Abheri (pronounced ābhēri) is a raga in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is a Janya raga (derived scale), whose Melakarta raga (parent, also known as janaka) is Kharaharapriya, 22nd in the 72 Melakarta raga system.
| Arohanam | S G₂ M₁ P N₂ Ṡ |
|---|---|
| Avarohanam | Ṡ N₂ D₂ P M₁ G₂ R₂ S |
Bhimpalasi (or Bheempalas) and Dhanashree of Hindustani music sounds close to Abheri.[1][2]
Structure and Lakshana
edit
Abheri is an audava-sampoorna raga. Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure (ascending and descending scale) is as follows (see swaras in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms):
The swaras in this scale are Chathusruthi Rishabham, Sadharana Gandharam, Suddha Madhyamam, Chathusruthi Dhaivatham and Kaisiki Nishadham.
There are some differing views on swaras in the scale of Abheri. It is considered a Bhashanga raga (scale has an anya swara, that is, a note which is not in the parent melakarta raga, in this case Kharaharapriya raga), with introduction of Suddha Dhiavatham (D1) in some phrases of the raga.[1] A different view is that this raga is a janya of Natabhairavi (which has D1, suddha dhaivatham, in place of D2), with D2 being the anya swara (external note).[2]
This raga is closer to Bageshri as for Bhagyasree Gandharam is sung softly. Thus a subtle difference of Gandhara makes a listener to feel this raga as Bhagyasree.
Popular compositions
edit- Nagumomu Ganaleni By Thyagaraja
- Bhajare Re Manasa, Gokula Nilaya Kripalaya By Mysore Vasudevacharya
- Kandha Muruga Varuvaye, a Popular Bhajanai by Pithukuli Murugadas
- Muraliya Nadava keli, Karevaru Ba Manege By Vidyaprasanna Teertha in Kannada
- Ambiga Naa Ninna Nambide, Echarike Echarike, Katiyalli Karavittano By Purandara Dasa
- Pavamana Jagada Prana By Vijaya Dasa
- Angaladolu Ramanadida - (Normally sung in Bhimplasi style) one of the greatest literary works of Kanaka Dasa which tells about the Desire of little Rama
- Veral Veli from Sandham: Symphony Meets Classical Tamil by Composer Rajan written by Kapilar
- Vinabheri By Muthuswami Dikshitar
- Eshwari Rajeshwari By Muthaiah Bhagavatar
Film songs
editNote that the following songs are tuned in Raag Bhimpalasi, the Hindustani equivalent of Abheri.
| Song | Movie | Year | Composer | Singer | Lyrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aakashave Bilali Mele | Nyayave Devaru | 1971 | Rajan–Nagendra | P. B. Sreenivas | Chi. Udaya Shankar |
| Aaseya Bhava Olavina Jeeva | Mangalya Bhagya | Rajan–Nagendra | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | Vijayanarasimha | |
| Kangalu Vandane Helive | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki | ||||
| Viraha Nooru Nooru Taraha | Edakalu Guddada Mele | P. Susheela | |||
| Baanigondu Elle Ellide | Premada Kaanike | 1976 | Upendra Kumar | Rajkumar | Chi. Udayashankar |
| Karunada Thaayi Sada Chinmayi | Naanu Nanna Hendthi | 1985 | Shankar-Ganesh | S P Balasubramaniam | Hamsalekha |
Album
edit| Song | Language | Album | Composer | Lyricist | Singer | Audio Label / Licence to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veral Veli | Tamil | Sandham | Rajan Somasundaram | Kapilar (Kuruntokai 18) | Bombay Jayashri | Rajan Somasundaram |
| Ullam Uruguthayya Muruga | Lord Muruga T M Sounder Revival | M S Viswanathan | Vaali | T M Soundararajan | Saregama | |
| Azhagendra Sollukku Muruga | ||||||
| Suvakshoja Kumbham | Sanskrit | Sharada Bhujangam | Mahesh Mahadev | Adi Shankaracharya | Priyadarshini | PM Audios |
| Palisennanu Sri Mahalakshmi | Kannada | Palisennanu Sri Mahalakshmi | Mahesh Mahadev | Purandara Dasa | Priyadarshini | PM Audios |
| Manase Manase | Malayalam | Hridayam | ||||
| Ghana Sundara | Sanskrit | Jagannath Bhakti Rath Yatra | Siba Prasad Rath | Naresh Chandra Dass | Abhilipsa Panda | Times Music Spiritual |
Popular Classical Albums on this Raagam
editAn excellent rendition of this Raaga can be found in one of L. Shankar Albums Raga Aberi. He received a Grammy Nomination for this composition.
Related rāgams
editThis section covers the theoretical and scientific aspect of this rāgam.
Abheri's notes when shifted using Graha bhedam, yields 3 other janya rāgams, namely, Mohanakalyani, Kedaragaula and Arabhi (if we consider the Kharaharapriya-based scale). Graha bhedam is the step taken in keeping the relative note frequencies same, while shifting the Shadjam to the next note in the rāgam. In case of Janya ragams, only notes that occur in both ascending and descending scale are taken for this change. For further details and an illustration of Graha bhedam refer Graha bhedam on Sankarabharanam. Abheri has close resemblance to Karnataka—devagandhari and Bhimpalasi. Whether they are essentially same is a matter of debate among the musicologists.
