S-rR-G-mM-P-d-nN-S

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An intricate ten-toned raga created by Ali Akbar Khan via blending ideas from across the Lalit–Gauri spectrum (Gaurimanjari: ‘Bouquet of Gauris’) – notable for its winding melodic motions and dense, crowded swara-space (some renditions employ all swaras except komal ga). Its core form also possesses the ultra-rare property of rotational symmetry (i.e. the interval sequence can be rotated to produce an identical copy of the original, in this case 180^o: its 5th murchana). This is probably of fairly limited consequence given the raga’s overall complexity, but Khan and others – notably his student Brij Bhushan Kabra – have found fruit in exploring its wide-open melodic geometries, which allow for many subtle sub-symmetries (as per a 2024 email from his senior disciple Ken Zuckerman, “I’m currently working on Gaurimanjari: this is probably the most complicated of all Khansahib’s ragas…”). Compare to other members of the Lalit raganga – as well as to numerous AAK-created ragas such as Chandranandan, Prabhakali, Malayalam, Medhavi, and Suha Todi.

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राग गौरी मंजरी

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—Ali Akbar Khan (1970s)—

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[refrain, e.g. 24:48] n(d) d(P) P, P(MP) P\M G, P(M) d(P) P, P, P, (M)P P(M) G, GG d(M)M G, G, rS…

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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 compare to other members of the Lalit raganga

–Swara Geometries–

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• Core form: S–rR–G–mM–P–d–nN–S

• Reverse: SrRGmMPdnNS (=itself)

• Complement: SgDS

• Imperfect: 2 (Re, dha)

• Detached: none

• Symmetries: mirror (S—M & g—D)

• Murchanas: itself (on Ma)

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• Quirks: ‘self-murchana‘ (rotationally symmetric) • ‘palindromic‘ (same intervals forwards & backwards) • ‘centred‘ (constellation balances at the wheel’s centrepoint) • ‘maximal‘ (swaras are optimally ‘spread out’)

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–Global Translations–

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• Carnatic: (~Basant Bahar)

S-R₁-R₂-G₃-M₁-M₂-P-D₁-N₂-N₃-S

• Jazz: Symmetrical Decatonic

1-b2-2-3-4-#4-5-b6-b7-7-8

• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):

0-1-2-4-5-6-7-8-10-11-0

(1–1–2–1–1–1–1–2–1–1)

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o o o • o o o o o • o o o

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• Tanpura: Sa–Pa

• Names: Gaurimanjari, Gauri Manjari, Gowri Manjiri (not the Carnatic ‘Gaurimanohari’)

• Transliterations: Hindi (गौरी मंजरी)

—Brij Bhushan Kabra (~1980s)—