For some time now, I’ve been “besotted” by Raga Marwa. Raga Marwa is a unique raga in many respects and its characteristics can take a while to understand. The Raga goes like this
Notes of Raga Marwa:
Family (Thaat): Marwa
Ascending (Aarohan): N r G m D N S
Descending (Avrohan): S N D m G r S
Characteristic phrase (Pakad) : N(lower) D (lower) N (lower ) r, G m D m G r, N(lower) r S
What makes Marwa a unique raag is that Sa plays a secondary role in this raga. N D N r bypasses Sa and builds up a tension, which is released when the Sa is finally reached. In doing so, Marwa establishes a signature distinct from its derivative ragas : Puriya and Sohini (Sohni)
On the sarod, there are hardly any Marwas recorded at all. The deep sound of the instrument suits the raga and I present here a simple composition in Vilambit Teentaal
The notations of the vilambit compositions are as follows, starting from the 12th beat:
D N R G m D – m – G R S – SS N
r- N D x x , N N S x, NN r X, G m G r, N D S
I’m going to record a few more compositions in Marwa and upload them as soon as I can…
Listening to your excerpt on Marwa. Brings serenity with so much of pathos. I am a advanced vocal student learning Marwa these days, and I feel so unsettled when I end in Komal Re, that I really wait for Sa. Sa really brings that state of calm.
Thank you for a beautiful share.
-swaravanshi
Thank you – I visited your site and enjoyed your Meera Bhajan… please post your Marwa journey as you go through it..
Regards, Rahul