S-R-G-m-P-D-nN-S

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Essentially summarisable as ‘Bilawal plus komal ni’, the ‘Alhaiya’ variant exemplifies the core traits of the Bilawal raganga. Most distinctively, Dha is treated as the vadi, but not as a nyas (Pa and Ga are used as stopping tones instead, often being reached via meend). Dha is also used to support komal ni via ‘up-and-down’ phrases such as SNDP, DnDP, giving an overall tendency towards uttarang-dominance. The raga has a long history (Pulokesh Bose: “the name ‘Alhaiya’ is found in the [16th-century] books of Pandit Lochan and Hridaya Narayanadeva”), and continues to evolve today. Refer to a demo performance by Gajananbuwa Joshi, teaching the raga to a young Ulhas Kashalkar, and also a brief melodic summary by legendary musicologist S.N. Ratanjankar.

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• Raga Masterlist (1000+) •

राग अल्हैया बिलावल

Search | Glossary | Tags

• Hindustani Raga Index •

Aroha: SRGPDNS

Avroh: SNDnDP, mGmRS

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Chalan: e.g. SGRGP; GPD(N)DPmG; GPNDNS; RS(N)DnDP; GmnDP; DGPmG; RGPmG; (m)RS (Bor/Sadolikar)

—Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande (2018)—

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[refrain, e.g. 1:59] (S)n\D, D(nDPGP), PmG…

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• Ragmalas •

Historic miniature paintings (learn more)

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“Vilaval Ragini, from a folio” (Bundi, c.1680) / “The heroine completes her preparations before meeting her lover. With the aid of her confidante, she puts on her earrings and ornaments: the act of adorning the body with jewelry, makeup, clothing, and perfume was considered an essential part of creating the mood of shringara…” (Malwa, c.1680)

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• Classifiers •

Explore hidden inter-raga connections: swara geometries, melodic features, murchana sets, ragangas, & more (also see the Full Tag List):

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Swaras: -4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10+

Sapta: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

Poorvang: SRGM | SRG | SRM | SGM

Uttarang: PDNS | PDS | PNS | DNS

Varjit: Re | Ga | Ma | Pa | Dha | Ni

Double: rR | gG | mM | dD | nN

Thaat: 10 | 32 | Enclosed | Inexact

Chal: All-shuddha | All-komal | Ma-tivra

Gaps: Anh. | Hemi. | 3-row | 4-row | 5-row

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Aroha: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

Avroh: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

Jati: Equal | Balanced | Av.+1 | Av.+2

Samay: Morning | Aftern. | Eve. | Night

Raganga: Bhairav | Malhar | Kan. | Todi

Construction: Jod | Mishra | Oddball

Origin: Ancient | Carnatic | Modern

Dominance: Poorvang | Uttarang

Prevalence: A-list | Prachalit | Aprach.

• Prakriti: Desh, Des Malhar, Champak, Devgiri Bilawal, Kukubh Bilawal, Bihagara, Bihagda, Nat Kamod, Gaud Malhar, Sorath, Arun Malhar, Tilak Malhar

Also compare to other members of the Bilawal raganga

–Proximate Forms–

Khamaj = ‘Alhaiya Bilawal only ni‘

Bilawal = ‘Alhaiya Bilawal only Ni‘

Miyan ki Malhar = ‘Alhaiya Bilawal komal ga‘

Shankara Karan = ‘Alhaiya Bilawal tivra Ma‘

(n.b. these are just ‘scalar similarities’, with nothing particular implied about phraseological overlap)

–Swara Geometries–

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• Core form: S–R–G–m–P–D–nN–S

• Reverse: SrRgmPdnS (=Gandhari)

• Negative: 5-2-3-2

• Imperfect: 1 (Ni)

• Detached: none

• Symmetries: mirror (Gm—nN)

• Murchanas: Bihag set

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• Quirks: ‘maximal‘ (swaras are optimally ‘spread out’)

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–Global Translations–

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• Carnatic: ~Bilahari

S-R₂-G₃-M₁-P-D₂-N₂-N₃-S

• Jazz: Bebop Dominant

1-2-3-4-5-6-b7-7-8

• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):

0-2-4-5-7-9-10-11-0

(2–2–1–2–2–1–1–1)

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o • o • o o • o • o o o o

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• Tanpura: Sa–Pa (+Ni)

• Names: Alhaiya Bilawal, Alhayia Bilaval, Alahiya

• Transliterations: Hindi (अल्हैया बिलावल); Bengali (আলাহিরা বিলাবল); Sindhi (اليا بلاول)

—Vidhadyar Vyas (~2010s)—