Raag Narayani

Courtesy OF Rajan Parrikar Even women and children know that it is not possible to convey via the written word the nuances of the swara-lagAv so vital to raga-based music. Thanks to the advent of multimedia, we now have access to the crisp and highly cultivated mind of Ramashreya Jha "Ramrang." Jha-sahab extolls Ratanjankar in this sermon recorded over the long-distance telephone line - http://www.sawf.org/audio/narayani/jha_narayanispeak.ram

We roll out our audio cortge with two pieces of S.N. Ratanjankar's unpublished recording. As the author of two definitive and highly regarded compositions, his is a macroscian presence in the courtyard of Raga Narayani - http://www.sawf.org/audio/narayani/snr_narayani_alap.ram http://www.sawf.org/audio/narayani/snr_narayani.ram Ratanjankar's suite is laid out by his protg K.G. Ginde - http://www.sawf.org/audio/narayani/ginde_narayani.ram Malini Rajurkar takes on Ratanjankar's bamanA re bichAra - http://www.sawf.org/audio/narayani/rajurkar_narayani.ram

S.N. Ratanjankar

Prabhudev Sardar - http://www.sawf.org/audio/narayani/sardar_narayani.ram

Prabhudev Sardar

Ashiq Ali Khan, son of the fabled 'Colonel' Fateh Ali Khan of Patiala: Aja mori lAja - http://www.sawf.org/audio/narayani/ashiqalikhan_narayani.ram The same bandish by the contemporary Patiala exponent Fateh Ali - http://www.sawf.org/audio/narayani/fatehali_narayani.ram

Nathu Khan, the sarangi-nawaz from Pakistan - http://www.sawf.org/audio/narayani/nathukhan_narayani.ram Finally, M.L. Vasanthakumari's superb Carnatic rendition serves as a reference matrix with which to compare and contrast the Hindustani adaptation - http://www.sawf.org/audio/narayani/mlv_narayani.ram

Raga Narayani

An import from Carnatic music, the Hindustani Raga Narayani is a janya of the Khamaj thAT, corresponding to the 28th melakarta Harikambhoji: S R G M P D n. It employs all the swaras of the Khamaj thAT except the gandhar.

In the Carnatic tradition Narayani presents itself in two disparate avatars. The inspiration for the Hindustani Narayani is Tyagaraja's conception, parlayed by his kritis bhajanaseyu margamunu and Rama neevekani. The other version due to Dikshitar, instantiated by his composition Mahishasura mardini, is a janya of the Dheerashankarabharanam melakarta. In Ragas of the Sangita Saramrta (Music Academy, Madras, 1993), the authors T.V. Subbarao and S.R. Janakiraman write that Dikshitar's treatment "had its roots in the description of Narayani as given by Tulaja [also known as Tukkaji, the Maratha ruler of Tanjore from 1729-35]." They further point out that "the raga name 'Narayani' [appears] as early as in the 'Sangit Makaranda' of Narada (7th-9th century AD)."

Raga Today - NARAYANI


An audava shadava raga derived from the 28th mela Harikambhoji notes taken by the raga besides Sa and Pa are Chatusruti Ri^ Sudha Ma^ Chatusruti Dha and kaishiki Ni. An example of Ga varjya raga. Ni is deleted in the arohana. This raga is sung during the second yama of deleted in the arohana. An upanga minor raga with limited number of compositions. Narayani of Hindusthani music is identical with this. According to Dikshitar school^Naryani is considered as the janya of the 29th mela Sankarabharanam . Its arohana and avarohana is s r m g m p d s - s n p n d p m g r g s. It is a vakra shadava vakra sampoorna raga. M is deleted in the arohana. There is another raga by the same name derived from the 16th mela Chakravakom with the arohana and avarohana s r m p d n s - s n d p m r s.

Source: http://www.indiamusicinfo.com/raga_today/narayani.html