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

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A Khamaj-seasoned Bihag variant with historic connections to the Carnatic Behag, which appears in several overlapping variants. Raja notes that the raga’s main ‘double-Ni’ form (indistinguishable from some types of Khokar) is associated with Jaipur-Atrauli vocalists, who apply a pakad of Gm PDnDP, GmG PmPG, and limit Bihag’s tivra Ma to swift ornamental movements – while a second, rarer incarnation is essentially just ‘Bihag with shuddha ma & Ni only’ (n.b. a third Bihagda, noted by Bhatkhande, is now defunct). Bor’s Raga Guide notes that, “In ragmala paintings, Bihagda is depicted as a woman with her arms raised overhead; and in the pictorial descriptions of Meshakarna (1570) and Somanatha (1609), it is portrayed as Kama, god of love, who captures the hearts of those separated from their lovers“.

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• Raga Megalist (365+) •

राग बिहागड़ा

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• Hindustani Raga Index •

Aroha: SGmPNDS

Avroh: SNP; GmPDnDP; PGRS

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Chalan: e.g. NSG; Gm; GmGP; GmPDnDP; GmPNS; NSNDP; PDNPDmPG; GmnDP; PmPG; GRS (Raja)

—Ulhas Kashalkar (2000)—

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[refrain, e.g. 3:57] (PmP)Gm P\G, G(mG)m, Gm(G)m/n D(nD)P, DP(P)DPm, mPGG, (SR)N (N)S, (GPGDP) P(GP)S…

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• More •

Histories, melodies, mythologies, etc…

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—Jaipur-Atrauli listenings—

I came across a vivid Bihagda account in Namita Devidayal’s 2007 book The Music Room. She recounts listening to the raga with her guru Dhondutai Kulkarni, who in turn learned it from Jaipur-Atrauli legend Kesarbai Kerkar: “A scratchy noise filled the speakers, before Dhondutai’s voice came on…This connection was like an electric current…the mellow music, this particular raga, and the memories that were softly bubbling to the surface all made Dhondutai warm up…She described her first meeting with the demonic singer who had once guided these notes, and taught her how to please the deity inside Ga, the dominant swara: ‘Unlike you, I was not a foolish dilettante. I took my learning seriously’…”.

 

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—Kesarbai Kerkar (~1960s)—

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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

Symmetries: Mirror | Rotation | Palindr.

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Aroha: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

Avroh: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

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

Samay: Morning | Aftern. | Eve. | Night

Murchana: Bhup. | Bihag | Bilaw. | Charu.

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, Alhaiya Bilawal, Devgiri Bilawal, Kukubh Bilawal, Bihagara, Nat Kamod, Gaud Malhar, Sorath, Arun Malhar, Tilak Malhar

–Proximate Forms–

Khamaj = ‘Bihagda only ni‘

Bilawal = ‘Bihagda only Ni‘

Miyan ki Malhar = ‘Bihagda komal ga‘

Shankara Karan = ‘Bihagda 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: ~Behag

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: Bihagda, Bihagada, Behagda, ~Khokar (n.b. Bihagara, while related, is not the same raga)

• Transliterations: Hindi (बिहागड़ा)

—Pandit Jasraj (1993)—