Keeravani (pronounced ) 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 ...
m in
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 South Indian classical music). It is the 21st ''
Melakarta
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 ''melaka ...
'' rāgam in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāgam system of Carnatic music. The 21st ''
melakarta
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 ''melaka ...
'' rāgam as per
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 ...
school of music is .
This rāgam is a popular scale in western music as well. The Western equivalent is the
Harmonic minor scale
The harmonic minor scale (or Aeolian ♮7 scale) is a Scale (music), musical scale derived from the natural minor scale, with the minor seventh degree raised by one semitone to a major seventh, creating an augmented second between the sixth and ...
.
[''Ragas in Carnatic music'' by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications][''Raganidhi'' by P. Subba Rao, Pub. 1964, The Music Academy of Madras] It is said to be borrowed into
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'' ...
from Carnatic music.
Structure and Lakshana

It is the 3rd rāgam in the 4th ''chakra Veda''. The mnemonic name is ''Veda-Go''. The mnemonic phrase is ''sa ri gi ma pa dha nu''.
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 ''chathusruthi rishabha, sadharana gandhara, suddha madhyama, panchama, suddha dhaivatha, kakali nishadha''.
As it is a ''melakarta'' rāgam, by definition it is a
''sampoorna'' rāgam (has all seven notes in ascending and descending scale). It is the ''shuddha madhyamam'' equivalent of ''
Simhendramadhyamam
Simhendramadhyamam is a ragam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 57th ''melakarta'' rāgam in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is called Sumadyuti in Muthuswami Dikshitar school ...
'', which is the 57th ''melakarta''.
Janya Rāgams
''Keeravani'' has many ''
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 ...
'' rāgams (derived scales) associated with it. ''
Kalyāna vasantam'' is a popular ''janya'' of ''Keeravani''. See
List of ''janya'' rāgams for full list of rāgams associated with ''Keeravani''. Other popular ''janya'' ragams include
Chandrakouns, ''Sāmapriya'' and ''Vasantamanohari''.
Compositions
Many composers have composed songs in ''Keeravani''. A few of them are listed here.
*''Pancha Bhoota Kiranaavalim'' by
Muthuswamy Dikshithar (Sanskrit)
*''Kaligiyunte'' by
Thyagaraja
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 ...
(Telugu)
*''Ambavani nannu'' 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 ...
(Telugu)
*''Balasarasa Murali'' by
Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi
Oothukkaadu Venkata Kavi (-1765) or Oottukkaadu Venkata Subramanyar was one of the pioneering composers in Indian classical Carnatic music. He lived in South India in the present-day state of Tamil Nadu. Also known by the name Oothukkaadu V ...
(Sanskrit)
*''Bhavaye Saarasanabham'' 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 ...
(Sanskrit)
*''Devi neeye thunai'' 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 ...
(Tamil)
*''nA puNyamu gAdA IshA'' 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 ...
(Telugu)
*''Sarvaparadhava'' By
Purandara Dasaru
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 Madhwacharya, Madhvacharya's Dwaitha, Dvaita philosophy. He was one of the chi ...
(Kannada)
*''nijamuga rAma nI pAdamula nitya nammina nnau brOvumu'' by
Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar (Telugu)
*''varamulosagi brOcuTa nI karudA jagadAdhara'' by
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 ...
(Telugu)
*''Innamum Sandeha Padalamo'' by
Gopalakrishna Bharathi
Gopalakrishna Bharathi () (1811–1881) was a Tamil poet and a composer of Carnatic music. He composed the ''Kathakalakshepam'' () Nandanar Charitram, two other works in this genre, and many independent ''kritis''.
Bharathi was a contemporary ...
(Tamil)
*''Vinayagane vinaitheerpavane'' by ''Ulundhoorpettai Shanmugam'' (Tamil)
*''nI caraNAmbujamunu neranammiti nIrajAkSi'' 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 ...
(Telugu)
*''Karunakarane Shivashankarane'' 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 ...
(Tamil)
*''Mahadeshwara Ashtadashanama'' by ''Mahesh Mahadev'' (Sanskrit)
*''Sri Dakshinamurthim'' by
M. Balamuralikrishna (Sanskrit)
*''Bhavaye Saadaram'' by ''Thulaseevanam''(
R. Ramachandran Nair
Ramakrishna Pillai Ramachandran Nair (born 23 April 1939) is a retired Indian Administrative Service officer from Kottayam district, Kottayam, Kerala, who served as District Collector (India), collector of Kannur district, Kannur and Kollam distri ...
) (Sanskrit)
*''Vaananai mathi soodiya'' by
Appar
Appar (), also referred to as Tirunavukkaracar () or Navukkarasar, was a seventh-century Tamil Shaiva poet-saint. Born in a peasant Shaiva family, raised as an orphan by his sister, he lived about 80 years and is generally placed sometime betwe ...
(Tamil)
*''Unnai nambinen aiya'' by
Muthu Thandavar (Tamil)
Tamil Film Songs
Janya Ragam:Rishipriya
Tamil Non Film Songs
Related rāgams
This section covers the theoretical and scientific aspect of this rāgam.
''Keeravani'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 3 other major ''melakarta'' rāgams, namely, ''
Hemavati'', ''
Vakulabharanam
Vakulabharanam (pronounced ) is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 14th ''melakarta'' rāgam in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is called Dhātivasantabhairavi''Ragas in ...
'' and ''
Kosalam
Kosalam (pronounced kōsalam) is a ragam in 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, Karnat ...
''. For further details and an illustration refer ''
Graha bhedam on Keeravani''.
Notes
References
{{Janya, state=collapsed
Melakarta ragas