I was looking for some discussion on Raga Sama (or Shyama?) on which classics like "Manasa Sancharare", "Annapoorne Vishalakshi", "Varuvaro", etc. are based - couldn't find it in this forum.
I am interested in specific prayogams for this ragam, how to differentiate it from similar ragams (like Arabhi, Devagandhari, Shuddha Saveri - which sound similar to it).
I'd appreciate if rasikas can share links or blogs that discuss this ragam.
Thanks,
Bhavani

The discussion here may be of some relevance to your question: http://www.carnatica.net/newsletter/ara ... letter.htm

Wish I was there during the discussion to listen to Prof. SRJ when he explained the difference in MGRs of the 4 similar ragas - Arabhi, Devagandhari, Shuddha Saveri and Sama . Nice article... but didn't help me with Sama .
Thanks for your reply anyway...
Bhavani

Bhavani,

G is not used in shuddhasAvEri.

I first wanted to type something in reply, but I knew it would help you as much as opening a nArAyaNagauLai thread helped me.

I recommend you listen to "eTulaina bhakti vaccuTakE" by Vidushi Suguna Varadachari and "guruguhAya bhaktAnugrahAya" by Smt Nanditha Ravi. You must be able to find both of them on sangeethamshare.org

I happened to attend a discussion session between SV and Vidushi Kalpakam Swaminathan, in which KS said that Dikshithar does not use mpds but only mdds in his compositions. Most of Smt Nanditha Ravi's sangatis abide by that rule. You can also find a youtube of "annapUrNE visAlAkShi" by Smt KS.

A plain, nice ga -- usages like mggr -- bring out sAma.

You should contrast the first phrase of eTulaina with Arabhi's dsdp (which you'll find in sAdhincene).

mdds and srgsr are used both in dEvagAndhAri and sAma, but dEvagAndhari makes generous use of both nis, and the rmgr of dEvagAndhari is just one of its kind. =) In addition, dEvagAndhAri also DOES use an Arabhi-like mgr -- usually as pmgr.

Boldly go forth and attempt some manOdharma in these rAgas!

bhavani,

sAma can be instantly told apart from Arabhi and dEvagAndhAri by the fact that it doesn't use the niSAda. It differs from Shuddha sAvEri vis-a-vis the gAndhAra, as srikant has pointed out.

But let me take this opportunity to narrate the story of sAma, and how like an amoeba engulfing a food particle, it gulped down naTanArAyani, as several sangeetakalAnidhi-s egged it on. Having swallowed natanArAyaNi it coughed up some of its own phrases, and is now an anaemic, washed out srmpds/sdpmgrs.

There used to be a sAma, with interesting vakra-varjya character, replete with rmpmgr, rpmdd, rmpmdd and rmpd phrases in equal measure, that was in vogue. It would occasionally coo a sweet srgs.

This was probably the sAma anammayya sang, and was definitely the sAma used by tyAgayya, dIksitar and kuppayyar. Our ladder-loving mahAvidvAns, with their penchant for straight scales decided that this was all unnecessary and now we have a song of swati tirunAl, a sadAshiva brahmEndra piece and a nandanAr charitra kIrtanam [all retuned in the last century] to represent the current scalariform sAma.

All these have the same srmpds/sdpmgrs(srgs). There is also a varnam by another kalAnidhi that was the last nail in the twin coffins of the old sAma as well as naTanArAyaNI. It firmly established the sr-rm-mp-pds ang of sAma.

mgrs in these rAga-s.

The G in Arabhi is an alpa or fleeting gAndhAra it is always leaning on the M. So a notation of MGRS is actually sung/ played MmgRS. I think this phrase has no place in dEvagAndhAri, though it is used a lot nowadays, as srikant has pointed out.
One example of such contamination is the pallavi of karunAsamudra where many sing Mmgrr,, in a style that almost matches the pallavi of O rAjIvAkSa. The phrase should rather be MG,,rr,,. However there are AlApanas by several stalwarts that are equally Arabhi and dEvagAndhAri!

There is only mrs in suddha sAvEri.

dEvagAndhAri uses a clearly enunciated G, even a dIrgha g - srgsr,,; srg,,rr; srmg,,rr,,etc.

Dr PinAkapANi had mentioned to me that the first phrase in that set, srgsr,, is a sAma phrase, and has no business being in dEvagAndhAri. I feel that singing the first r flat or s dependent can tell apart the sAma and DG versions respectively.

DG has an important pmd,, molecule, that is pronounced differently in sama, when present.
There is a lingering on the m in sAma, and m often occurs in dyads or triads in this rAga.

I feel that the main culprit in this, however, is a fondness to oscillate the ris and dhas in Arabhi too.

I feel that Arabhi is neatly-playable on flute (maybe nAgaswaram) and on split-fingering-rich veena styles. Violin, I think, not that suited for it.


I like avoiding ni in Arabhi too. Some versions of sAdhincene don't use it. Well, basically that becomes a ssd much like mgr is like mmr.


srgsr is present in kShIrasAgarashayana too -- "tArakanAma tyAgarAjanuta". I know many of the supposed "signature-of-the-rAgam krtis" face resistance, but I think kShIrasAgarashayana is a good one. But if that, and the mgr I mentioned are all disputed, I'm beginning to see why dEvagAndhAri is a dEshya rAga.

And Keerthi, you forgot to criticize modern version of MD's annapUrNE. Which is the Swati Tirunal krti you're talking about btw?

Good that you mentioned the lingering ma of sAma. Probably one lingering feature in the modern sAma?

Yes, yes.. I should have criticised that as well.



smara hari-padAravindaM.


I forgot to mention, sAma is an avarOha-pradhAna rAga and our disregard of this feature, which prompts us to sing AlApanas and swarakalpana with many ascendant phrases mars the ragaswarupa further.

Oscillated D isn't a problem in Arabhi, as long as it oscillates between the right notes with the right degree of oscillation. ArAbhi is established with S oscillating d, while DG can use D oscillating with either n, depending on the circumstance.

Thank you all for such rich insights... it will take while for me to read through this and visit the links you all mentioned.
Bhavani