Shanmukhapriya

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

Shanmukhapriya (Sanskrit: षन्मुखप्रिया, Tamil: சண்முகப்பிரியா, Telugu: షణ్ముఖప్రియ, Malayalam: ഷണ്‍മുഖപ്രിയ) is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 56th melakarta rāgam (parent scale) in the 72 melakarta rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is called Chāmaram in Muthuswami Dikshitar school of Carnatic music.^[1][2] It is said to be borrowed into Hindustani music from Carnatic music.^[2]

Structure and Lakshana

Shanmukhapriya scale with shadjam at C

It is the 2nd rāgam in the 10th chakra Disi. The mnemonic name is Disi-Sri. The mnemonic phrase is sa ri gi mi 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 G2 M2 P D1 N2 S
• avarohaṇa: S N2 D1 P M2 G2 R2 S

This scale uses the swaras chathusruthi rishabham, sadharana gandharam, prati madhyamam, shuddha dhaivatham and kaisiki nishadham. As it is a melakarta rāgam, by definition it is a sampoorna rāgam (has all seven notes in ascending and descending scale). It is the prati madhyamam equivalent of Natabhairavi, which is the 20th melakarta scale.

Janya rāgams

Shanmukhapriya has a few minor janya rāgams (derived scales) associated with it. See List of janya rāgams for scales associated with Shanmukhapriya.

Compositions

A composition later set to Shanmukapriya

• Muthai tharu bhakti by Arunagirinathar^[3]

Here are a few common compositions sung in concerts, set to Shanmukhapriya.

• Vaddane vaaru by Thyagaraja
• Marivere Dikkevarayya by Patnam Subramania Iyer
• Parvathi nayakane, Saravana bhava ennum by Papanasam Sivan
• Abhimaanamutho Nannubrovaradha by Mysore Vasudevachar
• Valli Nayakane by Muthiah Bhagavatar
• Vilayada idu nerama by T.N.Bala of USA
• Sada tava pAda sannidhim by Dr. Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna
• Omkara Pranava, a Padha Varnam in Shanmukhapriya by Dr. Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna

The compositions of Muthuswami Dikshitar, namely, Siddhi Vinayakam, Mahasuram Ketumaham and Ekamreshanayakim have their school's rāgam name Chāmaram mudra in them.

Related rāgams

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

Shanmukhapriya's notes when shifted using Graha bedham, yields 3 other major melakarta rāgams, namely, Shoolini, Dhenuka and Chitrambari. 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 refer Graha bedham on Shanmukhapriya.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Ragas in Carnatic music by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications
2. ^ ^{a b} Raganidhi by P. Subba Rao, Pub. 1964, The Music Academy of Madras
3. ^ "A Raga's Journey – Sacred Shanmukhapriya". The Hindu. 2 September 2011. http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article2418290.ece.