S-g-P-D-n-S

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Confusion persists around which melodic forms assume the name ‘Lilavati’, with several incongruous examples in sporadic modern circulation – as per Biswarup Ghosh Dastidar, “Lilavati/Leelavati can be sung in Kafi thaat [SRgPdS], Khamaj thaat [SgPDnS] and Bhairav thaat [SrGmPnS]”. Abhirang sets his to the tones to the second of these (as a ‘komal ga Kalavati’), taking his composition from a 1969 edition of Sangeet magazine and linking his interpretation to the congruent Carnatic ‘Karani’. Dilshad Khan & Parveen Sultana’s apparent ‘Leelavati’ recording – perhaps the most prominent online – takes swaras SrGmPnS, however I’m near-certain that this is a digital mistitling (the official YouTube upload doesn’t match the track lengths listed on the back of the record itself) – based on the CD notes, I believe their real ‘Leelavati’ to be this one (mistitled “Mishra Bha” on YouTube), which has swaras SRgPdS – a scale matching Benares vocalist Devashish Dey’s ‘Leelawati‘ recording, and also chiming with others who summarise Lilavati as being “similar to Shivranjani in one range and Bhupali Todi in another” (see Japaniya for another incarnation of this scale). Adding further confusion, a scratchy Zia Fariduddin Dagar session of uncertain provenance traverses the more extensive SrGmMPdDNS, however this seems to be yet another mistitling. Outside music, ‘Lilavati’ is also the title of a famous 12th-century mathematical treatise by Bhaskara II, named after his daughter (“Fawn-eyed child, how much 135 multiplied by 12?”).

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• Raga Megalist (365+) •

राग लीलावती

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• Hindustani Raga Index •

—Abhirang (2020)—

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[refrain, e.g. 4:12] DP P(gP)g, (S)n SgS, S, nSgS…

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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: (none found)

Also compare to other ragas matching the generic swaras ‘Sa-Ga-Pa-Dha-Ni‘: including Kalavati (S-G-P-D-n-S) & Milan Gandhar (S-gG-P-D-n-S).

–Swara Geometries–

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• Core form: S–g–P–D–n–S

• Reverse: SRgmDS

• Negative: 2-1-2-1-1-2-3

• Imperfect: 3 (Pa, Dha, ni)

• Detached: 1 (Dha)

• Symmetries: none

• Murchanas: Rasaranjani (on ni)

–Global Translations–

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• Carnatic: ~Karani

S-G₂-P-D₂-N₂-S

• Jazz: Dorian (no 2nd/4th)

1-b3-5-6-b7-8

• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):

0-3-7-9-10-0

(3–4–2–1–2)

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o • • o • • • o • o o • o

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• Tanpura: Sa–Pa

• Names: Lilavati, Leelavati, Lilavatee, ~Ranjani

• Transliterations: Hindi (लीलावती)

—Dilshad Khan & Parveen Sultana (1995)—

(as noted above: the YouTube uploads for this album appear to have shuffled titles…although I’m confident that this one is the ‘real Lilavati’)