Harikambhoji
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 Tanjavur-style Tambura |
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Harikambhoji (pronounced harikāmbhōji) is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 28th Melakarta rāgam (parent scale) in the 72 melakarta rāgam system.
One of the first scales employed by the ancient Tamils(3BCE) was the Mullaipann, a pentatonic scale composed of the notes sa ri ga pa da, equivalent to C, D, E, G and A in the western notations. These fully harmonic scales, constitutes the raga Mohanam in the Carnatic music style. Mullaipann further evolved into Sempaalai, a scale based on seven notes by the addition of two more notes, ma and ni to the pentatonic scale. Sempaalai pann corresponds to the Carnatic raga Harikambhoji.
Khamaj thaat of Hindustani Music is the equivalent to this rāgam.[1][2] It is known as Harikedāragowla in the Muthuswami Dikshitar school of music.[1][2]
In Western music, Mixolydian mode is this raga's equivalent.
Structure and Lakshana
It is the 4th rāgam in the 5th chakra Bana. The mnemonic name is Bana-Bhu. The mnemonic phrase is sa ri ga ma pa dha ni sa.[1] Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure is as follows (see swaras in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms):
(notes used in this scale are chathusruthi rishabham, antara gandharam, shuddha madhyamam, chathusruthi dhaivatham, kaisiki nishadham)
It is a sampoorna rāgam – rāgam having all 7 swarams. It is the shuddha madhyamam equivalent of Vachaspati, which is the 64th melakarta.
Janya rāgams
Harikambhoji has a lot of janya rāgams (derived rāgams) associated with it, of which Kambhoji is by far the most famous and frequently sung in concerts. The globally famous pentatonic scale Mohanam is also considered a janya of this rāgam. Andolika[2] (also considered as janya of Kharaharapriya), Bahudari, Kamas, Kedaragaula, Natakurinji, Navarasa kannada, Sahana, Senchuruti, Suruti and Yadukula kambhoji are also very popular janyas.
See List of janya rāgams for a full list of Harikambhoji's janya rāgams.
Popular compositions
Among the Trinity of Carnatic music only Thyagaraja has composed songs in Harikambhoji. Ramanannu brovara, Entara neethana and Dinamani vamsa are very popular songs composed by Thyagaraja in this rāgam. Enadu manam kavalai, a composition by Papanasam Sivan, is also popular.
Related rāgams
This section covers the theoretical and scientific aspect of this rāgam.
Harikambhoji's notes when shifted using Graha bhedam, yields 5 other major melakarta rāgams, namely, Kalyani, Sankarabharanam, Natabhairavi, Kharaharapriya and Hanumatodi. For further details and an illustration refer related rāgams section in Shankarabharanam page.