Hamsadhvani (meaning "the cry of the swan"), is a

rāga A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. It is central to classical Indian music. Each raga consists of an array of melodic structures with musical motifs; and, fro ...

Carnatic music Carnatic music (known as or in the Dravidian languages) is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and southern Odisha. It is o ...

(musical scale of Carnatic tradition of Indian classical music). It is an ''audava'' rāgam (or ''owdava'' rāga, meaning pentatonic scale). It is a ''

janya ''Janya'' is a term meaning "derive". In Carnatic (South Indian) music a ''janya raga'' is one derived from one of the 72 '' melakarta'' ragas (fundamental melodic structures). ''Janya'' ragas are classified into various types based on a vari ...

'' rāga of the

Melakartha Mēḷakartā is a collection of fundamental musical scales (ragas) in Carnatic music (South Indian classical music). ''Mēḷakartā'' ragas are parent ragas (hence known as ''janaka'' ragas) from which other ragas may be derived. A ''melakart ...

raga,

Sankarabharanam Sankarabharanam may refer to: * ''Sankarabharanam'' (1980 film), an Indian Telugu-language musical drama film * ''Sankarabharanam'' (2015 film), an Indian Telugu-language crime comedy film * Sankarabharanam (raga), a rāga in Carnatic music ...

(29th) but according to Hamsadhvani's prayoga or the way it is sung it is said to be the janya of

Kalyani Kalyani may refer to: Film and television * ''Kalyani'' (1940 film), a Hindi film * ''Kalyani'' (1952 film), a Tamil film * ''Kalyani'' (1971 film), a Kannada film * ''Kalyani'' (1979 film), a Telugu film * ''Kalyani'' (1983 film), an Oriya ...

(65th). ''Hamsadhvani'' is also extensively used in

Hindustani music Hindustani classical music is the Indian classical music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent's northern regions. It may also be called North Indian classical music or ''Uttar Bhartiya shastriya sangeet''. The term ''shastriya sangeet'' ...

and is borrowed into it from

.''Raganidhi'' by P. Subba Rao, Pub. 1964, The Music Academy of Madras It was created by the Carnatic composer Ramaswami Dikshitar (1735–1817), father of

Muthuswami Dikshitar Muthuswami Dikshitar (Mudduswamy Dikshitar) (, 24 March 1776 – 21 October 1835), mononymously Dikshitar, was a South Indian poet, singer, veena player, and a prolific composer of Indian classical music. He was the youngest member of what is re ...

(one of the musical trinity of Carnatic music), and brought into

Aman Ali Khan Ustad Aman Ali Khan ‘Amar’ (1888–1953) was an Indian classical vocalist and composer from the Bhendibazaar Gharana. He brought many Carnatic ragas into Hindustani classical music. Aman Ali was the son of Chhajju Khan, one of the founder ...

of the

Bhendibazaar gharana The Bhendibazaar gharana is one of the vocal gharanas of Indian classical music, which originated in Bhendi Bazaar area of Mumbai in 1890. The founders of the gharana originally belonged to the Moradabad area of Uttar Pradesh. Upon migrating to ...

. It has become popular due to Amir Khan.

Structure and lakshana

''Hamsadhvani'' does not contain ''madhyamam'' or ''dhaivatham''. It is a pentatonic scale (''audava-audava'' ragam''Ragas in Carnatic music'' by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications in Carnatic music classification – ''audava'' meaning 'of 5'). Its ' structure (ascending and descending scale) is as follows (see ''swaras'' in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms): * : * : The notes used in this scale are ''shadjam, chatushruti rishabham, antara gandharam, panchamam'' and ''kakali nishadam''. In Hindustani music, it is associated with ''

Bilaval Bilaval or Bilawal () is a raga and the basis for the eponymous ''thaat'' (musical mode) in Hindustani classical music. Raga Bilaval is named after Veraval, Gujarat. Bilaval has been the standard for North Indian music since the early 19th ce ...

thaat A ''thaat'' () is a "parent scale" in North Indian or Hindustani music. It is the Hindustani equivalent of the term '' Melakartha raga'' of Carnatic music. The concept of the ''thaat'' is not exactly equivalent to the western musical scal ...

'' (equivalent of ''Shankarabharanam'').

Compositions

''Hamsadhvani'' rāgam lends itself for elaboration and exploration and has many compositions in both classical music and film music. It is usually sung at the beginning of a performance. There are many ''

kriti Kriti may refer to: Art and entertainment * Kriti (music), a format of musical composition typical to Carnatic music * ''Kriti'' (film), a 2016 Indian Hindi-language short film * Kriti TV, Greek TV station People with the name * Kriti Bhar ...

s'' (compositions) in praise of

Lord Ganesha Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions are found throughout India. Hi ...

set in this musical scale. * ''Jalajaskha'' an

Adi tala {{Carnatic Adi tala (Sanskrit: ''ādi tāḷa'', Kannada: ಆದಿ ತಾಳ, literally "primary rhythm" also spelled aadi taalam or adi talam) is the name of one of the most popular tala or rhythms used in Carnatic Music Carnatic music ...

Varnam Varṇam is a type of composition in the Carnatic music system that encapsulates the key features of a raga, and considered as a foundational element in the learning path. Varnams capture the essence of the ragam in terms of typical swara patt ...

by Mānambuccāvaḍi Venkaṭa Subbayyar * ''Pagavari'' an

Patnam Subramania Iyer Patnam Subramania Iyer (1845 – July 31, 1902) was a composer and singer of Carnatic music. Subramaniya Iyer followed the traditions of the great composer Tyagaraja. He has left behind almost one hundred compositions. Subramaniya Iyer was bor ...

* ''Gajamukhane Siddhidayakane'' by

Vyasatirtha Vyāsatīrtha (), also called ''Vyasaraja'' or ''Chandrikacharya'', was a Hindu philosopher, scholar, polemicist, commentator and poet belonging to the Madhwacharya's Dvaita order of Vedanta. As the rajaguru of Vijayanagara Empire, Vyasati ...

* ''Raghunāyaka'', ''Śrī Raghukula'' and ''Abhishta varada'' by

Tyagaraja Sadguru Tyagaraja Swami ( Telugu: సద్గురు త్యాగరాజ స్వామి; 4 May 1767 – 6 January 1847), also known as Tyagayya, and in full as Kakarla Tyagabrahmam ( Telugu: కాకర్ల త్యాగబ ...

in Telugu * '' Vātāpi Gaṇapatiṃ'' and ''Parvathi Pathim'' by

in Sanskrit * ''Pāhi Śripatē'' by

Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma Sri Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma III (16 April 1813 – 26 December 1846) was the Maharaja of the Kingdom of Travancore. He was a great musician and composer who has to his credit over 400 classical compositions in both Carnatic and Hindustani st ...

* ''Varanamukha vā'' by

Koteeswara Iyer Koteeswara Iyer (1869 - 1938), was a pioneer composer of Indian classical music Carnatic music. He was a grandson of Kavi Kunjara Bharati(1810–1896) attributing to a strong lineage of accomplished musicians. He was born in Nandhanur to Nagarat ...

* ''Mūlādhāra mūrti'', ''Karunai seivai'', ullam irangi and parasakthi janani by

Papanasam Sivan Paapanaasam Raamayya Sivan (26 September 1890 – 1 October 1973) was an Indian composer of Carnatic music and a singer. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1971. He was also a film score composer in Kannada cinema a ...

in Sanskrit and Tamil * ''Gajavadana beduve'' by

Purandaradasa Purandara Dasa (IAST: Purandara Dāsa; (1470 – 1564) was a composer, singer and a Haridasa philosopher from present-day Karnataka, India. He was a follower of Madhvacharya's Dvaita philosophy. He was one of the chief founding proponents ...

in Kannada *''Nammamma Sharade'' by

Kanakadasa Kanaka Dasa (1509–1606) also known as Daasashreshta Kanakadasa (ದಾಸಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ ಕನಕದಾಸ), was a Haridasa saint and philosopher of Dvaita Vedanta, from present-day Karnataka, India. He was a follower of Madhvacharya' ...

in Kannada * ''Vināyakā'' by

Veena Kuppayyar Veena Kuppayyar (1798–1860) was an exponent of Veena and a composer of Carnatic music. He was a student of the famous composer Tyagaraja. Kuppayar composed his songs in Telugu language and has left behind a number of popular ''kritis''. Early ...

in Sanskrit * ''Varavallabha Ramaṇa'' by

G. N. Balasubramaniam Gudalur Narayanaswamy Balasubramaniam (6 January 1910 – 1 May 1965), popularly known as GNB, was an Indian Carnatic music, Carnatic singer. He innovated the art through emphasis on ''laya ''control and reducing the ''gamakas'' which eventuall ...

* ''Gaṃ Gaṇapatē'' by

Muthiah Bhagavatar Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar (15 November 1877 – 30 June 1945), commonly known as Muthiah Bhagavatar, is one of Carnatic classical music's famous twentieth-century composers. He also created about 20 ''ragas''. Early life Muthiah was bo ...

* ''Pirai Aniyum Peruman'' by Dr

M. Balamuralikrishna Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna (né Muralikrishna; 6 July 1930 – 22 November 2016) was an Indian Carnatic vocalist, musician, multi-instrumentalist, playback singer, composer, and character actor. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sa ...

* ''Vinayaka Vighnavishaka'' by R Ganapati * ''Sundar Gopālaṃ'' by

Devaki Pandit Devaki Pandit (; born 6 March 1965) is an Indian classical singer. Early life Born in a household with performers in her family, Pandit was exposed to a plethora of art. Of her humble beginnings she says, "Beauty in music emerges from the tota ...

* ''Varuvai Arulvai Shantanayagi'' by

Manachanallur Giridharan Mannachanallur is a neighbourhood in the city of Tiruchirapalli (Trichy or Tiruchi) and Taluk in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was merged with the Tiruchirappalli Corporation in 2023. Mannachanallur is famous for rice mills Demographics ...

* ''Tumbikkai Andavane'' by

* ''Vinayaka Ninnu Vina'' by E.V. Ramakrishna Bhagavathar * ''Vande Anishamaham'' by

Mysore Vasudevachar Mysore Vasudevacharya (28 May 1865 – 17 May 1961) was an Indian musician and composer of Carnatic music compositions who belonged to the direct line of Thyagaraja's disciples. Vasudevachar's compositions (numbering over 200) were mostly in Telu ...

* ''Bhajamahe Sree Vinayakam'' by Tulaseevanam * ''Arul purivai'' and ''Karunai seiguvai'' by Sudhanandha Bharathi

Film songs

* ''Lagi Lagan Pathi Sakhi Sangh'' from the movie " Meghe Dhaka Tara"

In Tamil language

In Malayalam language

Related rāgas

''Graha bhedham''

''Hamsadhvani's'' notes when shifted using ''

Graha bhedam ''Graha Bhedam'' in Carnatic music is the process (or result of the process) of shifting the Tonic (music), Tonic note (''Śruti (music), śruti'') to another note in the rāgam and arriving at a different rāgam. Its equivalent in Hindustani cl ...

'', yields another pentatonic rāgam, '' Nagasvaravali''. ''Graha bhedam'' is the step taken in keeping the relative note frequencies same, while shifting the ''shadjam'' to the next note in the rāgam. For more details and illustration of this concept refer '' Graha bhedam on Hamsadhvani''.

Scale similarities

* ''

Amritavarshini Amr̥tavarṣiṇi is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music), created in the early nineteenth century by Muthuswami Dikshitar. It is an ''audava'' rāgam (meaning pentatonic scale) in which only five of the ...

'' is a rāgam which has ''Prati Madhyamam'' in place of the ''rishabham''. Structures are shown in below table. * ''

Gambhiranata Gambhiranata is a rāga in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music) and Yakshagana where it is called Naati. It is an ''audava'' rāgam (or ''owdava'' rāga, meaning pentatonic scale). It is a ''janya'' rāga (derived scal ...

'' is a rāgam which has ''shuddha madhyamam'' in place of the ''rishabham''. Structures are shown in below table.

* ''

Mohanam Mohanam is a raga in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is an ''audava'' rāga (or ''owdava'' rāga, meaning pentatonic scale). It is usually described as a ''janya'' rāga of Harikamboji (28th Melakartha Raga). ...

'' is a rāgam which has ''chatushruti dhaivatam'' in place of the ''nishadam''. Structures are shown in below table. * ''

Niroshta Niroshta is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is a pentatonic scale (''audava''/''owdava'' rāgam). It is a derived scale ('' janya'' rāgam), as it does not have all the seven '' swaras'' (musical ...

'' is a rāgam which has ''chatushruti dhaivatam'' in place of the ''panchamam''. Structures are shown in below table.

In Hindustani music

Vadi and samavadi

Vadi: Sa

Samavadi The samavadi or samvadi is the second-most prominent (though not necessarily second-most played) note of a raga in Indian classical music. The primary note of the raga is the '' vadi''; the vadi and samavadi are in most cases a fourth or fifth a ...

: Pa

Pakad or chalan

ga pa ni Sa ga re ni pa Sa The Pakad is the one where one can identify to which raga does the composition belongs.

Organization and relationships

Thaat A ''thaat'' () is a "parent scale" in North Indian or Hindustani music. It is the Hindustani equivalent of the term '' Melakartha raga'' of Carnatic music. The concept of the ''thaat'' is not exactly equivalent to the western musical scal ...

Time

Late Evening w.w.w.wikipedia

Important recordings

* Amir Khan, Ragas Hansadhwani and Malkauns, on

His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...

LP (long-playing record), EMI-EASD1357 * ''Lagi Lagana'' (Drut – Teental) by A. Kanan in Meghe Dhaka Tara * ''Ja Tose Nahin Bolun Kanhaiya'' by

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar (; born Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. He ...

in Parivar (1956)

Notes

References

Literature

* Bor, Joep ''(ed).'' Rao, Suvarnalata; der Meer, Wim van; Harvey, Jane ''(co-authors)'' ''The Raga Guide: A Survey of 74 Hindustani Ragas''. Zenith Media, London: 1999.

External links

SRA on Samay and Ragas

Rajan Parrikar on Ragas
{{Rāgas as per Performance Time Janya ragas