Kokilapriya (''The one dear to the
koel
The true koels, ''Eudynamys'', are a genus of cuckoos from Asia, Australia and the Pacific. They are large sexually dimorphic cuckoos that eat fruits and insects and have loud distinctive calls. They are brood parasites, laying their eggs in ...
'') 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 11th ''
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. The 11th rāgam in
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 of Carnatic music is called Kokilāravam.
[''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 5th rāgam in the 2nd ''chakra Netra''. The mnemonic name is ''Netra-Ma''. The mnemonic phrase is ''sa ra gi ma pa dha na''.
Its ' structure (ascending and descending scale) is as follows (see
''swaras'' in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms):
*
:
*
:
(this scale uses the notes ''shuddha rishabham, sadharana gandharam, shuddha madhyamam, chathusruthi dhaivatham, kakali nishadham'')
As it is a ''melakarta'' rāgam, by definition it is a
''sampoorna'' rāgam (has all seven notes in ascending and descending scale). It is the ''shuddha madhyamam'' equivalent of ''
Suvarnangi'', which is the 47th ''melakarta''.
Asampurna Melakarta
Kokilāravam is the 11th ''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 ...
. The notes used in the scale are the same, but the scales are ''vakra'' (zig-zag in phrases of the scale). It is an ''shadava-sampurna'' raga (6 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
''Kokilapriya'' has a few minor ''
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 ...
'' rāgams (derived scales) associated with it. See
List of ''janya'' rāgams for full list of rāgams associated with this scale.
Compositions
Here are a few common compositions sung in concerts, set to ''Kokilapriya''.
*''Dasarathe Dayasaradhe'' 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 ...
*''Vadamela Radha Manohara'' by
Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna
*''Neeke abhimanamu'' by
Mysore Vasudevachar
Mysore Vasudevacharya (28 May 1865 – 17 May 1961) was an Indian musician and composer of Carnatic music compositions who belonged to the direct line of Thyagaraja's disciples. Vasudevachar's compositions (numbering over 200) were mostly in Telu ...
*''kOdanDarAmam anisham'' in Kokilāravam 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 ...
Related rāgams
This section covers the theoretical and scientific aspect of this rāgam.
''Kokilapriya's'' notes when shifted using ''
Graha bhedam'', yields ''
Rishabhapriya
Rishabhapriya is a ragam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 62nd '' melakarta'' rāgam (parent scale) in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is the ''prati madhyamam'' equivalent o ...
'' ''melakarta'' rāgam. ''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 further details and an illustration refer ''
Graha bhedam on Kokilapriya''.
Notes
References
{{Janya, state=collapsed
Melakarta ragas