Mohanam – Raaga

Mohanam – Raaga

Print this Article | Share on Facebook | Share on Twitter
Posted On: July 21, 2010
Posted In: , , , , ,
Comments: 23 Responses

Raaga is a sequence of musical notes in Indian Classical Music. Every Raaga has a defined style of exposition of the notes and has a name. Although the notes definition, nomenclature and exposition of various Raagas differ in Hindusthani and Carnatic Schools of Indian Music, Raaga is essentially a sequence of musical notes that has a defined style of exposition and has an innate capacity to create or induce a specific mood in the audience.

Mohanam is one such Raaga in Carnatic Music. Mohanam means beauty and induces a joyful mood. The Raaga has a beautiful exposition structure befitting the name. Mohanam consists of five basic notes namely Sa Re Ga Pa and Dha in both the ascending and descending mode of the scale called the Arohanam and Aavarohanam in Carnatic music (many Raagas in Carnatic music have different ascending and descending notes).
The Raaga has its equivalent in Hindusthaani School of music too with the name Bhupali.

The Raaga is special in the sense that it can be rendered and utilized in heavy and light styles of exposition.

For example, Saint Tyagaraaja has composed the famous ‘Krithi’ (the Carnatic equivalent of the Western ‘Song’ concept) “Nannupaalimpa” in such a tough tempo that makes even a master musician to perspire.

Mysore Vaasudevaachaariariaar’s “Raaraa Raajiva Lochana” is a heavy piece too. No musician can ever ignore GNB’s “Sadhaapaalaya Saarasaakshi” in this Raaga. The simple yet charming “Raamanai Kannaara Kandeyne” of Arunaachala Kavi is Mohanam in pristine beauty. At the same time, the all time semi-classical hit of P.Suseela “Maanikkaveenai yeendhum” is also in Mohanam.

Mannikkaveenai Yeendhum – Played by Rajesh Vaidhya on Veenai

Illayaraaja has done “Meenkudi theyril” in Karumbuvil and “Ninnukorivarnam” in the movie Agninakshtram utilizing the same Raaga.

blah

Devaa has also done the famous “Vellirikka pinji vellirikka” in Kaadhalkotai with Mohanam.

blah

Mohanam has found its way into the realms of film industry too with almost every one of the famous South Indian film music composers utilizing the mesmerizing effect of the Raaga. Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, the violin maestro turned music director has to his credit “Thiruchendooril” in the movie Dheivam. M.S.Visvanathan has done “Orupakkam paarkara-oru Kanna saaikaraa” in Mattukaaravelan.

Thus, Mohanam is a Raaga that induces a joyful mood. Hence, it is popular not only with classical but also modern music lovers.

Author: Prof. Ramanan – (c) IsaiArangam
Prof. Ramanan is a Writer/Editor and Proofreader working for several Journals of Nursing in the US and for a Medical Translation company located in China. Further, he had been consultant writer for a parenting blog from Hartford and an Ergonomic website from Texas. Currently he writes for Black Doctors Inc., Chicago. Beside all this, he also owns and operates a company called “Elementum”.

Related Posts:

Amazing Aabheyri
Rhapsodic Reethigowlai
Scintillating Shanmukhapriya
Professionalism in Music - Is it Alive Today?
Charming Chaarukesi

Popularity: 10% [?]

Related posts:

  1. Charming Chaarukesi Continuing our journey into the...
  2. Scintillating Shanmukhapriya Who can ever forget the...
  3. Amazing Aabheyri I was just listening to...
  4. Professionalism in Music – Is it Alive Today? Those were the days when...
  5. Rhapsodic Reethigowlai I was first exposed to...