Abhogi

Abhogi (Ābhōgi) is a raga in Carnatic music and has been adapted to Hindustani music. It is a pentatonic scale, an audava raga. It is a derived scale (janya raga), as it does not have all the seven swaras (musical notes). Ābhōgi has been borrowed from Carnatic music into Hindustani music and is also quite popular in the latter. In Hindustani music the raga has been classified under the Kafi thaat.

Theory

The Carnatic raga Abhogi is a symmetric pentatonic scale that does not contain panchamam and nishadam. It is called an audava-audava raga, as it has 5 notes in both ascending and descending scales. Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure is as follows:

• ārohaṇa: S R₂ G₂ M₁ D₂ Ṡ
• avarohaṇa: Ṡ D₂ M₁ G₂ R₂ S

The notes used are shadjam, chathusruti rishabham, sadharana gandharam, shuddha madhyamam and chathusruthi dhaivatham. Ābhōgi is considered a janya raga of Kharaharapriya, the 22nd Melakarta raga, though it can be derived from Gourimanohari too, by dropping both panchamam and nishadam.

Graha bhedam

Graha bhedam is the step taken in keeping the relative note frequencies same, while shifting the shadjam to another note in the rāgam. Abhogi's notes, when shifted using Graha bhedam, yields another pentatonic rāgam, Valaji. For more details and illustration of this concept refer Graha bhedam on Ābhōgi.

According to P.Moutal, the raga Kalavati is a transposition of Abhogi.

Scale similarities

• Sriranjani is a rāgam which has kaishiki nishadam in both ascending and descending scales in addition to the notes in Ābhōgi. Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure is S R₂ G₂ M₁ D₂ N₂ Ṡ : Ṡ N₂ D₂ M₁ G₂ R₂ S
• Jayamanohari is a rāgam which is like Abhogi in ascending scale and like Sriranjani is descending scale. Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure is S R₂ G₂ M₁ D₂ Ṡ: Ṡ N₂ D₂ M₁ G₂ R₂ S

Notable compositions

Abhogi is a raga used for compositions in a medium to fast tempo. It has been used by many composers in classical music and film music. Notable traditional compositions in Abhogi include:

• Nannu Brova Nee Kinta Tāmasamā and Manasu Nilpa in Adi tala and Neelakantha Niranjana in Rupaka tala by Thyagaraja
• Anugalavu Chinte, Maneyolagaado By Purandara Dasa
• Śri Lakṣhmi varāham by Muthuswami Dikshitar
• Sabhāpatikku veru daivam, in Rupaka tala by Gopalakrishna Bharati
• Neekepudu in Khanḍa Tripuṭa tala by Mysore Sadashiva Rao
• Evvari bodhana, a popular Varnam and Manasa Vrutha by Patnam Subramania Iyer[citation needed]
• Nekkurugi unnai, Manakkurangu and Thanjam Enrale(Varnam) by Papanasam Sivan[citation needed]
• Ramuni Kori(Varnam) by Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar
• Sri Mahaganapathe by N S Ramachandran
• Manujudai Putti by Annamacharya[citation needed]
• Guru Padaravinda and Mahasaya Hrudaya by Oothukkadu Venkata Kavi
• Guruvarulum Thiruvarulum by Gowrishankar Stapathi

In Hindustani music

The Carnatic raga was incorporated relatively recently into Hindustani classical music where it is known as Abhogi Kanada (IAST: Abhogi Kānaḍā) or simply, Abhogi. The Kanada indicates its origin as a member of the Kanada group. Abhogi Kanada is assigned to the Kafi thaat.

The Carnatic and Hindustani Abhogis have almost identical arohanas and avarohanas. However, one major differences is that the Carnatic raga uses the Kanada vakra (out of sequence) phrase G₂ M₁ R₂ S in a straight manner.

Theory

Pa and Ni are omitted. Also Re is often omitted in ascent. Flat Ga is often approached from Ma in ascent and has a slight oscillation to show the typical Kanada. In descent often the typical Kanada phrase G̱ M̄ R S is used.[citation needed]

• Arohana (order of ascending notes in the scale): S R G̱ M D Ṡ
• Avarohana (order of descending notes in the scale): Ṡ D M G̱ R S or Ṡ D M G̱ R S
• Vadi: S[citation needed]
• Samavadi: M[citation needed]
• Jeeva Swaras: G̱ and D[citation needed]
• Pakad or Chalan: GMDS SDRSDMD_ D_SRGRS D_RSDM GMMDDSDRSD_M GMD_MGGRR_ GRSd Rd_S
• Samay (Time): Night, approximately 9PM-12AM.
• Thaat: Kafi

Related ragas: Bageshree. However, Bageshree also includes flat Ni and a limited use of Pa, which gives a different flavour.

Compositions

Hindustani compositions of note in Abhogi Kanada include:

• Par gaya chahai sab koi in Ektal by Raidas
• Jayati siri radhike in Jhaptal by Gadadhar Bhatt
• Ek barajori kare saiyya in Jhumratal

Important recordings

• Amir Khan, Ragas Bilaskhani Todi and Abhogi, His Master's Voice/AIR LP (long-playing record), EMI-ECLP2765

Film songs

In Tamil language

Language : Hindi

Language : Telugu

Language : Malayalam

See also

• List of Film Songs based on Ragas

Notes

Sources

• Bor, Joep; Rao, Suvarnalata (1999). . Nimbus Records with Rotterdam Conservatory of Music. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-9543976-0-9.
• . Oxford University Press. 2011. ISBN 978-0-19-565098-3.
• . Oxford University Press. 2011. doi:. ISBN 978-0-19-565098-3.
• Moutal, Patrick (1991), Hindustāni Rāga-s Index, New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt Ltd, ISBN 81-215-0525-7 {{isbn}}: ignored ISBN errors (link)

External links

• Mani, Charulatha (2 March 2012). . The Hindu.