Shahana
Encyclopedia
Shahana is an Indian classical
raga
, from the Todi thaat.
In Carnatic Music
, Shahana is janya of the 28th mela Harikambodhi. It is a vakra sampurna raga and an upanga raga characterised by soft, weighty sancharas. Emphasizing the rishabham, panchamam, dhaivatham, and shadjam lend particular beauty to this raga during alapana. Gandharam is seldom rendered flat, and should never be given prominence in an alapana. The same goes for nishadham; it is almost always rendered with gamakam. There is, however, one particular sancharam where it can be rendered without gamakam to beautiful effect; singing or playing S N D ,,, in the lower octave, as seen in Thyagaraja's composition Giripai Nelakonna, accentuates the raga's colors well. Other than that, the raga is typically rendered in accordance with the arohana and avarohana given in most music books. However, a word of caution; this raga requires many years of experience at both performing and listening to other artists to master. Though singing the raga may seem simple, perfectly rendering the many subtle, delicate phrases and gamakas calls for a more practiced hand.
There are scores of compositions in this raga by maestros such as Thyagaraja, Muttuswamy Dikshitar, Patnam Subramania Iyer, and Papanasam Sivan. The raga gives an ample scope for lengthy elaboration.
Indian classical music
The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by, or syncretised with, Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, describes music...
raga
Raga
A raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...
, from the Todi thaat.
In Carnatic Music
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
, Shahana is janya of the 28th mela Harikambodhi. It is a vakra sampurna raga and an upanga raga characterised by soft, weighty sancharas. Emphasizing the rishabham, panchamam, dhaivatham, and shadjam lend particular beauty to this raga during alapana. Gandharam is seldom rendered flat, and should never be given prominence in an alapana. The same goes for nishadham; it is almost always rendered with gamakam. There is, however, one particular sancharam where it can be rendered without gamakam to beautiful effect; singing or playing S N D ,,, in the lower octave, as seen in Thyagaraja's composition Giripai Nelakonna, accentuates the raga's colors well. Other than that, the raga is typically rendered in accordance with the arohana and avarohana given in most music books. However, a word of caution; this raga requires many years of experience at both performing and listening to other artists to master. Though singing the raga may seem simple, perfectly rendering the many subtle, delicate phrases and gamakas calls for a more practiced hand.
There are scores of compositions in this raga by maestros such as Thyagaraja, Muttuswamy Dikshitar, Patnam Subramania Iyer, and Papanasam Sivan. The raga gives an ample scope for lengthy elaboration.