Raga Yaman

Yaman (also known as Kalyaan, Iman, Aiman, Eman, Kalyani in Carnatic classical music) is a heptatonic ( sampurna) Indian classical raga of Kalyan Thaat.

Its signature phrase (Pakad) is ni-Re-Ga-/Re-Ga/ni-Re-Sa/Pa--Ga-Re/ni-Re-Sa' (Ma is teevra).

Tonal movements of the notes mostly reflect zigzag motion ''with gap of one or several notes'' usually that prefer reverse order very often like DNS' mDN GmD RGm N,GR or MDNS' GmDN RGmD N,RGm D,N,GR etc. Ideally yaman should not use PR combination but can use P~R showing colour of m or G while gliding from P to R, for PR is one of the specific identification of raag kalyaan.

Description

Yaman emerged from the parent musical scale of Kalyan. Considered to be one of the most fundamental and basic ragas in Hindustani tradition, it is thus often one of the first ragas taught to students.

Mechanics

Yaman's Jati is a Sampurna raga (ideally, yaman is audav sampoorna raag because of the structure- N,RGmDNR'S' NDPmGRS) and in some cases Shadav; the ascending Aaroha scale and the descending style of the avroha includes all seven notes in the octave (When it is audav, the Aroha goes like N,RGmDNS', where the fifth note is omitted; Pa but the Avaroha is the same complete octave). All the scale notes (called swaras) in the raga are Shuddha, the exception being Teevra Madhyam or prati madhyamam (sharp fourth). The notes of the raga are considered analogous to the western Lydian mode.

None of the three great treatises of music, accept the existence of ma,ext missing
Not to be mistaken, Raag Yaman is slightly different from Raag Yaman Kalyan. Both have almost the same base, but they are sung differently. The Aroha and Avaroha of Yaman Kalyan goes like this:
SRGmPDNS'
S'NDPm GMGRN, RS

Vadi and samavadi

Vadi is ga, Samvadi is ni

.

Pakad

It is wrong to say that Kalyan has no specific phrases or particular features, many musicians avoid Sa and Pa in ascend or treat them very weakly in Yaman. One often applies N⁰ R G M⁺ D N S' in ascent and S' N D M⁺ G R S in descend).

Organization and relationships

There is some discussion as to whether Yaman and Kalyan are just different names for the same raga, or that they are actually two distinct ragas. Joep Bor says "Kalyan (today usually referred to as Yaman)".Bor 1997 Kaufmann says that Yaman and Kalyan are just different names, but insists that rāga Yaman-Kalyan is different as natural Ma is occasionally inserted between two Ga, like Ga Ma Ga Re Sa, while in all other instances (Ma⁺ is used as in Kalyan). S. BagcheeBagchee 1998 agrees with Kaufmann.
As Bor, Kaufmann and Bagchee are not practising, professional and traditional musicians and artistes with training from qualified musicians, their opinions and observations must be accepted with a pinch of salt. An analysis of the raag leads some musicians to believe that the names of the raags Yaman and Kalyan are different, so their tonal movements shall be different (Kalyan is more akin to shuddha Kalyan, not Yaman). People erratically believe that if natural Ma is occasionally added in a concluding figure leading to Sa, the raga is known as Yaman-Kalyan.
Practically, yaman has a raganga very different from Kalyan raganga, resembling colours of Shuddha Kalyan. The use of shuddha ma must be restricted as a Vivadi swara (limited use) or grace note for Yaman Kalyan otherwise there is a chance of it becoming Yamani, Yamani Bilawal, Jaimini Kalyan. Moreover, neither of Kalyan or Yaman has Shuddha Ma in its main body thus use of shuddha Ma does not create Yaman Kalyan. Ideally there is no raga at all in Indian music that is recognized as any type of Kalyan because of shuddha Ma, thus raga Yaman Kalyan becomes a misnomer because of Shuddha Ma in the tonal structure of raga Yaman.

Kalyan is mixed with several ragas that has either of Kalyan ang or Yaman ang:
* Adbhut Kalyan
* Anandi Kalyan
* Bhog Kalyan
* Bhoop Kalyan
* Bilas khani Kalyan
* Chandra Kalyan
* Chhaya Kalyan
* Deepak Kalyan
* Gaud Kalyan
* Gorakh Kalyan
* Hameer Kalyan
* Hem Kalyan
* Hindol Kalyan
* Husseini Kalyan
* Jaimini Kalyan
* Jait Kalyan
* Kamod Kalyan
* Kedar Kalyan
* Kesari Kalyan
* Khem Kalyan
* Kohri Kalyan
* Laxmi Kalyan
* Maru Kalyan
* Miyaan ki Kalyan
* Nand Kalyan
* Nat Kalyan
* Panch Kalyan
* Poorva Kalyan
* Puriya Kalyan
* Pyaar Kalyan
* Raam Kalyan
* Raini Kalyan
* Ravi Kalyan
* Saraswati Kalyan
* Shankar Kalyan
* Shankaraa Kalyan
* Shiv Kalyan
* Shree Kalyan
* Shuddha Kalyan
* Shyam Kalyan
* Sohni Kalyan
* Yaman Kalyan

Yaman raga mixing in other ragas:
* Kalavati Yaman
* Yaman Bhopali
* Yamani
* Yamani Basant
* Yamani Bilawal
* Yamani Hindol
* Yaman Chhaya

Thaat: Kalyan is type raga of Kalyan thaat. In thaat Kalyan, all notes are shuddha (natural) except (sharp) Ma.

Behaviour

Yaman is regarded one of the grandest and most fundamental ragas in the hindustani tradition. It is one of the first ragas taught to students but it also has great scope for improvisation. Raag elaboration can focus more on mandra and madhya saptak, thus the key note chosen for yaman is preferred to be a higher tone.

Samay (time)

Ragas in the Kalyan thaat, including Yaman, should be performed during the first quarter of the night.

Rasa

Kalyan is described by Meshakarna (1570) as "lord in white garments and pearl necklace on a splendid lion-throne, under a royal umbrella, fanned with whisk, chewing betel"

This raga promotes romanticism, It sounds romantic, we can see in Bollywood many romantic songs are based on this raga.

Historical information

Yaman or Kalyan: An Ancient Indian Raag

It is hypothesized that Yaman or Kalyan is an older Indian raaga that underwent an evolution attributed to Ameer Khusro (1253–1325), who also renamed it from Kalyan to Yaman. Yaman raag finds its roots in the Kalyaan Thaat, which would categorize it as an aasreya raag within the Kalyaan Thaat.

Origins of Yaman

Hindustani vocalist, scholar, and researcher Ramkrishna Das Nadrang suggests that some musicians believe Yaman's origin traces back to Yemen, a country in the Middle East situated at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. However, there exists no historical evidence or record of Yemeni natives practicing the Yaman melody within the context of Hindustani music in India. Consequently, Yemen seems to lack any substantive connection to the raag Yaman.

Within the traditional confines of the Gwalior gharana and certain olden Hindustani music schools, music masters assert that a learner must imbue faith (IMAAN) in their teacher-mentor's words to progress in music. Consequently, they emphasize the importance of "imaan laao (submitting to the aphorism)," making Yaman the starting point for music instruction. As a result, the term "yaman" became synonymous with "iman," aligning it closely with the term "imaan."

Ramkrishna Das posits an alternative hypothesis suggesting that the word "yaman" may be linked to Sanskrit "Yavan" (Muslim). This theory posits that the raag Yaman evolved from Kalyaan, as puritan Hindu musicians began referring to the melody as "kalyaan of the Muslim artistes" or "yavanon kaa kalyaan." Over time, this term transformed into "yavan kalyaan," then "yaman kalyan," and finally, "yaman."

In South Indian Carnatic music, a similar melody is referred to as "yamuna kalyaani," while the Gwalior Paluskar tradition introduced a raag named "Jaimini Kalyaan," which potentially aligns with the Carnatic name. This transformation into "Yaman" was, in a sense, a derogatory term, as it altered the sanctity of Kalyaan due to its intricate tonal movements, characterized by excessive zigzag patterns and internal skips or gaps between notes.

Yaman accentuates notes ni, ga, and ma, with limited use of saa and pa during the ascent. In contrast, Kalyaan emphasizes saa, pa, re, ga, with minimal reliance on ma and ni. Raag Kalyaan also exhibits frequent downward movements, similar to the model of raag shuddha kalyaan.

Attributions to Ameer Khusro and Variations

Some proponents attribute the creation of Yaman to Ameer Khusro (1253–1325), a Sufi saint, poet, singer, and courtier to several Indian rulers. "Raag Vyaakaran" (1975, page 468-470) by Bimalakaanta Roychoudhury presents four varieties of Yaman, among which Khusro's Yaman lacks ni and tivra ma during the ascent, except for magama. This particular melody is penta-hexatonic (SRGPDS', S'DPGmGRS), with vaadi ga-samvaadi dha. The tonal movements are detailed on page 469 as follows (, = lower octave, ' = upper octave): SRGRS D,S RG PGmG RGRS GRS PDS' G'R'S' DP GmGRG PGRS. This reveals that the contemporary Yaman differs significantly from the 14th-century version.

Evolution and Connection to Yamani

According to Ramkrishna Das, contemporary Yaman is a derivative of an older raag called "yamani," which developed along the banks of the Yamuna River near Mathura-Vrindavan or in the Chaiti dhun of Varanasi. Precisely, Yaman appears to be a part of Yamani due to the name "Yamuna" being associated with it. Notably, the folk melody of the song 'Sautan ghar na jaa/ na jaa more saiyaan (SR SN,S D,N,R--N,RGR G~S--)' features the unique and spontaneous tonal movement "niresaa," an essential element of Yaman, not commonly found in other folk melodies.

The oldest available chaiti song is "Piyaa se milan ham jaayeb ho raamaa piyaa se milana," composed by saint Kabir (1398–1518) of Varanasi. This song exhibits the following tonal structures: N,P,N,N,N,SS SS SR SN.S D,N,R-- N,R GMG- G~S--. Both of these tonal structures mirror essential movements of contemporary raag Yaman, sans the tivra madhyam (sharp fourth). However, the antaraa of the chaiti incorporates tivra ma as an essential part of the melody. Chaitis are popularly recognized as "maanjh khamaaj" (thanks to Pandit Ravishankar, Ali Akbar Khan, Vilayat Khan, Nikhil Banerjee). Otherwise, musicians in Varanasi referred to them as "yamani."

The Influence of Tivra Madhyam

Spontaneous use of tivra madhyam is evident in the tune of raag "janglaa," prevalent in the rasiya singing of Braj-Vrindavan (mPGMPmP NDNS' DNP- nDP GMPmP). However, in Indian folk melodies, tivra ma is rarely and spontaneously employed. Since tivra ma, komal re, and komal dha were not acknowledged in the Naatya Shaastra, Brihaddeshi, and Sangeet Ratnaakar (1245 AD), raag Kalyaan did not exist in the pre-Muqaam or pre-Melakarta system of raags.

It is conceivable that the frequent use of tivra ma was propagated by followers of Khusro, qawwali singers, and folk musicians, leading to the evolution of Yamani into Yaman while retaining the core tonal movements. Additionally, the advent of the melakarta system in Carnatic schools attributed to Venkatamakhi (~1630), further popularized the raag Kalyaan. Perhaps the name "kalyaan" drew inspiration from the popular tunes of Sanskrit verses recited during evening prayers.

Yaman, or the commonly referred to term "kalyan," accommodates almost all tonal combinations. Renowned sitar maestro Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan used to affirm, "Ye man jo chaahe wahi yaman hai," emphasizing the vast umbrella of possibilities for tonal combinations within Yaman.

Important recordings

* Amir Khan – Shuddh Kalyan, Yaman, and Yaman Kalyan
* Ghulam Abbas Khan Vilambit and Drut 'Dharohar' by Mystica Music
* Imrat Khan "Nordindische Ragas, Live"
* Rashid Khan – bandish in vilambit ektal (India Archive Music IAM CD 1003)
* Ravi Shankar in matta tal: "The Genius of Pandit Ravi Shankar", Oriental Records Inc, New York AAMS CD108
* Zia Mohiuddin Dagar on Nimbus Records, LS5871 / NI7047/8

Film songs

Hindi

Following is the list of film songs based on Yaman.

References

Literature

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External links

More details about raag Yaman
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{{Rāgas as per Performance Time

Hindustani ragas
Ragas in the Guru Granth Sahib