The Music of Hindostan c9.s1.13

c9.s1.13

*Svara*, from root *svṛ*, ‘hear’, is also a degree of the scale, or a diatonic note. It may be natural (*śuddha*) or chromatic (*vikṛta*). ‘Natural’ means not a ‘white’ note, but ‘proper to the scale’, whatever the scale may be. *Vikṛta* notes are sharp (*tīvra*) or flat (*komala*), very sharp (*atitīvra*) or very flat (*atikomala*). F is the only note which is sharpened, and it has three degrees of sharpness—F♯ (*ma tīvra*), F♯♯ (*ma tīvratar*), F♯♯♯ (*ma tīvratam*)² F being rarely used the names are more often moved on one place, so that F♯ is *ma tīvra* and F♯♯ *ma tīvratar*. Three degrees of flattening are sometimes wanted for D, E, A, B: D♭ is *Ri atikomal*, D♭ is *Ri komal*, and D is sometimes called *Ri madhya* (middle).¹ *Tīvra* and *komal* are, literally, ‘strong’ and ‘tender’. Divine attributes are assigned to all the *svaras*. Their full names are—C, *śadja*; D, *ṛṣabha*; E, *gāndhāra*; F, *madhyama*; G, *pañcama*; A, *dhaivata*; B, *niṣāda*; and their abbreviations *Sa, Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni*. In South India D♭, D, D♯ are called *Ra, Ri, Ru* (as the Tonic Sol-fa system names them *Ra, Ray,* and *Re*) and the others analogously. In old music the *svara* names the interval; when it names the note it names the note above the interval; thus, *Ga* means the interval E–F, and in old books the note F, in modern parlance the note E.