Naṭabhairavi is a

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

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 20th ''

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. It corresponds to the

Natural minor scale In music theory, the minor scale is three scale patterns – the natural minor scale (or Aeolian mode), the harmonic minor scale, and the melodic minor scale (ascending or descending) – rather than just two as with the major scale, which also ...

of western music system. Natabhairavi corresponds to the ''

Asavari Raga Asavari () is a Hindustani classical raga. It belongs to the Asavari thaat and is performed in the morning hours. In pre- Bhatkhande days this Asavari used the Komal Rishab instead of Shuddh Rishab. When Bhatkhandeji created the thaat proc ...

thaat'' of

Hindustani music Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, sit ...

.''Ragas in Carnatic music'' by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications''Raganidhi'' by P. Subba Rao, Pub. 1964, The Music Academy of Madras 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 this melakarta is instead known as Nārīrītigowla.''Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar Keertanaigal'' by Vidwan A Sundaram Iyer, Pub. 1989, Music Book Publishers, Mylapore, Chennai ''Natabhairavi'' is known to be a rāgam that incites feelings of grandeur and devotion in the listeners.

Structure and Lakshana

It is the 2nd rāgam in the 4th ''chakra Veda''. The mnemonic name is ''Veda-Sri''. The mnemonic phrase is ''sa ri gi ma pa dha ni''. Its ' structure is as follows (see ''swaras'' in Carnatic music for details on the notations used): * : * : (this scale uses the notes ''chatushruti rishabham, sadharana gandharam, shuddha madhyamam, shuddha daivatam, kaishiki nishadam'') It is a ''sampoorna'' rāgam - rāgam having all 7 ''

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 '' ...

ms''. It is the ''shuddha madhyamam'' equivalent of ''

Shanmukhapriya Shanmukhapriya is a ragam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 56th ''melakarta'' rāgam (parent scale) in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is called Chāmaram in Muthuswami Dikshi ...

'', which is the 56th ''melakarta''.

Asampurna Melakarta

Nārīrītigowla is the 20th ''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 scales have ''vakra prayoga'' (zig-zag usage of notes in the ascending and descending scale). * : * :

''Janya'' rāgams

''Natabhairavi'' has a number of popular ''

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) such as ''

Bhairavi Bhairavi ( sa, भैरवी) is a Hindu goddess, described as one of the Mahāvidyas, the ten avatars of the mother goddess. She is the consort of Bhairava. Etymology The name ''Bhairavi'' means "terror" or "awe-inspiring". She is the ...

'',’’

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 ...

’’,''

Saramati Saramati is a ragam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is a ''janya'' rāgam (derived scale) from the 20th '' melakarta'' scale Natabhairavi.''Ragas in Carnatic music'' by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, Pub. 1990, ...

'', '' Jaunpuri'', ''

Hindolam Hindōḷaṃ 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 all the sev ...

'' (sometimes ''Hindolam'' is also associated as a Janya of ''

Hanumatodi Hanumatodi, more popularly known as Todi (pronounced hanumatōdi and tōdi), is a rāgam (musical scale) in Carnatic music. It is the 8th ''melakarta'' rāgam (parent scale) in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāgam system. This is sung very often in concer ...

''),

Darbari Kanada Darbari Kanada, or simply Raga Darbari, (pronounced darbāri kānada), is a raga in the Kanada family, which is thought to have originated in Carnatic music and brought into Hindustani classical music by Miyan Tansen, the legendary 16th-c ...

and '' Jayanthasree''. See List of ''janya'' rāgams for a full list of ''Natabhairavi's'' janya rāgams.

Popular compositions

''śrī vallī devasenā pate'' is a popular composition in ''Natabhairavi'', composed by

Papanasam Sivan Paapanaasam Raamayya Sivan (26 September 1890 – 1 October 1973) was an Indian composer of Carnatic music and a singer. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1971. He was also a film score composer in Kannada cinema ...

. ''Parulaseva'' by

Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar (1860 - 1919), whose real name was Ramanathapuram Srinivasa Iyengar, was a singer and composer of Carnatic music. He was born in Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu on August 16, 1860. He studied music under Patnam Subramania Iy ...

is another well known composition in this rāgam. ''Upacharamu jeseva'', in janya ragam ''Bhairavi'' composed 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 ...

is also popular.

's composition ''śrī nīlotpalanāyike'' is set to ''Nārīrītigowla''.

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, nati ...

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 ...

Related rāgams

This section covers the theoretical and scientific aspect of this rāgam. ''Natabhairavi'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 5 other major ''melakarta'' rāgams, namely, '' Kalyani'', '' Sankarabharanam'', ''

'', ''

Kharaharapriya Kharaharapriya is a rāga in Carnatic music. It is the 22nd ''melakarta'' rāga (parent scale) in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāga system. It is possible that the name of the ragam was originally ''Harapriya'' but it was changed to conform to the K ...

'' and ''

Harikambhoji Harikambhoji (pronounced harikāmbhōji) is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 28th ''Melakarta'' rāgam (parent scale) in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāgam system. One of the first scales employed b ...

''. For further details and an illustration of Graha bhedam of this rāgam refer Graha bhedam on Sankarabharanam. Even though Natabhairavi has quite evenly spaced ''

sthanas'' (pitch positions, notes) like the other 5 in this group, it has not found as much importance in concerts. One is likely to find ''Kalyani'', ''Todi'', ''Sankarabharanam'' and ''Karaharapriya'' as the main ragam in concerts, more often than ''Natabhairavi'' by a big count. Except for madhyamam, all other swara prayoga(usage in practice) resemble ''Shanmukhapriya''. Especially, when one uses the notes from panchamam(P) to gandharam(G₂) in ārohaṇa and vice versa in Avarohana, this ragam can be easily confused to be ''Shanmukhapriya'' while actually.

Notes

{{Janya, state=collapsed Melakarta ragas