S-R-g-m-P-D-n-S
A late night raga, Shahana (literally: ‘Of Royal Demeanour’) is a close cousin of the more famous Bageshri, sharing the same swara set but focusing more on the use of shuddha Dha as a melodic endpoint – as well as a stronger and more consistent role for Pa. Usually classed as a member of the Kanada family, Raja notes that Shahana is linked in Medieval texts to a Persian melody known as ‘Firodast’, and also that poetry set to the raga often features descriptions of springtime and monsoons. Bor traces its lineage back to the mid-17th century texts of Faqirullah, which describe it as a blend of Kanada phrases with “Farudasht, supposedly a creation of Amir Khusro” – also outlining the modern raga’s poorvang-affinity with Adana and Bahar. Compare and contrast with other Kafi-prakriti Kanada-ang ragas including Hussaini Kanada, Mudriki Kanada, and Raisa Kanada.
• Raga Megalist (365+) •
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• Hindustani Raga Index •
Aroha: nSgmPnPNS
Avroh: SnDnPmP; gmRS
Chalan: e.g. PnPNS; nSRgmRS; RnSm; SRgmP; gmDnP; mPSDnP; mPNSNS; RSDnP; nmPg; mRS (Raja)
—Anupama Bhagwat (2014)—
[jor themes, e.g. 0:01] (m)nmP, mPP, m\g, g(mg), mnD, DDD(nP), m, (m)nmP, P, (m)nm nnP, P, P(mPDP)m, m(gmg), g(m)g, SggmD, D, m(D)m, D(n)D, Dn(R)S, S(nS), S\D, (m)nmP, P, P…
• 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: Kafi thaat, Kafi, Bageshri, Bhimpalasi, Desi, Dhanashree, Hussaini Kanada, Mudriki Kanada, Raisa Kanada
–Swara Geometries–
• Core form: S–R–g–m–P–D–n–S
• Reverse: SRgmPDnS (=itself)
• Negative: 2-3-2-2-3 (e.g. Durga)
• Imperfect: 1 (Dha)
• Detached: none
• Symmetries: mirror (S—M)
• Murchanas: Bilawal set
• Quirks: ‘palindromic‘ (same intervals forwards & backwards) • ‘maximal‘ (swaras are optimally ‘spread out’)
–Global Translations–
• Carnatic: ~Kharaharapriya
S-R2-G2-M1-P-D2-N2-S
• Jazz: Dorian
1-2-b3-4-5-6-b7-8
• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):
0-2-3-5-7-9-10-0
(2–1–2–2–2–1–2)
o • o o • o • o • o o • o
• Tanpura: Sa–Pa (+Pa)
• Names: Sahana, Shahana, Shahana Kanada
—Uday Bhawalkar (2019)—