Gaud Malhar

Gaud Malhar
ThaatBilaval
TypeSampurna
Time of dayAny[1]
SeasonMonsoon[1]
ArohanaS R G M R P, M P D N S'[1]
AvarohanaS' D n P M G M R S[1]
VadiM
SamavadiS

Gaud Malhar is a raga in Hindustani classical music that combines characteristics of Malhar and the now extinct raga named Gaud.[2][1]

Theory

In Hindustani classical music, Gaud Malhar is classified under the Bilaval thaat or parent scale.[3] Musicological sources describe it as a raga that probably combines features of the Malhar group with those of Gaud, an independent raga that has since become obsolete.[1] Both Malhar and Gaud are historically associated with the rainy season.[1]

The earliest known mention of Gaud Malhar is in Srikantha's Rasakaumudi, a Sanskrit music treatise dated to approximately 1575.[1] The historical reference establishes the presence of the name Gaud Malhar by the late 16th century, although it does not by itself establish that the historical raga had the same musical structure as the modern form.[1]

Gaud Malhar should be distinguished from the Karnatik raga of the same name as it differs from the Hindustani raga.[3] The Karnatik Gaud Malhar is classified under the 29th mela, Dheera Shankarabharanam (Śankarābharaṇam), and belongs to the Audava-Sampurna category.[3]

Arohana and avaroha

Gaud Malhar does not have a single rigid scale that fully represents its melodic identity. The following is a general ascending (arohana) and descend (avaroha) of the Hindustani raga[1]:

  • Arohana (ascent): S R G M R P, M P D N S'
  • Avaroha (descent): S' D n P M G M R S

The raga uses both forms of Ni. Shuddh Ni (major note) occurs in the ascending movement leading to the upper Sa, while komal Ni (flat note) occurs in descending movements, particularly in the characteristic movement D-n\P.[1]

The unrelated Karnatik Gaud Malhar has a different structure. Its arohana and avaroha are[3]:

  • Arohana: S R₂ M₁ P D₂ S
  • Avaroha: S' N₃ D₂ P M₁ G₃ R₂ S

In the Karnatik system, the ascent is audava, using five notes, while the descent is sampurna, using all seven notes.[3]

Vadi and samavadi

The principle note (vadi) of Raga Gaud Malhar is Ma, and its secondary note (samvadi) is Sa.[4] However, historical musicological consensus is divided; some performance lineages and theoretical compilations designate Pa as the principal note, with Sa remaining the consonant partner, while others formalize the primary structural prominence of Ma by classifying the melody as a Ma-dominant raga.[4]

The melodic behavior and treatment of notes in Gaud Malhar reflect its compound structure (jod-raga), which bifurcates into distinct structural components:

  • Gaud-ang: Defined by the descending movement R–G–R–M–G–R–S, representing the musical footprint of the obsolete raga Gaud.[4]
  • Malhar-ang: Defined by the ascending phrase M–R–P, which structurally anchors the raga to the Malhar family.[4]

Characteristic phrases

The melodic identity of Hindustani Gaud Malhar is expressed through characteristic movements rather than through a fixed scalar sequence. Two movements are characteristic of the wider Malhar group[1]:

  •     M R / P — a movement from Ma to Re followed by a movement to Pa.
  •     D - n\P — a movement from Dha through komal Ni (flat Ni) to Pa.

These movements are not unique to Gaud Malhar, but to the overall family of Malhar ragas.[1]

Another important movement in Gaud Malhar is the descending glide M\G, from Ma to Ga. It is particularly associated with the Ga-emphasized variety of the raga.[1]

Performance behavior and varieties

Musicologists document two principal performative varieties of Gaud Malhar, defined by subtle note emphasis and direction:[1]

  • Madhyama (Ma)-emphasized: Establishes Ma as the pivotal note of melodic phrasing.[1]
  • Gandhara (Ga)-emphasized: Shifts the structural focus to Ga, highlighted through a characteristic descending glide from Ma to Ga (notated as M\G).[1]

Historical performance practice also distinguishes between two lineages of Ga usage. The first utilizes a stable, bright natural third (shuddha Ga), which is favored in fast-tempo (drut) compositions by contemporary khyal vocalists.[4] The second incorporates flat third (komal Ga) within the descending phrase komal Ni–Pa and a final resolution of Ga–Ma–Ri–Sa which is a performative treatment traditionally associated with older dhrupad styles.[4]

Samay

Gaud Malhar is seasonally restricted and is performed at any time of the day or night during the monsoon (rainy season).[1]

Rasa

The aesthetic mood (rasa) of Gaud Malhar is described by contemporary performers as serious, thoughtful, and deeply evocative of monsoon imagery.[1] In traditional Indian painting, the raga is linked to romantic longing and seasonal separation. Historic ragamala paintings depict Gaud Malhar as an anxious woman (virahini) who has prepared a bed of fresh flowers for her lover and stands looking out into the rainy night, sending a female messenger to check the path for his arrival.[1]

Compositions

A number of traditional bandishes, or compositions, have been developed and performed. A small number of compositions have been shared here:[5]

Bandish Form Taal Laya Theme
Mighwa Barse Ri Sakhi Sadra Jhaptal Vilambit Rainy Season
Bole Re Papiharwa Chota Khyal Teental Drut Longing (virah rasa)
Garje Re Ghata Ghan Chota Khyal Ektal Drut Rainy Season
Ham Tum Sang Na Bolen Bolen Chota Khyal Teental Drut Manana
Kari Ghata Ghir Aai Chota Khyal Teental Drut Rainy Season

Film songs

Song Movie Composer Artists
Jhir Jhir Barase Savani Ankhiyan Aashirwad (film) Vasant Desai Lata Mangeshkar
Garajat Barsat Bheejata Ailo Malhar(1951 film) Roshan (music director) Lata Mangeshkar
Jurm-e-Ulfat Pe Taj Mahal (1963 film) Roshan (music director) Lata Mangeshkar
Sharabi, Sharabi Ye Savan Ka Mausam Noor Jehan (film) Roshan (music director) Suman Kalyanpur

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Bor, Joep; Rao, Suvarnalata (1999). The Raga Guide: A Survey of 74 Hindustani Ragas. Nimbus Records with Rotterdam Conservatory of Music. p. 68. ISBN 9780954397609.
  2. ↑ "On Gaud Malhar and Miyan Malhar". Rajan Parrikar Music Archive. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Sangit Mahabharati (comp.), The Oxford Encyclopaedia of the Music of India (2011), entry "Gaud Malhār Rāga (Kar)"
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, edited by Laxminarayan Garg, Bhatkhande Sangeet Shastra: Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati, Bhag 4 (1957)
  5. ↑ Acharya Vishwanath Rao Ringe ‘Tanarang’, Acharya Tanarang Ki Bandishen, Vol. 2.


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