Asaveri

This article is about Carnatic music ragam. For Hindustani raga and thaat, see Asavari.

Asaveri (asāvēri) is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is a janya rāgam (derived scale) from the 8th melakarta scale Hanumatodi. It is a janya scale, as it does not have all the seven swaras (musical notes) in the ascending scale, and has a vakra (zigzag) descending scale.

Asaveri is an ancient rāgam, which is mentioned in the Sangita Ratnakara. Asaveri resembles Komal Asavari and Asa Todi of Hindustani classical music. The Asavari of Hindustani music resembles Natabhairavi of Carnatic music.

Structure and Lakshana

File:Karnataka Shuddha Saveri scale.svg

Ascending scale with shadjam at C, which is same as Karnataka Shuddha Saveri scale

File:Hanumatodi scale.svg

Descending scale with shadjam at C, which is based on Hanumatodi scale

Asaveri is an asymmetric rāgam that does not contain gandharam and nishadam in the ascending scale. It is an audava-vakra-sampurna rāgam (or owdava rāgam, meaning pentatonic ascending scale). Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure (ascending and descending scale) is as follows:

• ārohaṇa : S R1 M1 P D1 S
• avarohaṇa : S N2 S P D1 M1 P R1 G2 R1 S

The notes used in this scale are shadjam, shuddha rishabham, shuddha madhyamam, panchamam and shuddha dhaivatam in ascending scale, with kaisiki nishadham and sadharana gandharam included in descending scale. For the details of the notations and terms, see swaras in Carnatic music.

Popular compositions

There are many compositions set to Saveri rāgam. Here are some popular kritis composed in this rāgam.

• Mampala velasita and Rara mayintidaka composed by Tyagaraja
• Chandram bhajamanasa and Kumaraswaminam by Muthuswami Dikshitar
• Kadaikkannal by Arunachala Kavi
• Saranam saranam by Periyasaamy Thooran