions, based on Western Major Scale notes to his credit.
Related rāgas
This section covers the theoretical and scientific aspect of this rāga.
Shankarābharanam's notes when shifted using Graha bedhamGraha bedham of a musical scale in Carnatic music , is the process of shifting the Tonic note to another note in the rāgam and arriving at a different rāgam....
, yields 5 other major Melakarta rāgas, namely, Kalyani, HanumatodiHanumatodi, more popularly known as Todi, is a rāgam in Carnatic music . It is the 8th melakarta rāgam in the 72 melakarta rāgam system. This is sung very often in concerts. It is known to be a difficult rāgam to perform in owing to its complexity in prayoga...
, NatabhairaviNatabhairavi is a rāgam in Carnatic music . It is the 20th melakarta rāgam in the 72 melakarta rāgam system. It corresponds to the minor scale of western music system....
, KharaharapriyaKharaharapriya is a rāgam in Carnatic music . It is the 22nd melakarta rāgam in the 72 melakarta rāgam system. Kharaharapriya has a distinct melody and brings out the Karuna rasam, invoking pathos in the listeners...
and HarikambhojiHarikambhoji is a rāgam in Carnatic music . It is the 28th Melakarta rāgam in the 72 melakarta rāgam system....
. Graha bedham is the step taken in keeping the relative note frequencies same, while shifting the shadjam to the next note in the rāga. Refer table below for illustration of this concept.
| Rāga | Mela # | C | | D | | E | F | | G | | A | | B | C | | D | | E | F | | G | | A | | B | C |
| Shankarābharanam |
29 |
S |
|
R2 |
|
G3 |
M1 |
|
P |
|
D2 |
|
N3 |
S' |
|
R2' |
|
G3' |
M1' |
|
P' |
|
D2' |
|
N3' |
S' ' |
| Kharaharapriya |
22 |
|
|
S |
|
R2 |
G2 |
|
M1 |
|
P |
|
D2 |
N2 |
|
S' |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Hanumatodi |
08 |
|
|
|
|
S |
R1 |
|
G2 |
|
M1 |
|
P |
D1 |
|
N2 |
|
S' |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Kalyani |
65 |
|
|
|
|
|
S |
|
R2 |
|
G3 |
|
M2 |
P |
|
D2 |
|
N2 |
S' |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Harikambhoji |
28 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
S |
|
R2 |
|
G3 |
M1 |
|
P |
|
D2 |
N2 |
|
S' |
|
|
|
|
|
| Natabhairavi |
20 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
S |
|
R2 |
G2 |
|
M1 |
|
P |
D1 |
|
N2 |
|
S' |
|
|
|
| Invalid Melakarta |
-- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
S |
R1 |
|
G2 |
|
M1 |
M2 |
|
D1 |
|
N2 |
|
S' |
|
| Shankarābharanam |
29 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
S |
|
R2 |
|
G3 |
M1 |
|
P |
|
D2 |
|
N3 |
S' |
Notes on above table
C as the base for Shankarābharanam is chosen for above illustration only for convenience, as Carnatic music does not enforce strict frequency/note structure. The shadjam (S) is fixed by the artist as per the vocal range or the instrument's base frequency. All the other swarams are relative to this shadjam, falling into a geometric progression-like frequency pattern.
The 7th graha bedham of Shankarābharanam has both madhyamams (Ma) and no panchamam (Pa) and hence will not be considered a valid melakarta (rāga having all 7 swarams and only 1 of each). This is only a classification issue with respect to melakarta scales, while this structure could be theoretically used well to create good music (probably needs an expert).
Interesting features
The swaras are regularly spaced in these ragas. Hence these six ragas give very good melody, scope for elaboration, experimentation and exploration of phrases. In practice, Natabhairavi is not elaborated extensively much. Harikambhoji is taken up for elaboration, but not as much as the rest of the 4 ragas, namely, Shankarābharanam, Todi, Kalyani and Kharaharapriya. One of these 4 rāgas is sung as the main rāga in a concert quite often.
As can be seen in the illustration, these rāgas can be played using just the white keys of a piano/ organ/ keyboard (rāga in simplified fashion).