S-G-M-P-n-S

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A ‘pentatonic Vachaspati’ created (as the name implies) by Indore vocal master Amir Khan, which omits Re and Dha (thus, Amirkhani Kauns is to Vachaspati as Dhani is to Kafi). All swaras except Sa are imperfect – with the unusual Ma–ni sangati exerting inevitable gravity and drawing melodies away from clear resolution. Few of the Ustad’s renditions have made it to record, and an extended take from shortly before his tragic 1974 passing (possibly part of his very last concert) just lists it as ‘Untitled Raga’ (side B of the same LP contains another untitled form, which is in fact Chandramadhu: the same scale but with komal ga) – while Biswarup Ghosh Dastidar entitles his rendition ‘Amarpriya‘. As noted by Abhirang, the SGMPnS swara set is also known as ‘Yogini’ (Sanskrit for ‘state of union’: the same derivation as ‘yoga’ and ‘Jog’), which he links to the lineage of the Carnatic Hrodini – and elsewhere I’ve seen it referred to as ‘Audav Ram Kalyan’ (n.b. numerous Vachaspati renditions have a weak or absent aroha Re). Also see Khan’s Madhukauns (plus Amiri Todi, composed in his honour) – as well as my article What does ‘Kauns’ mean? A brief survey of all known Kaunsi ragas.

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राग अमीरखानी कौंस

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Aroha: SGMPnS

Avroh: SnPMGS

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Chalan: (uncodified)

—Amir Khan (1974)—

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[themes, e.g. 0:03] (S)G, MPM\G(Sn)S, (S)P (P)n S, S(nS), (S)G, MPM\G(Sn)S, (S)P (PS)n S…

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• More •

Histories, melodies, mythologies, etc…

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—Imagery: Amir Khan (1912-1974)—

“In Khan, I found a rebirth of that saint-musician, who, with a philosophy of music lost through decades…successfully practised all the 5,040 patterns…enabling him to have full control over the raga blooming forth…A few days before he died, he said to me: ‘Music is wrung out of your heart, which alone it is given to enchant’. Even to this day, I often feel haunted by those words. Music is the spontaneous outflow of the purest feelings of the soul, and it must come as ‘leaves to a tree’…Conceive the raga image as the mother conceives the child…” (Nikhil Banerjee)

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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

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

Construction: Jod | Mishra | Oddball

Origin: Ancient | Carnatic | Modern

Dominance: Poorvang | Uttarang

Prevalence: A-list | Prachalit | Aprach.

• Prakriti: (none found)

Also see other ragas with generic swaras ‘Sa-Ga-Ma-Pa-Ni‘ – and compare to other members of the Kauns raganga

–Swara Geometries–

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• Core form: S–G–M–P–n–S

• Reverse: SRmMdS

• Complement: SrRgmdDNS

• Imperfect: 4 (Ga, Ma, Pa, ni)

• Detached: 3 (Ga, Ma, ni)

• Symmetries: none

• Murchanas: none

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• Quirks: ‘tivra Ma, komal ni‘ (rarest pairing) • ‘fragmented‘ (at least half the swaras are detached)

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–Global Translations–

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• Carnatic: ~Hrodini/Yogini

S-G₃-M₂-P-N₂-S

• Jazz: Lydian Dominant (no 2nd/6th)

1-3-#4-5-b7-8

• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):

0-4-6-7-10-0

(4–2–1–3–2)

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o • • • o • o o • • o • o

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• Tanpura: Sa–Pa

• Names: Amirkhani Kauns, Amir Khani Kauns, Khan-i Kauns, Amirkauns, Ameerkauns, ‘Audav Ram Kalyan’, ‘Amirkhani Vachaspati’, ~Amapriya/Amarpriya

• Transliterations: Hindi (अमीरखानी कौंस)

—Jayanthi Sridharan (2022)—