S-g-P-D-n-S
Confusion persists around which melodic forms are associated with the name ‘Lilavati’, with several incongruous examples in sporadic modern circulation. Abhirang uses the tones of a ‘komal ga Kalavati’ (SgPDnS), taking his composition from a 1969 edition of Sangeet magazine and linking his interpretation to the congruent Carnatic ‘Karani’ – while a scratchy Zia Fariduddin Dagar session uses the more extensive SrGmMPdDNS. And Dilshad Khan’s apparent ‘Leelavati’ recording, which showcases the Patiala master’s extraordinary command of mandra saptak, has swaras SrGmPnS: although I’m near-certain that this is a digital mistitling, as the official YouTube upload for doesn’t quite match the track length listed on the back of the physical CD (…the CD’s ‘Leelavati’ length corresponds to a supposed ‘Mishra Bha[iravi]’ on YouTube, which actually has swaras SRgPdS: chiming with other sources which describe Lilavati as “similar to Shivranjani in one range and Bhupali Todi in another”). ‘Lilavati’ is also the title of a famous 12th-century mathematical treatise by Bhaskara II, who named it after his daughter (“Fawn-eyed child Lilavati, how much 135 multiplied by 12? And tell me, oh beautiful one, how much is that product divided by the same multiplier?”).
• Raga Megalist (365+) •
Search | Glossary | Tags
• Hindustani Raga Index •
—Abhijith Shenoy ‘Abhirang’ (2020)—
[refrain, e.g. 4:12] DP P(gP)g, (S)n SgS, S, nSgS…
• Classifiers •
Explore hidden inter-raga connections: swara geometries, melodic features, murchana sets, ragangas, & more (also see the Full Tag List):
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.
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)
–Swara Geometries–
• 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–
• 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)
o • • o • • • o • o o • o
• Tanpura: Sa–Pa
• Names: Lilavati, Leelavati, Lilavatee, ~Ranjani
—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’)