Classical musicians Priyadarshini and Mahesh Mahadev on the occasion of the release of ‘Shri Tyagaraja’ raga. photo credit: special arrangement
Classical and film composer Mahesh Mahadev created a new raga in Indian classical music and named it ‘Sri Tyagaraja’ to mark the 176th Tyagaraja Aradhana. Recently the score and audio of this musical work at the samadhi of the saint poet at Thiruvaiyaru was released.
The film and classical singer Priyadarshini presented Gandhara, handling subtle gamakas in nishada, with a deep twist from Pancham, which is the hallmark of Sri Tyagaraja raga.
The Sri Tyagaraja raga is a janya raga (derived scale) from the 59th melakarta scale Dharmavati and contains subtle glides and gamakas suited to bhakti and karuna rasa. It is an asymmetric raga which does not have a dhaivatam. It is a pentatonic hexatonic scale (audav-shadava raga in Carnatic music classification – audav means ‘of 5’, shadava means ‘of 6’). The ascents and descents of this raga are SG2M2PN3Ṡ and ṠN3PM2G2R2S (the swaras used in this ascending scale are Shadjam, Sadharana Gandharam, Prati Madhyam, Pancham, Kakali Nishadham along with Chatusruti Rishabham in the descending scale).
the inspiration of the saint
Mahesh Mahadev, who has composed several classical ragas, feels it is the saint’s blessing when he got the spark to create ‘Shri Tyagaraja’ to pay homage to the great saint. He says, “The entire process of raga creation, composition, song writing, scoring and singing took place in just three days.”
Any raga is firmly established by a composition or song. Otherwise the shape and flow of the raga would not have developed. Mahesh Mahadev has written and composed a Carnatic piece ‘Sri Ramachandram Bhajami’ in Sanskrit in this new raga, set to Adi Taal. The work is in praise of Lord Sri Rama and the name of the raga is embodied in it.
Priyadarshini says, “I had a great responsibility to give justice to the work as it is the first composition of this raga, there is no context in it as the raga itself is a newborn baby.”