Charukesi

Carnatic Music
Concepts
Sruti • Swara • Raga • Tala • Melakarta • Asampurna Melakarta
Compositions
Varnam • Kriti • Geetham • Swarajati • Ragam Thanam Pallavi • Thillana
Instruments
melody: Vocals • Saraswati veena • Venu • Violin • Chitra veena • Nadaswaram • Mandolin rhythm: Mridangam • Ghatam • Morsing • Kanjira • Thavil drone: Tambura • Shruti box
Composers
List of Carnatic composers

Charukesi (pronounced Chārukēsi, Telugu చారుకేశి, Devanagari चारुकेशि, Tamil சாருகேசி, Malayalam ചാരുകേശി) is a rāga in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 26th Melakarta rāgam in the 72 melakarta rāgam system of Carnatic music.

Charukesi is known to incite feelings of pathos and devotion in the listener.

Structure and Lakshana

Charukesi scale with Shadjam at C

It is the 2nd rāgam in the 5th chakra Bana. The mnemonic name is Bana-Sri. The mnemonic phrase is sa ri gu ma pa dha ni^[1]. Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure (ascending and descending scale) is as follows (see swaras in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms):

• ārohaṇa: S R2 G3 M1 P D1 N2 S
• avarohaṇa: S N2 D1 P M1 G3 R2 S

(chathusruthi rishabham, anthara gandharam, shuddha madhyamam, shuddha dhaivatham, kaisiki nishadham)

It is a sampoorna rāgam - a rāgam that has all seven swaras (notes). It is the shuddha madhyamam equivalent of Rishabhapriya, which is the 62nd melakarta.

Janya rāgams

There are only a few minor janya rāgams (derived scales) associated with Charukesi. See full list of janya rāgams associated with it.

Popular compositions

Adamodi Galade by Thyagaraja and Kripaya pālaya sowrae by Swati Tirunal are popular kritis (compositions) set in Charukesi. Lalgudi Jayaraman, the acclaimed violinist and composer, has composed a very popoular varnam in Charukesi called Innum En Manam. This varnam was a favorite of Maharajapuram Santhanam, who began a large chunk of his concerts with this song.

Many compositions exist amongst modern adaptations of Charukesi, especially in Indian movies, in the so-called film songs. An example is the song Ahista Ahista from the movie Swades, Vasanta mullai poalae from the Tamil movie Sarangadara, Edho Edho Ondru from the Tamil movie Enakku Iruvathu, Unakku Padhinettu', 'Aadal Kalaye' from Sri Raghavendra and Udaya Udaya from another Tamil movie Udhaya. Charukesi is also popular in Hindustani music.

Related rāgams

This section covers the theoretical and scientific aspect of this rāgam.

Charukesi's notes when shifted using Graha bedham, yields 3 other major melakarta rāgams, namely, Vachaspati, Natakapriya and Gourimanohari. Graha bedham is the step taken in keeping the relative note frequencies same, while shifting the shadjam to the next note in the rāgam. For further details and an illustration, see Graha bedham on Vachaspati.

References

1. ^ Ragas in Carnatic music by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications

External links

• Film Songs (Hindi) in Charukesi