| Thaat | Kafi |
|---|---|
| Time of day | 2nd Prahar of the Night (9 p.m. - 12 a.m.) |
| Arohana | S R g m P D n S' |
| Avarohana | S' n D P m g R S |
| Pakad | S R g m P D n S' S' n D P m g R S |
| Chalan | S R g m P D n S' S' n D P m g R S |
| Vadi | Pa |
| Samavadi | Sa |
| Synonym | Bhimpalasi, Bageshri |
| Similar | Kharaharapriya in Carnatic music |
| Hindustani classical music |
|---|
| Concepts |
| Genres |
| Thaats |
Kafi (IAST: Kāfi) is a raga in Hindustani classical music. It corresponds to Kharaharapriya in Carnatic music.
Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande classified most ragas into ten Thaats. Kafi Thaat is one of them. The raga Kafi is the principal raga of its Thaat. According to Bhatkhande, its name first appears in the Raga Tarangini of Lochana Pandit, who lived in the Mithila district around the 15th century CE.
Kafi has a direct lineage with the folk music of India. Folk music in Tappa, Hori, Dadra, Kirtan and Bhajans from different parts of India have been composed in this raga.
Many variations of Kafi exist. Contamination with vivadi swaras is common. This mixing has given rise to Mishra Kafi. Hence, a pure form of Kafi is seldom heard.
Description[edit | edit source]
Varna[edit | edit source]
Kafi is a sampoorna-sampoorna or heptatonic raga, with komal (half a note down) Gandhar (ga) and Nishad (ni). This is also referred to as the Bhairavi of night. Both Shuddha Nishad & Gandhar are occasionally used. The atmosphere created is most suitable for both types of Shringar (Separation & Union) and hence many Thumri & Hori compositions are sung in this Raag.
Aroha[edit | edit source]
Sa Re ga Ma Pa Dha ni Sa
(ga and ni are komal swaras)
Avarohana[edit | edit source]
Sa ni Dha Pa Ma ga Re Sa. (ga and ni komal)
Vadi and Samavadi[edit | edit source]
Pancham (Pa) is the vadi swara and Shadaj (Sa) is the samavadi swara.
Pakad[edit | edit source]
A typical improvisation of Kafi starts as M P D P M g R, g R S, n. D. S
The phrases below and termination in R are characteristic.
S R g M P D n
S, R g M P, M P D (M) g
Chalan[edit | edit source]
The typical chalan can be illustrated as:
S S R R g g M M P - - D M P g R R n D n P D M P S n D P M G R S.
M P D D n S - S R g R S N D S - S R S n D n D P M P D P g - R - R n D n P D M P S n D P M g R S
Organization and relationships[edit | edit source]
Various ragas, such as Bhimpalasi, Bageshree, Kafi Kanada, Bahar, and Brindabani Sarang are associated with this raga. Important tributaries of this raga include Sindhura, Barwa, Neelambari and Pilu.
In Western Classical Music, Kafi corresponds to the modern Dorian Mode.
Behavior[edit | edit source]
Samay (Time)[edit | edit source]
Raat ka dvitiya prahar or evening 9-12
Seasonality[edit | edit source]
The raga is performed during any season.
Rasa[edit | edit source]
The principal rasa for this raga is sringara.
Important recordings[edit | edit source]
- Ulhas Kashalkar, Raga Kafi (Concert), 2001;
- Shobha Gurtu, Thumri, Raga Kafi, 1987;
- Siddheshwari Devi, Thumri, Raga Kafi, 1983;
- Debashish Bhattacharya, Raga Mishra Kafi, 1996;
- Ustad Bahadur Khan, Raga Kafi, 1987;
Film Songs[edit | edit source]
Language:Tamil[edit | edit source]
Note that the following songs are composed in Kharaharapriya, the equivalent of raga Kafi in Carnatic music.
References[edit | edit source]
- Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati and his concise commentary, A Comparative Study of Some of the Leading Music Systems of the 15th, 16, 17th, & 18th Centuries by Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande.
- http://www.tanarang.com/english/kafi_eng.htm