S-r-G-m-P-d-n-S

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Effectively blending the poorvang of Bhairav with the uttarang of Bhairavi (SrGm; PdnS), Basant Mukhari’s complex history bears the imprints of multiple musical cultures. While its modern inception is traceable to S.N. Ratanjankar’s eclectic Carnatic borrowings of the 1950s (also see Charukeshi: the same scale with shuddha re instead), many also explicitly link it to a now-extinct raga known as ‘Hijaz‘ or ‘Hijaz Bhairav‘, itself derived from a Middle Eastern maqam of the same name. Related forms thus turn up across the Islamic world and beyond (in jazz, the same collection of tones is referred to as the ‘Phrygian Dominant‘, while Jewish musicians may know it as the ‘Hava Nagila scale’ after a famous Bar Mitzvah tune – and others call it ‘Escala Andaluza’ for its popularity in Andalucian flamenco). Also see Gangeshwari (the same swara set minus re), as well as a variety of ragas which may appear as chayas in Basant Mukhari renditions: e.g. Malkauns (mdnS), Jogiya (SrmPd), Ahir Bhairav (nSrGmP), and Jaunpuri (mPdnS). Seemingly unconnected to the main Basant lineage (‘Basant’ means ‘Springtime’).

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Aroha: e.g. nSrG, mPdnS, GrS

Avroh: e.g. SndPm, GmrS, nrS

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Chalan: e.g. rrS; rG; GGm; mGmP; Pm; Pdn; ndPmG; rGmPm; nd; rS; dndP; PmGm; rGmPm; GmrrS; nd; nS; rGm; GPmGrS (Tanarang)

–Shahid Parvez Khan (2014)–

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“Pandit Ratanjankar – with his life of almost ascetic simplicity, his dedication to (and personal sacrifice for) the propagation of classical music, and indifference to publicity and money – was an extraordinary personality…While tragedy after tragedy struck his personal life, he sought solace for his soul by plunging deeper and deeper into his art, which alone gave him the courage to pursue these ideals…” (Rajan Parrikar)

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—Context—

Origins, myths, quirks, & more

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While Basant Mukhari is often described as a ‘poorvang+uttarang‘ mix of two prominent dawn ragas – Bhairav (SrGm) and Bhairavi (PdnS) – no raga is ever really reducible to such a simple schema. For one thing, every combination conjures its own emergent shades as well as presenting those of its parents – and besides, Basant Mukhari’s history is far more complex than a mere melodic addition.

 

Deepak Raja outlines how the raga’s modern inception is “widely acknowledged as the Hindustani adaptation of the Carnatic Vakulabharanam”, principally imported via “the eclectic initiatives of S.N. Ratanjankar, founder-principal of the Maris College of Music in Lucknow” (now renamed the Bhatkhande Music Institute, in honour of his illustrious guru: also see other Ratanjankar-related ragas including Salagavarali, Viyogavarali, & Devgandhari Todi). The new form found fame from the 1950s onwards, hailed by performers for its melodic potential.

 

Or, seemingly unique. The modern Basant Mukhari is in fact identical in shape to several other global scales (see ‘Around the World‘) – notably including the near-extinct Raag Hijaz, an archaic form with roots in Middle Eastern maqam, which had fallen out of favour by the 1950s. The characteristic movements of the two ragas are also said to be similar, despite the fact that vanishingly few artists alive for Basant Mukhari’s arrival had ever learned Hijaz directly – with the exception of sarangiya Abdul Latif Khan (below: maybe my all-time favourite rendition…).

 

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—Abdul Latif Khan (1996)—

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Perhaps the only musician known to have directly bridged these eras of loss and rediscovery, late sarangi legend Abdul Latif Khan told Raja that, in his youth, his Muslim gurus had taught him the raga with its Arabic flavour as ‘Hijaz Bhairav’, but that “nobody remembered it by that name any more”. He eventually came to announce it as ‘Basant Mukhari’ instead, interpreting it as “a cousin of Bhairav”.

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To further complicate matters, Basant Mukhari seems to have no direct connection to Basant – a festive raga with a direct lineage stretching back over a thousand years (‘Basant’ means ‘Spring’ in Pali, Punjabi, and several other North Indian languages). Regardless, it is unclear whether Basant Mukhari’s phraseology is much influenced by the associations of its name, or by direct knowledge of its curious 20th-century reincarnation tale. 

 

Perhaps inevitably, the raga’s sound does seem to mirror its origin story, with looping, unresolved tensions, multiple perspectives, and the apparent imprints of several musical cultures. While descriptors like this could probably apply to most ragas in one sense or another, there is something uniquely mysterious about Basant Mukhari’s tale. How could a scale with such a vast, obvious, and distinctive capacity for melodic expression ever have been ‘lost’ in the first place? Who ‘lost’ it – and what do we even mean by this? Where did it go? And why did it go near-extinct in North India, and not, seemingly, nearby? It has long been a staple of interlinked musical cultures: including those of South India, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean.

 

Perhaps because of the strange breaks in its timeline, modern performances of Basant Mukhari span a range of interpretations, with performers able to approach it unencumbered by the patterns of a deep compositional history. Artists employ a variety of tactics to uncover new strengths within its unique geometries, which allow for shades of many other ragas (see phraseological analysis below).

 

While it may ultimately be a raga borrowed from Carnatic music, coloured by phrase patterns borrowed from nearby forms, Basant Mukhari has an inimicable flavour. Tanarang describes it as “difficult to render smoothly, [requiring] concentration as well as full preparation” – however this reputation has not deterred performers, who have taken to its characteristic freedoms and capabilities in droves. The raga enjoys wide acceptance on the modern concert circuit, and fresh interpretations continue to flourish….

 

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–Tribute to S.N. Ratanjankar (Sujaan)–

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“I understand your disappointment. You can imagine the trials which Professor Bhatkhande-ji must have had to pass through in gathering information…But please carry on. After all, in music, and in every art, personality counts much more than colours…” (S.N. Ratanjankar writes to his student V.S. Nigam)

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—Phraseologies—

Melodies, movements, characteristics…

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As noted, Basant Mukhari’s SrGmPdnS swara set resembles ‘komal ni Bhairav’, ‘shuddha Ga Bhairavi’, or ‘komal dha Ahir Bhairav’. Bhairav phrases tend to be most prominent (as well as Abdul Latif Khan’s ‘Hijaz Bhairav’ above, I’ve occasionally seen the raga referred to as ‘Komal Bhairav’ or ‘Bhairav-Bhairavi’). As covered above, it can be used as the canvas for ideas from many other ragas. For just a few examples, artists may readily explore shades of Malkauns (mdnS), Jogiya (SrmPd), Ahir Bhairav (nSrGmP), and Jaunpuri (mPdnS)…

 

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[MORE SOON: click here to hasten the project’s expansion, so all 365+ raga pages can eventually look more like these]

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—Listen—

A brief selection of superb renditions

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–Shivkumar Sharma (1992)–

• ‘Shivkumari’ santoor (22m): Crisp gats and intriguing layakari with longtime dance partner Shafaat Ahmed Khan on tabla, from his Dhyana at Daybreak album – the santoor’s sustain brings out the scale’s harmonic dissonances, particularly via dense clusters around Sa (e.g. nrGr; SrG; GrS):

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[lehra, e.g. 14:44] nnS, rSG, dP P(m)m, GrS, Sn(d)d, nd(P)P, nSrG, rSS…

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–Pandit Jasraj (2011)–

• Mewati khayal (6m): A renowned composition entitled Jal Jamuna: (“A maiden complains, in an affectionate tone, about Krishna’s prank; preventing her from going to the Jamuna River to fetch water…”) – also see an AUTRIM pitch-graph visualising Ajoy Chakraborty’s interpretation of the same bandish:

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[bandish, e.g. 0:02] GSrnS, (n)ddn n S, (G)rSn Sr(G), GSrnS…

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–Further Recordings–

• Malini Rajurkar (23m): among the highlights of the Gwalior gharana treatments, balancing flourish and restraint
• Ravi Shankar (26m): a patient 1998 rendition supported by Swapan Chaudhuri on tabla, carrying hints of Parameshwari
• Sultan Khan (30m): impassioned sarangi ornaments intertwine with Zakir Hussain’s divine vilambit architecture
• Madhuvanti Pal (34m): a rare Dhrupad interpretation from the young rudra veena exponent, at home in early Lockdown
• Amir Khan (40m): the raga’s sampurna freedoms are ideal for showcasing the Indore founder’s mastery of merukhand
• Vilayat Khan (60m): live at the 1964 Sadarang Music Conference, showcasing some of his most athletic taan work
• Hariprasad Chaurasia (72m): from a 1986 show at Pune’s Garware College, with chirping birds in the background
• Bahadur Khan (74m): a seldom-heard gem by the sarangi master, traversing all shades of the raga’s melodic personality

• Carnatic Origins •

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—Ragam Vakulabharaman—

(Mandolin Srinivas)

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–All ragas of Carnatic origin–

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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: Thaat #28, Prabhakali

Also compare to other members of the Bhairav raganga (n.b. this designation is based on its traditional ‘Hijaz Bhairav’ incarnation – most Basant Mukhari renditions draw from the Bhairav-ang too, but this is not a requirement)

–Proximate Forms–

Bhairavi = ‘Basant Mukhari komal ga‘

Bhairav = ‘Basant Mukhari shuddha Ni‘

Ahir Bhairav = ‘Basant Muk. shuddha Dha‘

Charukeshi = ‘Basant Muk. shuddha Re‘

(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–n–S

• Reverse: SRGmPdNS (=Nat Bhairav)

• Negative: 3-1-3-3-2

• Imperfect: 3 (Ga, Pa, dha)

• Detached: 1 (Ga)

• Symmetries: none

• Murchanas: Kirwani set

–Global Translations–

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• Carnatic: ~Vakulabharanam (mela #14)

S-R₁-G₃-M₁-P-D₁-N₂-S

• Jazz: Phrygian Dominant

1-b2-3-4-5-b6-b7-8

• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):

0-1-4-5-7-8-10-0

(1–3–1–2–1–2–2)

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o o • • o o • o o • o • o

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–Around the World–

Apart from Vakulabharanam, its Carnatic precursor, and Hijaz-Nahawand, its maqam forerunner, Basant Mukhari’s tone-collection is known is known as Dastgāh-e Homāyoun in Persian classical music, Hitzaz among Greek bouzouki players, and Escala Andaluza (‘Andalucian Scale’) in flamenco. Similarly, Islamic zuhr (afternoon prayer) calls are often set to the scale, which also turns up in Serbia, Bulgaria, and Macedonia. The sequence is called Freygish and Ahava Rabbah in Yiddish and Hebrew, and Jewish musicians may describe it as ‘Hava Nagila’ after a famous Bar Mitzvah tune…

 

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—Dastgāh-e Homāyoun (Iran)—

(Mohamad Heydari, 1966)

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“The main melodic system of Arabic and Middle Eastern classical music, maqam comprise ‘habitual melodic phrases, modulation possibilities, ornamentation techniques, and aesthetic conventions, that together form a rich melodic framework’. The overall concept, combining theoretical abstraction, aesthetic reflection, and cultural association, is something of a ‘distant cousin’ to Hindustani raga, sharing common ancestry through the diffusion of Mughal-era ideas. Most individual maqam (plural: ‘maqamat’) are constructed from two to three ‘building blocks’ known as ‘jins’…” (from my Murchanas article)

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• Tanpura: Sa–Pa (+dha)

• Names: Basant Mukhari, Vasant Mukhari, Vasanthamukhari, Vativasanta Bhairavi, ‘Komal Bhairav’ (~Hijaz / Hijaz Bhairav)

• Transliterations: Hindi (बसन्त मुखारी)

—More—

Further info: links, listenings, learnings, etc

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• Raag Basant Mukhari: For more on the raga’s multivariate dimensions, see melodic profiles from Tanarang (“a sweet melodious form…however difficult to render smoothly”), AUTRIM (“…the slide between Ga and ni breaks the impression of Bhairavi. Note the oscillations on dha…”), and Rajan Parrikar (“the signature of Bhairav largely comes from an attack on re [e.g. Gm(G)r, S; S(G)r, (G)rS]…[although] Bhairavi’s re also contributes its mite [e.g. SrndP; dnSrS]. Melodic action gravitates towards ma, and Pa is approached in either of two ways [Bhairav: Gm(n)d; (n)dP & Bhairavi: PdnS, rn(n)dP]: it is this juxtaposition – in formal terminology, the precipitation of avirbhav and tirobhav – that makes for the sui generis of Basant Mukhari…”). And for more on the fascinating life of S.N. Ratanjankar – also the progenitor of Salagavarali and Viyogavarali – refer to Susheela Misra’s brief bio (“While personal tragedies assailed his life repeatedly, this small, frail man continued to live like a true karma yogi, imparting music to students and scholars who flocked to him from all parts of India…writing scholarly articles for various journals, seminars, and radio-talks, and enriching our music with a prolific number of masterly compositions such as khayals, lakshanageets, taranas, and bhajans, in Hindi and Sanskrit. An erudite scholar, he remained an eager student until the end…”).

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• Header audio: Tintal gat by Imdadkhani sitarist Budhaditya Mukherjee (1982)
• Header image: ‘Entry to the Chilapata Forest’, Dooars, Alipurduar, West Bengal (Commons)

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