Carnatic Grade 4

• Geetham

  The simplest of the melodies, a particular type of musical composition
• Geetham

  • Uniform tempo
  • Continuous composition without pallavi, anupallavi and charanam
  • Sung without repetition from beginning to end
  • Some have two or three sections (Kandikas)
  • Generally consists of ten or twelve avarthanams
• Geethams

  • No sangathis or variations
  • Natural flow of music
  • Raga Suarupa well brought out
  • One syllable per note of the thatu
  • Theme is praising God
  • Some have words like Iyea, Thaya, Iyeam, Vaiya (Mathruka Pathangal or Geetha Langara)
• Learning Geethams

  1. After a course in Swara exercises and Alankaras

  2. Some have sancharams in Mandra Sthayi Poorvangam and Tara Sthayi Uttarangam to train the voice
• Types of Geethams

  • Samanya Geetham (ordinary, also called Sadharana Geetham and Sanchari Geetham)
  • Lakshana Geetham (sahitya expresses the lakshana/characteristics of the raga)
• In Lakshana Geethams, the sahitya expresses the lakshana/characteristics of the raga it is composed in, including varja swarams, vakra swaram, kampita swarams and other related characteristics
• In ragamala Geethams, each Kandaki is in a different raga
• In a Geetham, the number of swaras present in an avarthanam is equal to the number of aksharakalas
• Purandaradasar composed many Geethams
• Paidala Gurumurti Sastri was a prolific composer of Geethams after Purandaradasar
• Geethams are the simplest of the musical forms, the term Geetham literally means a song but in music it signifies a particular type of composition
• The music of the Geetham is a simple melodic extension of the raga in which it is composed
• Geethams are set in medium tempo, there are no sangathis or variations and the flow of music is natural
• The theme of the sahitya in Geethams is praising God, but there are also Geethams on morals and nature
• Janaka ragas are also know as melakartha ragas , mela ragas, kartha ragas , thai ragas and sampoorna rags
• There are 72 Melakarta ragas.
• For a raga to be a Janaka raga it needs:

  1. all 7 swaras in arohana and avarohana
  2. swaras must be present in regular order
  3. all swarams that occur in the arohanam must occur in the avarohanam
  4. each swram must only occur once in arohanam and avarohanam
  5. both arohana and avarohana have to have taara sthayi shadjam
• The first 36 Janaka Ragas are known as suddha madhyamam ragas or poorvanga melakartha ragas
• The next 36 Janaka Ragas are known as prathi madhyamam ragas or uttra melakartha ragas
• The janaka ragas are house in 12 chakras

  Each chakra contains 6 ragas
• Mnemonic : I Never Ate Vaada Because Rude Rat V(w)ent Back Door Racing At (wilko)

  12 chakras:

  Indu , Netra , Agni , Veda , Bana , Rudu , Rishi , Vasu , Brahma , Disi , Rudra , Aditya
• Janya ragas are born / derived from janaka ragas
• Janya ragas are also know as born ragas , derived ragas, sei ragas and secondary ragas
• Janya ragas have the same swaras as the janaka raga but occasionally take one or two foreign notes
• Varja swaras


  left out swaras in arohana or avarohana
• varja ragas are ragas that contain varja swarams
• Sampooram - 7 swaras

  Shadavam - 6 swaras

  Audavam - 5 swars

  Swarantham - 4 swaras

  Samigam - 3 swaras

  Ghatigam - 2 swaras

  Archigam - 1 swara
• Sampoorna shadava - 6 variations

  Shadava sampoorna - 6 variations

  Sampoorna Audava - 15 variations

  Audava Sampoorna - 15 variations

  Shadava Shadava - 90 variations

  Audava Shadava - 90 variations

  Audava Audava - 225 variations

  Total = 483 janya ragas

  483 x 72 melakartha raga = 34,776 janya ragas

  These ragas are called upanga ragas
• Venkatamakhi lived in the 17th century
• Chaturdandi Prakasika was written by Venkatamakhi
• In the book, Venkatamakhi mentioned a scheme of 72 Melakartha ragas
• Types of Melakartha ragas mentioned by Venkatamakhi

  • Kalpita Melakarthas
  • Kalpiyamana Melakartha
  • Kalpishyamana Melakartha
• Venkatamakhi named 19 Melakartha ragas that were popular at his time as "Kalpita Melakarthas"
• Venkatamakhi named a few of the remaining 53 ragas that were to become popular very soon as "Kalpiyamana Melakartha"
• Venkatamakhi named the others of the remaining 53 ragas as "Kalpishyamana Melakartha"
• Venkatamakhi did not give separate names for each and every one of the 72 ragas
• Tulaja Maharaja ( 18 th centruy ) who ruled Thajavur wrote a book called "Sangeetha Saramrutham"
• Tulaja Maharaja mentioned the 72 Melakartha scheme of Venkatamakhi but he did not name any of these Melakartha ragas
• Govindachariyar (18th century )wrote the book "Sangraha Chudamani"
• In the book "Sangraha Chudamani", Govindachariyar listed all 72 Melakarthas with krama- sampoorna Arohana and Avarohana