Malkauns, known also as rag Malkosh, is a

raga 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 ...

Indian classical music Indian classical music is the art music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It is generally described using terms like ''Shastriya Sangeet'' and ''Marg Sangeet''. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as ...

. It is one of the oldest ragas of Indian classical music. The equivalent raga 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 ...

is called

Hindolam Hindōḷaṃ is a ragam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is an ''audava'' rāgam (5 notes in arohana and avarohana) as it does not have all the seven ''swaras'' (musical notes). Hindolam is not the same a ...

, not to be confused with the Hindustani Hindol. According to Indian classical vocalist

Pandit Jasraj Pandit Jasraj (28 January 1930 – 17 August 2020) was an Indian classical vocalist, belonging to the ''Mewati gharana'' (musical apprenticeship lineage). His musical career spanned 75 years resulting in national and international fame, ...

, Malkauns is a raga that is "sung during small hours of the morning, just after midnight." He further adds that the raga has a soothing and intoxicating effect.

Non-Film/Album Songs

Etymology

The name ''Malkaush'' is derived from the combination of ''Mal'' and ''Kaushik'', which means he who wears serpents like garlands – the god Shiva. However, the ''Malav-Kaushik'' mentioned in classical texts does not appear to be the same as the ''Malkauns'' performed today. The raga is believed to have been created by goddess

Parvati Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...

to calm lord

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

, when he was outraged and refused to calm down after

Tandav Tandavam (also spelled as ), also known as , is a divine dance performed by Hindu god Shiva. Shiva is depicted as dancing the Tandava in his form of Nataraja. The ''Natya Shastra'', a Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts, describes various ...

in rage of Sati's sacrifice. In ''

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...

'', it is also stated that the Raga Malkauns is used by the ''Tirthankaras'' with the ''Ardhamāgadhi'' Language when they are giving ''

Deshna In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a ''Tirtha (Jainism), tirtha'', a fordable passage across ''Saṃsā ...

'' (Lectures) in the ''

Samavasarana In Jainism, Samavasarana or Samosharana ("Refuge to All") is the divine preaching hall of the Tirthankara, stated to have more than 20,000 stairs in it. The word ''samavasarana'' is derived from two words, ''sama'', meaning general and ''avasar ...

''. Malkaush belongs to Shaivait musical school; in fact most pentatonic ragas belong to Shaivait musical school.

Arohana and Avarohana

Malkauns belongs to the

Bhairavi Bhairavi () is a Hindu goddess, described as one of the Mahāvidyas, the ten avatars of the mother goddess. She is the consort of Bhairava ( a form of Shiva). Etymology The name ''Bhairavi'' means "terrifying" or "awe-inspiring". Iconogra ...

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 ...

. Its

notes Note, notes, or NOTE may refer to: Music and entertainment * Musical note, a pitched sound (or a symbol for a sound) in music * ''Notes'' (album), a 1987 album by Paul Bley and Paul Motian * ''Notes'', a common (yet unofficial) shortened versi ...

are Sa, komal Ga, shuddh Ma, komal Dha, and komal Ni. In Western classical notation, its notes can be denoted as: tonic, minor third, perfect fourth, minor sixth and minor seventh. In raga Malkauns, Rishabh (Re – second) and Pancham (Pa – perfect fifth) are completely omitted. Its jaati is audav-audav (five-five, that is, pentatonic).

Arohana Arohana, Arohanam, Aroh or Aroha, in the context of Indian classical music, is the ascending scale of notes in a raga.''Ragas in Carnatic music'' by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, ''Glossary'' pages, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications The pitch increases a ...

Avarohana An Avarohana, Avarohanam or Avaroha, in the context of Indian classical music, is the descending scale of any raga.''Ragas in Carnatic music'' by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, ''Glossary'' pages, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications The notes descend in pitch ...

: The 'Ga' used is actually Ga-Sadharan (the rough minor third), 316-cent above Sa. This corresponds to the note ga2, in the 22 shrutis list, with a factor of 6/5.

Vadi and Samavadi

The vadi swara is Madhyam (Ma) while the

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 ...

swara is Shadaj (Sa).

Pakad or Chalan

Pakad In Hindustani music, a ''pakad'' (Hindi: पकड़) is a generally accepted musical phrase (or set of phrases) thought to encapsulate the essence of a particular raga. The pakad contains the melodic theme of the raga, on listening to the paka ...

Other characteristics

Malkauns is a serious, meditative raga, and is developed mostly in the lower octave (mandra saptak) and in a slow tempo (vilambit laya). Ornaments such as meend, gamak and andolan are used rather than 'lighter' ornaments such as

murki Murki is a short taan or inverted mordent in Hindustani classical music, known as ''pratyahatam'' in Carnatic music. It is a fast and delicate ornamentation or '' alankar'', employing two or more notes and is similar to a mordent or ''ulta murki' ...

and khatka. Komal Ni is generally considered the starting note (graha swara), and the notes komal Ga and komal Dha are performed with vibrato (andolit). All five swaras can function as pausing notes. The komal Ni in Malkauns is different from the komal Ni in Bhimpalasi. The best time for this raga is late night. The effect of the raga is soothing and intoxicating. In teaching this rāg to students in the early 1980s,

Ali Akbar Khan Ali Akbar Khan (14 April 192218 June 2009) was an Indian Hindustani classical musician of the Maihar gharana, known for his virtuosity in playing the sarod. Trained as a classical musician and instrumentalist by his father, Allauddin Khan, ...

confirmed that Malkaush is a midnight rāg of Bhairavi

, Aurav jati, with moods of devotion, peace and heroism. He remarked: "

Djinni Jinn or djinn (), alternatively genies, are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabian religion and Islam. Their existence is generally defined as parallel to humans, as they have free will, are accountable for their deeds, and can be either ...

like this rāg" and "At first makes you sleepy, then gives you energy to move mountains." A lakshan geet (song that describes the characteristics of the raag) taught by Khansahib relates that Malkaush is one of the six original male ragas (thus ancient) and that its rasas (roughly "moods") are devotion and heroism ala: Ada Chautāl Che ragŏ mĕ se eka rāga / Bhakti rasa, vira rasa / Mālakosha kehārvata / Vadī swara madhyamano samavādi sarajamano arohi SgmdmS avarohi nSSndmSndmgmgs

List of ragas in the Kauns family

The unique musical structure of Malkauns has given rise to many variations, creating what may be called a 'Kauns' family of related ragas. *

Chandrakauns Chandrakauns is a raga in Hindustani classical music. It is also used in tail pieces and lighter presentations of Carnatic music Carnatic music (known as or in the Dravidian languages) is a system of music commonly associated with Sout ...

* Bageshri-Ang Chandrakauns * Nandkauns * Sampoorna Malkauns * Pancham Malkauns * Gunkauns * Madhukauns * Jogkauns * Nirmalkauns * Tulsikauns

Film songs

'Man Tarpat Hari Darshan Ko Aaj' (film

Baiju Bawra Baiju Bawra (Lit. "Baiju the Insane", born as Bacchu Nath or Baij Nath) was a dhrupad musician and composer from medieval India. Nearly all the information on Baiju Bawra comes from legends, and lacks historical authenticity. According to the mos ...

, performed by

Mohammad Rafi Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and range of voice ...

), 'Aadha Hai Chandrama Raat Aadhi' (film Navrang, performed by

Mahendra Kapoor Mahendra Kapoor (9 January 1934 – 27 September 2008) was an Indian playback singer. In a long career spanning decades, his repertoire included popular songs such as ''Chalo ekbaar phir se Ajnabi ban jayen hum dono'' ( Gumrah) and ''Neele Gagan ...

and

Asha Bhosle Asha Bhosle (; ; born 8 September 1933) is an Indian playback singer, entrepreneur, actress and television personality who predominantly works in Indian cinema. Known for her versatility, she has been described in the media as one of the ...

), 'Chham Chham Ghunghroo Bole' (film Kaajal, performed by

), 'Ankhiyan Sang Ankhiyaan Laagi Aaj' (film Bada Aadmi), 'Balma Maane Na' (film Opera House) and 'Rang raliyaan karat sautan sang' (film Birbal My Brother), 'Ek Ladki Thi' (film

Love You Hamesha ''Love You Hamesha'' () is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language romance film written and directed by Kailash Surendranath. It stars Akshaye Khanna and Sonali Bendre as its main cast, and other supporting actors. The film was stuck in the cans and remain ...

, performed by

Kavita Krishnamurti Kavita Krishnamurthy (born as Sharada Krishnamurthy), is an Indian playback and classical singer. She has recorded numerous songs in various Indian languages including Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Rajasthani, Bhojpuri, Telugu, Odia, Marathi, E ...

) are a few Hindi film compositions based on Malkauns. 'Rajasekhara' in the film 'Anarkali' in Tamil and Telugu is a composition based on this in South India. "Ohm Namashivaya" and "Margazhi Poove" songs in Tamil by Ilaiyaraaja and AR Rahman from Salangai Oli and May Madham respectively,""Neenu Neene" song from the movie Gadibidi Ganda, "Ra Ra" song in the movie Apthamitra in Kannada are also the best examples.

Tamil Film Songs

Note that the following songs are composed in

, the equivalent of raga Malkauns in

Compositions of Hindustani Classical Music

Important recordings

* Amir Khan, Ragas Hansadhwani and Malkauns,

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 *

Mekaal Hasan Band Mekaal Hasan Band , (sometimes shortened to MHB), is a progressive rock band, founded in 2001 by the Pakistani guitarist,composer and producer, Mekaal Hasan. The Mekaal Hasan Band is known for being innovators of a progressive style of music w ...

's Maalkauns from the album Andholan is also based on this. * Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan presented it in a popular bandish "Aaj more Ghar aaye na Balma"