Yakshagana raga
This article possibly contains original research. (July 2010) |
Yakshagana rāga (
Nature of yakshagana rāga
Rāga describes a generalised form of melodic practice. It also records a set of rules for building the
More than adhering to stricter scale, yakshagana rāga follows the metre of yakshagana poetry called the Yakshagana Chandhas. The melody is formed from a deep voice formed by controlling muscles as low as pelvic and abdominal muscles. This high pitched singing might have come out of need to reach all audience in a yakshagana bayalata, which is an outdoor activity. Recently singers have adopted softer singing because of the microphone. Some Hindustani rāgas modified to suit yakshagana performance can also be seen (e.g. bhimpalas).[3]
Yakshagana rāgas are rendered but are not elaborated, sung swiftly to suit theatrical performance. Each song may complete within less than a minute, or a few minutes. Therefore, several songs of same rāga used for various plots must be heard to experience the full features of yakshagana rāga.
Yakshagana rāga and time
Unlike in other classical forms yakshagana performance starts with Rāga Naati or Chala Naati in late evening (though the actual story or prasanga starts with Rāga Bhiravi), and ends with Mohana Rāga in early morning.[1]
Yakshagana gamaka
Yakshagana music has its own gamakas. Yakshagana gamakas are name given to the set of sequence of notes often used in only in yakshagana rāgas. It can also refer to, in popular parlance, inflections applied on notes. These gamakas give a distinct flavor to yakshagana rāgas. These gamakas are learned by training and are among features such as mattu which make yakshagana sound different from other forms of music.[1]
Indigenous yakshagana ragas
- Shatpadi (Note that this is different from Kannada prosody by the same name)
- Sangatya
- Kannada (This is different from Kaanada of Hindusthani)
- Hoovu
- Koore (This is different from Kore Tala)
- Nepali
- Gopanithe
- Navarasa
- Vrundhavana
- Mechaali
- Koravi
- Divaali
- Mechchu
- Ghantaarava [2]
- Madhumaadhavi
- Mechaali
Some well-known ragas
These ragas share names of the ragas of Karnataka Sangeetha but structurally different from them with very few exceptions.[2]
- Naati ---- Vaaranaa vadana/Mudadinda Ninnaaa
- Sangatya ---- Kururaaaya idanella kandu
- Regupti ---- Kelu
- Kambhodhi ---- Shatrugna senegala sUtravanu sharisutta (Cognate of Hinsuthani raga)
- Bhairavi ---- Elavo sanjayane kelu, any starting song of a prasanga
- Madhyamavathi ----Sharanu Tiruvagra
- Kalyani
- Kaaphi
- Nilaambari
- Paraju
- Desi (Desh)
- Bilahari
- Yerakala Kambodhi
- Hindola (Almost same as Todi, according to Balipa Shaili)
- Navaroju
- Behaag
- Maaravi
- Savaay
- Saurashtra
- Saranga
- Saveri
- Suruti
- Todi
- Begadi
- Mukhari
- Panturavali
- Kedaragaula ---- Taye kel sri krishna rayana bari salu
- Madhumadhavi
- Mohana ---- Maranayyana Maata, ranganayaka rageeva lochana
- Janjooti
See also
- Melody type
- makam
- echos
- muqam
- Nava rasas
- Rāga, a documentary about the life and music of Ravi Shankar
Notes
References
- Uppura, Prof. Sridhara (1998), Yakshagana and Nataka, Mangalore: Diganta Sahitya Publications
- Rāga-Rupanjali Ratna Publications: Varanasi. 2007.
- Yashagana Shruti Box Software Online/WINDOWS/Linux/Mobile/iPhone/Android Archived 2013-04-26 at the Wayback Machine.
External links
- Yakshagana Shruti Software Archived 2013-04-26 at the Wayback Machine