Navaneetam (pronounced navanītam, meaning ''the eternal new one'') 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 40th ''

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 (parent scale) in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is called 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.''Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar Keertanaigal'' by Vidwan A Sundaram Iyer, Pub. 1989, Music Book Publishers, Mylapore, Chennai''Ragas in Carnatic music'' by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications''Raganidhi'' by P. Subba Rao, Pub. 1964, The Music Academy of Madras Navaneetham is a Sanskrit word meaning fresh butter. 'Nava' meaning fresh (new) and 'neetham' meaning butter.

Structure and Lakshana

It is the 4th rāgam in the 7th ''chakra Rishi''. The mnemonic name is ''Rishi-Bhu''. The mnemonic phrase is ''sa ra ga mi pa dhi ni''. 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, shuddha gandharam, prati madhyamam, chatushruti dhaivatam, kaisiki nishadam'') As it is a ''melakarta'' rāgam, by definition it is a ''sampūrṇa'' rāgam (has all seven notes in ascending and descending scale). It is the ''prati madhyamam'' equivalent of ''

Vanaspati Vanaspati (Devanagari: ) is the Sanskrit word that now refers to the entire plant kingdom. However, according to ''Charaka Samhitā'' and '' Sushruta Samhita'' medical texts and the '' Vaisesikas'' school of philosophy, "vanaspati" is limited to p ...

'', which is the 4th ''melakarta'' rāgam.

''Janya'' rāgams

''Navanītam'' does not yet have 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) associated with it. See List of ''janya'' rāgams for full list of ''janya'' scales.

Compositions

A few compositions set to ''Navaneetam'' scale are: *''Umāpati pāhi'' by Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna in

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

*''Lēmidelpa peddavāru'' 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 ...

*''Sami ide nalla samayam'' by Koteeswara Iyer *''Himātmajē Santatam Pāhimām'' by Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna in

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 ...

Related rāgams

This section covers the theoretical and scientific aspect of this rāgam. ''Navaneetam's'' notes when shifted using '' Graha bhedam'', yields no other ''melakarta'' rāgam, like all 6 rāgams in the ''Rishi chakra'' (''

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 Diks ...

Jalarnavam Jalarnavam (pronounced , meaning ''the ocean'') is a ragam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 38th ''Melakarta'' rāgam in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is called Jaganmōhan ...

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 ...

, Pavani'' and ''

Raghupriya Raghupriya (meaning ''The one dear to Raghu'') is a ragam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 42nd ''melakarta'' rāgam (parent scale) in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is calle ...

'' being the other 5). Only these rāgams have a gap of 3 notes anywhere in their scale, between G1 to M2. Such a gap does not occur in any other ''melakarta'' by definition. ''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