S-R-g-m-P-D-n-S

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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.

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Aroha: nSgmPnPNS

Avroh: SnDnPmP; gmRS

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Chalan: e.g. PnPNS; nSRgmRS; RnSm; SRgmP; gmDnP; mPSDnP; mPNSNS; RSDnP; nmPg; mRS (Raja)

—Anupama Bhagwat (2014)—

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[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…

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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: Kafi thaat, Kafi, Bageshri, Bhimpalasi, Desi, Dhanashree, Hussaini Kanada, Mudriki Kanada, Raisa Kanada

–Swara Geometries–

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• 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

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• Quirks: ‘palindromic‘ (same intervals forwards & backwards) • ‘maximal‘ (swaras are optimally ‘spread out’)

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–Global Translations–

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• 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)

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o • o o • o • o • o o • o

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• Tanpura: Sa–Pa (+Pa)

• Names: Shahana, Sahana, Shahana Kanada

• Transliterations: Hindi (शहाना); Tamil (சகானா)

—Uday Bhawalkar (2019)—