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A Comparative Study of Some of the Leading Music Systems of the 15th, 16th, 17th & 18th Centuries c9: Anupa Sangita Ratnakara

A Comparative Study of Some of the Leading Music Systems of the 15th, 16th, 17th & 18th Centuries c9

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English

Anupa Sangita Ratnakara

c9.1

In the swara adhyaya of this work again, Bhava Bhatta gives us nothing original on the question of sruti, swara, grama, murchhana, tana, varna, and alankara. He copies almost everything from the Sangeeta Ratnakara. "Alapti", "dhrupada" and "quada" are defined as under.

c9.2

वर्णालंकारसंपन्ना गमकस्थायाचित्रिता ।
आलप्तिरुच्यते तज्ज्ञैर्बहुवैचित्र्यसंयुता ॥
अथ ध्रुवपद लक्षणम् ।
गीर्वाणमप्यदेशीयभाषासाहित्यराजितम् ।
द्विचतुर्वाक्यसंपन्नं नरनारीकथाश्रयम् ॥

c9.3

उद्ग्राहस्य मावाद्य रागालापपदालमकम् । पादातानु प्राप्तयुक्त पादांतयुगकं च वा ॥ प्रतिपाद यत्र बद्धमेव पादचतुष्टयम् । उद्ग्राहध्रुवका भोगान्तरं ध्रुवपदं स्मृतम् ॥

c9.4

अथ क्वाड लक्षणम् । कश्चिालातुपक्रम्य प्रयोगबहुलतात् । संकीर्णनेकगतिभिः श्रुष्टं सुमनोहरम् ॥ कुआःहल्या च तद्रूपैः तालरूप विचक्षणः । अन्यथैकद्वित्रिचतुस्तालानां मेलन मिधः ॥ कियालयविभागेन कुआडः परिकीर्तितः ॥

c9.5

These definitions may be found somewhat interesting and instructive. In the Raga Adhyaya the varieties of some of the popular ragas are enumerated as follows.—

c9.6

अधनाटभेदानामुदेशः क्रियतेऽधुना । शुद्धनाटश्च सालंगनाटच्छायादिनाटकः ॥ केदारादिकनाटश्च तथा कल्याणनाटकः । तथामीरनाटश्च वराटीनाटकस्तथा ॥ ततः सारंगनाटश्च ततः कामोदनाटकः । वर्णनाटश्च विम्भासनाटो हमीरनाटकः ॥ कदंबनाटकः पूर्णनाटः कर्णाटनाटकः । पूर्णकर्णाटकोऽप्यत्रनाटभेदाः प्रकीर्तिताः ॥ इतिनाटाः । शुद्धकर्णाटगश्च कर्णाटे नायकी ततः । नागीश्वर्यादि कर्णाटः कर्णाटोऽपाणपूर्वकः ॥ ततःसाहानाकर्णाटः पूरियादिस्ततःपरम् । ततो सुन्दिष्ककर्णाटो गाराकर्णाटकस्ततः ॥ हुमेनीपूर्वकर्णाटः काफीकर्णाटस्ततः । सोरठीपूर्वकर्णाटः खभावत्यादिकस्ततः ॥ ततः कर्णाटगौडः स्यात् । कर्णाटस्ते चतुर्दश ॥

c9.7

Then follow the varieties of Kalyana, कल्याण, बिलावली, तोडी, गौरी, गौड, वराटी, आमावरी, केदार, विहगडा, सारंग, भैरव, कामोद, गुर्जरी, सैंधवी मल्हार. It will be useful for the music scholars to make an attempt to collect and preserve in a central place old songs of these varieties from the living artists in the country.

c9.8

All this will show that Hindusthani music was going through wonderful changes and that there were great artists in those Mahomedan times. I only wish Bhava Bhatta had taken the trouble to carefully define or describe all these "upanga ragas". His omission has left us, no doubt, in a very unfortunate position. It appears he was a great admirer of Pundarika. In the Raga-Adhyaya of Ratnakara, he has practically adopted the raga classification of the Raga Manjari of that writer. He says:—

c9.9

तोडीगौरीवटीनां केदारशुद्धनाटयोः ।
मालवाकैशिकारयस्य श्रीरागस्य ततः परम् ॥
हमीरहेमकल्याणौ देशाक्षी देशिकारकः ।
सारंगस्य च कर्णाटः स कामोदो हिजेजकः ॥
नादरामक्रिहिदौलौ मुखारी सोमरागकः ।
एतेषां मेलसंजातरागाणां च यथायथम् ॥
लक्षणं वक्ष्यते किंतु लोकवृत्तानुसारतः ॥

c9.10

Then these thatas with their proper swaras and their janya ragas are faithfully copied from the Manjari. Be it stated here that Bhava Bhatta does not conceal the fact that he has copied these all from the Manjari. He then gives the definitions of some of our popular ragas, and while giving them, he cites as authorities the opinion of other granthas. All the three works of Bhava Bhatta are printed and published now, and so we shall not go into the details of his ragas. We have fully discussed almost all his authorities and so the swara and other details of these ragas will be easily followed by the reader. Bhava Bhatta has added hundreds of old dhrupadas under the different ragas. But as they are not set to any notation, I have not thought it fit to include any of them here. Many of these no doubt can be fitted to music by some of our eminent artists.

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