Chitrambari

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

Chitrambari (pronounced chitrāmbari, Sanskrit: चित्राम्बरि, Tamil: சித்ராம்பரி) is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music).

It is the 66th Melakarta rāgam in the 72 melakarta rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is called Chaturangini^[1][2] in Muthuswami Dikshitar school of Carnatic music. It is the prati madhyamam equivalent of Naganandini, which is the 30th melakarta.^[3].

Structure and Lakshana

Chitrambari scale with Shadjam at C

It is the 6th rāgam in the 11th chakra Rudra. The mnemonic name for this rāgam is Rudra-Sha. The mnemonic phrase is sa ra gu mi pa dhu nu^[3]. Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure (ascending and descending scale) is (see swaras in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms):

• ārohaṇa: S R2 G3 M2 P D3 N3 S
• avarohaṇa: S N3 D3 P M2 G3 R2 S

(the notes in this scale are chathusruthi rishabham, antara gandharam, prati madhyamam, shatsruthi dhaivatham, kakali nishadham)

Since it is a melakarta rāgam, by definition it is a sampoorna rāgam (it has all 7 notes in ascending and descending scale).

Janya rāgams

Chitrambari has a few janya rāgams (derived scales) associated with it, of which Amritavarshini is very popular. List of janya rāgams contains the full list of rāgams associated with Chitrambari and other melakartas.

Compositions

A few compositions set to Chitrambari are:

• Sri rama nelami by Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna
• Samaganalola by Koteeswara Iyer

Related rāgams

The theoretical and scientific aspect of Chitrambari are described below.

Chitrambari's notes when shifted using Graha bedham, yields 3 other melakarta rāgams, namely, Shanmukhapriya, Shoolini and Dhenuka. Graha bedham is the step taken in keeping the relative note frequencies same, while shifting the shadjam (Sa) to the next note in the rāgam. For further details and an illustration refer Graha bedham on Shanmukhapriya.

References

1. ^ Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar Keertanaigal by Vidwan A Sundaram Iyer, Pub. 1989, Music Book Publishers, Mylapore, Chennai
2. ^ Raganidhi by P. Subba Rao, Pub. 1964, The Music Academy of Madras
3. ^ ^{a b} Ragas in Carnatic music by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications