Hindōḷaṃ 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 a ...

m 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 ...

(musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is an ''audava'' rāgam (or ''owdava'' rāgam, meaning pentatonic scale). 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), as it does not have all 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). Hindolam is not the same as the Hindustani

Hindol Hindol is a Hindustani classical ''raga'' from the Kalyan Thaat. According to Indian classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj, Hindol is an ancient raga associated with the spring season and is sung during the first part of the day. Origin The rag ...

. The equivalent of ''Hindolam'' in

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, sita ...

is ''

Malkauns Malkauns, known also as rag Malkosh, is a raga in Indian classical music. It is one of the oldest ragas of Indian classical music. The equivalent raga in Carnatic music is called Hindolam, not to be confused with the Hindustani Hindol. Accordi ...

''''Ragas in Carnatic music'' by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications (or Malkosh''Raganidhi'' by P. Subba Rao, Pub. 1964, The Music Academy of Madras). It is known to be a rāgam that is generally beautiful and soothing to listen to. Being symmetrical in its ascending and descending scales, it lends itself very well to improvisation and is therefore popular at concerts.

Structure and Lakshana

''Hindōḷaṃ'' is a symmetric rāgam that does not contain ''rishabham'' and ''panchamam''. It is a pentatonic scale (''audava-audava'' rāgam in Carnatic music classification—''audava'' means 'of 5'). Since pentatonic scales can be found in other world music such as Chinese music, shades of ''

Mohanam Mohanam is a rāga in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is an ''audava'' rāga (or ''owdava'' rāga, meaning pentatonic scale). It is usually described as a '' janya'' rāga of Harikamboji (28th Melakartha Raga) ...

'' and ''Hindōḷaṃ'' can sometimes be traced in Chinese and east Asian music. Its ' structure (ascending and descending scale) is as follows (see ''swaras'' in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms): * : * : This rāgam uses the ''

s'' sadharana gandharam, shuddha madhyamam, shuddha dhaivatam and kaisiki nishadam. ''Hindolam'' is not a ''

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 ''melaka ...

'' rāgam, since it does not contain all the seven ''swaras''. Experts in Carnatic music hold differences of opinion on the ''janaka'' rāgams (rāgams of origin) that should be attributed to ''Hindolam''. It is widely accepted that the 20th melakarta, ''

Natabhairavi Naṭabhairavi is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 20th ''melakarta'' rāgam in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāgam system. It corresponds to the Natural minor scale of western music system. Natabhair ...

'', is the parent rāgam of ''Hindolam'', but some would like to associate it with the 8th melakarta, ''

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 ...

''. It can be derived from both, by dropping the ''rishabham'' and ''panchamam''.

Popular Compositions

''Sāmajavara gamanā'' by the maestro

Tyagaraja 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 one of the most popular compositions in ''Hindolam''. ''Mamavatu śri Sarasvati'' 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 ...

is another popular composition. Here are some more ''kritis'' composed in Hindolam: *''Samajavaragamana'', ''Manasulōni Marmamulu'' and ''Gōvardhana Giridhāri'' by

*''Madhukara Vritti'', ''Yaare Rangana'', ''Avanavana Kayva'', by

Purandaradasa 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-prop ...

*''Dasa Dasara Maneya'' By

Kanakadasa Kanaka Dasa (1509–1609) was a Haridasa saint and philosopher, popularly called Daasashreshta Kanakadasa (ದಾಸಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ ಕನಕದಾಸ). He was a renowned composer of Carnatic music, poet, reformer and musician. He is kn ...

*'' Guru Purandara Dasare'', ''Uma Kathyayani'' By Vijaya Dasa *''Hari Sarvothama Vayu Jeevothama'' By Kamalesha Vittala Dasu *''Gōvardhana Girīśam Smarāmi'', ''Neerajakshi Kamakshi'' and ''Saraswati Vidhiyuvathi'' by Muthuswami Dikshitar *''Padmanabha Pāhi'' by

Swathi Thirunal ( ml, സ്വാതി തിരുനാള്‍ രാമവർമ്മ) (16 April 1813 – 26 December 1846) was the Maharaja of the Kingdom of Travancore. He is also considered as a brilliant music composer and is credited with over 4 ...

*''Maa Ramanan'', ''Sāma Gāna lolalane'' and ''Nambikettavar'' 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 ...

*''Sadanandamayi Chinmayi'' by Oothukadu Venkata Kavi *''Mamavatu Sri Saraswati'' by

Mysore Vasudevacharya 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 ...

*''Chintayami Jagadamba'' by

Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar (18 July 1919 – 23 September 1974) was the 25th Maharaja of Mysore from 1940 to 1950, who later served as the governor of Mysore and Madras states. Early life Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar was born on 18 July 1919 at M ...

*''Dēva Dēvaṃ Bhajē'', ''Konḍalalō Nelakonna'', ''Garuda Gamana'', ''Narayana Ni Namame'', ''Nigama Nigama Nigamandha'' by

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 ea ...

*''Ramanakku Mannan Mudi'' by

Arunachala Kavi Arunachala Kavi ( ta, அருணாசல கவி) (1711–1779) was a Tamil poet and a composer of Carnatic music. He was born in Tillaiyadi in Thanjavur District in Tamil Nadu. The three Tamil composers Arunachala Kavi, Muthu Thandavar a ...

*''Mal Marugan (varnam)'' by Thanjavur Shankara Iyer *''Tillana (Dhim na naa tha dhirana) '' by

Balamuralikrishna Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna (6 July 1930 – 22 November 2016) was an Indian Carnatic vocalist, musician, multi-instrumentalist, playback singer, composer, and character actor. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in ...

Numerous ''

bhajan Bhajan refers to any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Indian religions, in any language. The term bhajanam ( Sanskrit: भजनम्) means ''reverence'' and originates from the root word ''bhaj'' ...

stotra ''Stotra'' (Sanskrit: स्तोत्र) is a Sanskrit word that means "ode, eulogy or a hymn of praise."Monier Williams, Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Article on 'Stotra'' It is a literary genre of In ...

s, kritis'' and film music numbers also have been composed in the ''Hindolam'' rāgam.

Tamil Film Songs

Non Film Songs

Kannada Film Songs

Related rāgams

This section covers the theoretical and scientific aspect of this rāgam. ''Hindolam'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 4 other major pentatonic rāgams, namely, ''

'', ''

Shuddha Saveri Shuddha Saveri or śuddha sāveri is a ragam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music) and Yakshagana music. It is an ''audava'' rāgam (or ''owdava'' rāgam, meaning pentatonic scale). It is a '' janya'' rāgam (derive ...

'', '' Udayaravichandrika'' (also known as ''Shuddha Dhanyasi'') and ''

Madhyamavati Madhyamavati (madhyamāvati) is a rāga in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is an ''audava'' rāga (or ''owdava'' rāga, meaning pentatonic scale), as it does not have all the seven musical notes (''swaras''). ...

''. ''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 Mohanam''.

Scale similarities

*''Saramati'' has an asymmetric scale, with the ascending scale of ''

'', while the descending scale is same as ''Hindolam''. Its ' structure is S R2 G2 M1 P D1 N2 S : S N2 D1 M1 G2 S

Notes

References

{{Janya Janya ragas