Raga Bageshri or Bageshree (
IAST: Bāgeśrī) is a
Carnatic classicalraga. It is a
janya raga (derived scale) of the 22nd
Melakarta raga
Kharaharapriya. It is meant to depict the emotion of waiting for reunion with one's lover. Being a very melodic raga it has gained popularity over the centuries. In
Hindustani music, it is said to have been first sung by
Miyan Tansen, the celebrated court singer of the
Emperor Akbar in the sixteenth century[citation needed].
In modern days, people like the popular Hindi music director
C.Ramchandra favour composing songs in Bageshri, as he found it simple. In a 1978 interview at BBC studios with Mahendra Kaul, he explained this, while playing songs like (
Radha na bole – Azad, 1955) that were set to Bageshri.[3]
Theory
The
theoretical aspects of Bageshri are as follows:
Bageshri raga a popular raga. It is derived from the 22nd
Melakarta,
Kharaharapriya.[4] This raga is a
janya raga (derived) as it does not have all the seven notes in the ascending scale.
Structure and Lakshana
Bageshri is an asymmetric scale that does not contain panchamam or rishabam in the ascending scale. It is called a audava-sampurna rāgam,[4] in Carnatic music classification (as it has 5 notes in ascending and 7 notes in descending scale). Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure is as follows (see
swaras in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms):
This scale uses the notes shadjam, chathusruti rishabham, sadharana gandharam, shuddha madhyamam, panchamam, chathusruthi dhaivatham, and kaisiki nishadam.
Popular compositions
Bageshri is a very melodic raga in Carnatic music.[4] So, even though this scale has been used only in a few
krithis (compositions), many devaranamas, ashtapadis, thiruppugazhs, and other lyrics have been set to tune in this raga. It is typically sung in concerts after the main piece, in viruttams, padams, bhajans, and
ragamalika.[4]