Amr̥tavarṣiṇi is a rāgam in

Carnatic music Carnatic music, known as or in the South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka. It is ...

(musical scale of South Indian classical music), created in the early nineteenth century by

Muthuswami Dikshitar Muthuswami Dikshitar (Mudduswamy Dikshitar)(, 24 March 1776 – 21 October 1835), mononymously Dikshitar, was a South Indian poet, singer and veena player, and a legendary composer of Indian classical music, who is considered one of the musical ...

. It is an ''audava'' rāgam (meaning pentatonic scale) in which only five of the seven ''

swara Svara or swara (Devanagari: स्वर, generally pronounced as ''swar'') is a Sanskrit word that connotes simultaneously a breath, a vowel, the sound of a musical note corresponding to its name, and the successive steps of the octave or '' ...

s'' (musical notes) are used. It is a ''

janya ''Janya'' is a term meaning "derive". In Carnatic (South Indian) music a ''janya raga'' is one derived from one of the 72 ''melakarta'' ragas (fundamental melodic structures). ''Janya'' ragas are classified into various types based on a varie ...

'' rāgam (derived scale), fairly popular in Carnatic music. There is a belief that ''Amr̥tavarṣiṇi'' causes rain ( The name of the rāgam is derived from the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

words Amrita: meaning Nectar and Varshini: meaning one who causes a shower or rain, and hence the association with rain ), and that the Carnatic composer Muthuswami Dikshitar brought rain at

Ettayapuram Ettayapuram is a panchayat town in Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the birthplace of Tamil poets Mahakavi Bharathiar and Umaru Pulavar. Muthuswami Dikshitar, one of the triads of Carnatic music, was patronized in his final years ...

, Tamil Nadu, India by singing his composition, ''Aanandaamrutakarshini amrutavarshini''.''Ragas in Carnatic music'' by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications''Rāganidhi'' by P. Subba Rao, Pub. 1964, The Music Academy of Madras

Structure and Lakshana

''Amr̥tavarṣiṇi'' is a rāgam that does not contain ''rishabham'' and ''dhaivatam''. It is a symmetric pentatonic scale (''audava-audava'' ragam in Carnatic music classification). Its ' structure (ascending and descending scale) is as follows (see ''swaras'' in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms): * : * : The notes used in this scale are ''shadjam, antara gandharam, prati madhyamam, panchamam'' and ''kakali nishādam'') ''Amr̥tavarṣiṇi '' is considered a ''janya'' rāgam of ''

Chitrambari Chitrambari (pronounced ''chitrāmbari'') is a ragam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 66th '' Melakarta'' rāgam in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is called Chaturangini''Sri ...

'', the 66th '' Melakarta'' rāgam, although it can be derived from other melakarta rāgams, such as '' Kalyani'', ''

Gamanashrama Gamanashrama (pronounced gamanāshrama''Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar Keertanaigal'' by Vidwan A Sundaram Iyer, Pub. 1989, Music Book Publishers, Mylapore, Chennai) is a ragam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is ...

'' or '' Vishwambari'', by dropping both ''rishabham'' and ''dhaivatam''. There is another scale that has the same name but is less practiced in current performances. This scale is associated with the 39th melakarta

Jhalavarali Jhalavarali (pronounced , meaning ''A moon with the sun's heat''), is a ragam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 39th ''Melakarta'' rāgam in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is ...

Popular compositions

''Amr̥tavarṣiṇi'' rāgam lends itself for extensive elaboration and exploration due to the symmetric and pentatonic scale. It has many compositions in both classical music and film music. Here are some popular ''

kritis ''Kriti'' (Sanskrit: कृति, ''kṛti'') is a format of musical composition typical to Carnatic music. ''Kritis'' form the mental backbone of any typical Carnatic music concert and is the longer format of Carnatic song. "Kriti" also means C ...

'' and film music composed in ''Amr̥tavarṣiṇi''. *''Ennai Nee Maravate'' of Dandapani Desikar *''Sarasiruhanayane'' of Thyagaraja (usually said misattributed) *''Sarasijaasani'' of Muthuswami Dikshitar *''Vani Parama Kalyani'' By

Vadiraja Tirtha Sri Vadiraja Teertharu (1480 – 1600) was a Dvaita philosopher, poet, traveller and mystic. A polymath of his time, he authored many works, often polemical, on Madhva theology and metaphysics. Additionally, he composed numerous poems and as ...

*''Eesabeku Iddu'' By

Purandara Dasa Purandara Dasa ( IAST: Purandara dāsa) ( 1470 – 1565) was a Haridasa philosopher and a follower of Madhwacharya 's Dwaitha philosophy -saint from present-day Karnataka, India. He was a composer, singer and one of the chief founding-pr ...

*''Aanandaamrutakarshini amritavarshini'' of Muthuswami Dikshitar (The most popular song sung today in Amritavarshini) *''Aadi Varuvai Guhane'' of Punitasri *''Siddhi Nayakena'' of M. Balamuralikrishna *''Sthirata Nahi Nahi Re'' of Sadashiva Brahmendra *''Aadinateppadiyo Nadanam'', anonymous *''Sudhamayee Sudhanidi'' by Muthiah Bhagavatar In addition to these, ''Anni Mantramuli Inde Avahinchenu'' of

Annamacharya Tallapaka Annamacharya ( Telugu : తాళ్ళపాక అన్నమాచార్య) ( IAST: taḷḷapāka annamācārya; 22 May 1408 – 4 April 1503), also popularly known as Annamayya, was a 15th-century Hindu saint and the e ...

has been set to music in the ''Amr̥tavarṣiṇi''.

Film Songs

Language:
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

Language:
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...

*''Oru dalam matram'' from Jalakam, composed by M G Radhakrishnan , sung by K.J. Yesudas *''Manam pon Manam'' from Idavelakku Sesham, composed by

Raveendran Madhavan Raveendran ( ml, മാധവൻ രവീന്ദ്രൻ ), (born Kulathupuzha, Kollam, 9 November 1943 – died Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 3 March 2005), fondly known as ''Raveendran Master'', was a popular South Indian music composer a ...

, sung by K.J. Yesudas *''Aashadham padumbol'' from

Mazha ''Mazha'' () is a 2000 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by Lenin Rajendran based on the short story ''Nashtappetta Neelambari'' by Madhavikkutty. It stars Biju Menon, Samyuktha Varma and Lal. The music was composed by ...

, composed by Raveendran, sung by K.J. Yesudas *''Neela lohita hitakarini'' from

Kaveri The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri (hill), Karnataka, Brahmagiri range in th ...

, composed by Ilayaraja, sung by M. Balamuralikrishna *''Devi ni en pon veena nadam'' from Oru Mutham Mani Mutham, composed by Raveendran, sung by K.J. Yesudas *Anupallavi of ''Vilikkatirunnalum virunninettum'' from Ishtamanu Pakshe, composed by G. Devarajan, sung by K.J. Yesudas *Pallavi of ''Sharatkala megham'' from Dhruvasangamam, composed by Raveendran, sung by K.J. Yesudas *Parts of charanam in ''Kasturi Gandhikal'' from

Sethubandhanam Adam's Bridge, '; ta, ஆதாம் பாலம் ' also known as Rama's Bridge or ''Rama Setu'', '; ta, ராமர் பாலம் '; sa, रामसेतु ' is a chain of natural limestone shoals, between Pamban Island, ...

, composed by G. Devarajan, sung by Ayiroor Sadasivan *Pallavi of ''Aadi parashakti'' from

Ponnapuram Kotta Ponnapuram is a village in the Dharapuram taluk within the Tirupur district of Tamil Nadu, India. Agriculture is the main occupation along with vegetable exporting and the generation of power using windmills. The village has a population ...

, composed by G. Devarajan, sung by P.B. Sreenivas and

P. Leela Porayathu Leela (19 May 1934 – 31 October 2005) was an Indian playback singer, Carnatic vocalist and a music director. She has recorded more than 5,000 songs in various Indian languages including Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, ...

Language:
Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

*''Cheluveya andada mogake'' from

Devara Gudi ''Devara Gudi'' is a 1975 Indian Kannada-language drama film starring Vishnuvardhan and Bharathi along with Leelavathi, Manjula and Rajesh. The film was directed and edited by R. Ramamurthy and written by A. S. Prakasham The film was a rema ...

, composed by

Rajan–Nagendra Rajan–Nagendra were an Indian musical duo who were prominent composers of film music in Kannada and Telugu cinema from the late 1950s to the early 1990s. Rajan, along with his brother Nagendra, created a niche for themselves for nearly four de ...

, sung by

S. P. Balasubrahmanyam Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam (4 June 1946 – 25 September 2020), also referred to as SPB or SP Balu or Balu, was an Indian playback singer, television presenter, actor, music composer, dubbing artist, and film producer. He is wi ...

*''Naguve snehada haadu'' from Mugdha Manava, composed by

Vijaya Bhaskar Vijaya Bhaskar ( kan, ವಿಜಯಭಾಸ್ಕರ್; 1924–2002) was an Indian music director and composer who composed music for several mainstream and experimental feature films in the Kannada film industry. Scoring music for over 600 fe ...

, sung by S.P. Balasubrahmanyam *''Chaitrada kusumanjali'' from

Anandabhairavi Anandabhairavi or Ananda Bhairavi (pronounced ānandabhairavi) is a very old melodious rāgam (musical scale) of Carnatic music (South Indian classical music). This rāgam also used in Indian traditional and regional musics. ''Ānandam'' (San ...

, composed by

Ramesh Naidu Pasupuleti Ramesh Naidu (1933–1988) was an Indian music composer, multi instrumentalist, and singer, known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He garnered the National Film Award for Best Music Direction for the film Megha Sandesam ...

, sung by S.P. Balasubrahmanyam (anupallavi and charanam include other ragas too). *Charanam of ''Devaru beseda premada hara'' from Muttina Hara, composed by

Hamsalekha Gangaraju (born June 23, 1951), professionally known as Hamsalekha, is an Indian film composer and a songwriter who works in South Indian cinema, predominantly in the Kannada film industry since the late 1980s. He is also a screenplay writer, di ...

, sung by M. Balamuralikrishna

Language: Telugu

*''Aanati neeyara hara'' from Swati Kiranam, composed by K.V. Mahadevan, sung by

Vani Jayaram Vani Jairam (born as Kalaivani on 30 November 1945), also credited as Vani Jayaram, is an Indian singer. She is best known as a playback singer in South Indian cinema. Vani's career started in 1971 and has spanned over five decades. She has do ...

*''Jeevana vahini'', a ragamalika from Gangotri, composed by

M.M. Keeravani Koduri Marakathamani Keeravani (born 4 July 1961; credited as M. M. Keeravani) is an Indian film composer, playback singer, and lyricist, who predominantly works in Telugu cinema along with other languages including Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Ma ...

, sung by M.M. Keeravani, Ganga, Kalpana and Srivardhini *''Kurisenu Virijallule'', from Gharshana (Old), composed by Ilaiyaraaja, sung by S.P. Balasunrahmanyam,

Vani Jairam Vani Jairam (born as Kalaivani on 30 November 1945), also credited as Vani Jayaram, is an Indian singer. She is best known as a playback singer in South Indian cinema. Vani's career started in 1971 and has spanned over five decades. She has do ...

Raga relationships

''Graha bhēdham''

''Amritavarshini's'' notes when shifted using '' Graha bhedam'', yields 1 popular pentatonic rāgam,

Karnataka Shuddha Saveri Karnataka Shuddha Saveri is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is an ''audava'' rāgam (or ''owdava'' rāgam, meaning pentatonic scale). It is a ''janya'' rāgam (derived scale), as it does not have a ...

. ''Graha bhedam'' is the step taken in keeping the relative note frequencies same, while shifting the ''shadjam'' to the next note in the rāgam. For more details and illustration of this concept refer '' Graha bhedam on Amr̥tavarṣiṇi''.

Scale similarities

*''

Hamsadhvani Hamsadhvani (meaning "the cry of the swan"), is a rāga in Carnatic music (musical scale of Carnatic tradition of Indian classical music). It is an ''audava'' rāgam (or ''owdava'' rāga, meaning pentatonic scale). It is a ''janya'' rāga of the ...

'' is a rāgam which has ''chatushruti rishabham'' in place of the ''prati madhyamam''. See table below for more details *''

Gambhiranata Gambhiranata is a rāga in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music) and Yakshagana where it is called Naati. It is an ''audava'' rāgam (or ''owdava'' rāga, meaning pentatonic scale). It is a ''janya'' rāga (derived sca ...

'' is a rāgam which has ''shuddha madhyamam'' in place of the ''prati madhyamam''. See table below for more details

Notes

References

{{Janya Janya ragas