Kanakangi (pronounced kanakāngi, meaning ''the golden bodied one'') is a

raga A ''raga'' or ''raag'' (; also ''raaga'' or ''ragam''; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. The ''rāga'' is a unique and central feature of the classical Indian music tradit ...

m in

Carnatic music Carnatic music, known as or in the Dravidian languages, 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, an ...

(musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 1st ''

Melakarta Mēḷakartā is a collection of fundamental musical scales ( ragas) in Carnatic music (South Indian classical music). ''Mēḷakartā'' ragas are parent ragas (hence known as ''janaka'' ragas) from which other ragas may be generated. A ''melak ...

'' rāgam in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is called Kanakāmbari in the

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 ...

school.''Ragas in Carnatic music'' by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications''Raganidhi'' by P. Subba Rao, Pub. 1964, The Music Academy of Madras

Structure and Lakshana

It is the 1st rāgam in the 1st ''chakra Indu''. The mnemonic name is ''Indu-Pa''. The mnemonic phrase is ''sa ra ga ma pa dha na''. Its ' structure (ascending and descending scale) has all ''shuddha

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'', as follows (see ''swaras'' in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms): * : * : (the notes are ''shuddha rishabham, shuddha gandharam, shuddha madhyamam, panchamam, shuddha dhaivatham, shuddha nishadham'') It is a ''sampurna'' rāgam – a rāgam that has all seven ''swaras'' (notes) and is often dubbed the ''shuddha'' scale, owing to its ''swarasthanas''. It is the ''shuddha madhyamam'' equivalent of ''

Salagam Salagam (pronounced sālagam) is a ragam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 37th ''melakarta'' rāgam in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is called Sowgandini in Muthuswami Diksh ...

'', which is the 37th ''melakarta''.

Asampurna Melakarta

Kanakāmbari is the 1st ''Melakarta'' in the original list compiled by

Venkatamakhin Venkatamakhin (; ) or Venkatamakhi, was an Indian poet, musician, and musicologist of Carnatic music. He is renowned for his '' Chaturdandiprakashika'' in which he explicates the melakarta system of classifying ragas. Venkatamakhin composed ge ...

. The notes used in the scale are the same, but the ascending scale is different. It is an ''audava-sampurna'' raga (5 notes in ascending scale, while full 7 are used in descending scale).Shree Muthuswami Dikshitar Keerthanaigal, by A Sundaram Iyer, Music Book Publishers, Mylapore, Chennai * : * :

''Janya'' rāgams

''Kanakangi'' has a few ''

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 ...

'' ragams associated with it, of which '' Karnātaka shuddha sāveri'' and ''Lavangi'' (a recent addition to Carnatic music by Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna) are a little popular. See List of ''janya'' rāgams for a full list of ''Kanakangi's janyas''.

Popular compositions

Few compositions have been composed in this austere ragam of which some are as listed: ''kanakAmbari kAruNyAmRtalahari'' in ''rāgam KanakAmbari'' by

Muthuswamy 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 ...

''Sri Gananatham Bhajamyaham'' by

Thyagaraja Thyagaraja (Telugu: త్యాగరాజ) (4 May 1767 – 6 January 1847), also known as Thyāgayya and in full as Kakarla Thyagabrahmam, was a composer and vocalist of Carnatic music, a form of Indian classical music. Tyagaraja and his ...

''Kanakangaka'' by Koteeswara Iyer - having composed a kriti in every ''melakarta'' raga in his magnum opus ''Kanda Ganamutham'' ''Sreesa Putraya'' is a composition by Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, is part of a series of compositions he created in every ''melakartha'' raga.

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 ...

Related rāgams

This section covers the theoretical and scientific aspect of this rāgam. ''Kanakangi's'' notes when shifted using ''

Graha bhedam ''Graha Bhedam'' in Carnatic music is the process (or result of the process) of shifting the Tonic note (''śruti'') to another note in the rāgam and arriving at a different rāgam. Its equivalent in Hindustani classical music is called a ''mur ...

'', yields ''

Kamavardani Kamavardhani (pronounced kāmavardhini – కామవర్ధిని/ ಕಾಮವರ್ಧಿನಿ/ காமவர்தினி / कामवर्धिनि) is a ragam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical mus ...

''. ''Graha bhedam'' is the step taken in keeping the relative note frequencies same, while shifting the ''shadjam'' to the next note in the rāgam.

Notes

References

{{Janya, state=collapsed Melakarta ragas