S-R-mM-P-D-nN-S
According to Rajan Parrikar, Ambika Sarang is associated with Agra vocalist Chidanand Nagarkar, with “elements of Shuddha Sarang and Kafi blended together in a delicious cocktail” (as per his great-nephew Prasad Upasani, “The story goes that while teaching Shuddha Sarang, one student kept singing komal ni by mistake. This phrase stuck in his head, and resulted in him creating this raga, [which] he called ‘Ambika’ Sarang after the student who inspired it…”). Ga is banished, allowing for Saraswati-tinged movements: in fact, some incarnations of the raga are considered indistinguishable from vichitra veena maestro Gopal Krishnan’s Saraswati Sarang (echoed in a direct message I received from Krishnan’s grandson Akshat Sharma in early 2024). Apart from being prakriti, the term ‘Ambika’ (meaning ‘Mother’ in Sanskrit) is closely tied to the goddess Saraswati – in particular, her Adi Parashakti manifestation: a weapon-wielding, demon-slaying deity held as the ultimate matriarch of the universe, as well as the one who bestowed the other gods with their names (she also appears in the Malkauns myth).
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राग अंबिका सारंग
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—Parveen Sultana (2007)—
[refrain, e.g. 3:53] DDPM, S\n(Sn) DDP(M)P, (P)M\R, P(M)P, DDPM, S\n…
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• Classifiers •
Explore hidden inter-raga connections: swara geometries, melodic features, murchana sets, ragangas, & more (also see the Full Tag List):
Swaras: -4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10+
Sapta: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna
Poorvang: SRGM | SRG | SRM | SGM
Uttarang: PDNS | PDS | PNS | DNS
Varjit: Re | Ga | Ma | Pa | Dha | Ni
Double: rR | gG | mM | dD | nN
Thaat: 10 | 32 | Enclosed | Inexact
Chal: All-shuddha | All-komal | Ma-tivra
Gaps: Anh. | Hemi. | 3-row | 4-row | 5-row
Symmetries: Mirror | Rotation | Palindr.
Aroha: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna
Avroh: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna
Jati: Equal | Balanced | Av.+1 | Av.+2
Samay: Morning | Aftern. | Eve. | Night
Murchana: Bhup. | Bihag | Bilaw. | Charu.
Raganga: Bhairav | Malhar | Kan. | Todi
Construction: Jod | Mishra | Oddball
Origin: Ancient | Carnatic | Modern
Dominance: Poorvang | Uttarang
Prevalence: A-list | Prachalit | Aprach.
• Prakriti: Saraswati Sarang
–Swara Geometries–
• Core form: S–R–mM–P–D–nN–S
• Reverse: SrRgmMPnS
• Negative: 5-2-1-4
• Imperfect: 2 (Ma, Dha)
• Detached: none
• Symmetries: none
• Murchanas: Lachari Kanada set
–Global Translations–
• Carnatic: ~Saranga Malhar
S-R2-M1-M2-P-D2-N2-N3-S
• Jazz: Aeoliogyllic
1-2-4-#4-5-6-b7-7-8
• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):
0-2-5-6-7-9-10-11-0
(2–3–1–1–2–1–1–1)
o • o • • o o o • o o o o
• Tanpura: Sa–Pa
• Names: Ambika Sarang, ~Saraswati Sarang
• Transliterations: Hindi (अंबिका सारंग)
—Tushar Dutta (2019)—
(also see the inseparable Saraswati Sarang)
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George Howlett is a London-based musician, writer, and teacher (guitars, sitar, tabla, & santoor). Above all I seek to enthuse fellow sonic searchers, interconnecting fresh vibrations with the voices, cultures, and passions behind them. See Homepage for more, and hit me up for Lessons!
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