Revagupti

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Carnatic music
Tanjavur-style tambura
Concepts
Śruti Svara Rāga Tāḷa Mēḷakarta Asaṃpūrṇa Mēḷakarta
Compositions
Gītaṃ Svarajati Varṇaṃ Kr̥ti Kīrtana Rāgaṃ Tānaṃ Pallavi Tillana
Instruments
Melody Sarasvati Vīṇā Veṇu Nādasvaraṃ Goṭṭuvādyaṃ (Citra Vīṇā) Violin Percussion Mr̥daṅgaṃ Ghaṭaṃ Morsing Kanjira Thavil Drone Tambura Shruti box
Composers Glossary
v t e

Revagupti (pronounced rēvagupti) is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is a pentatonic scale (audava rāgam or owdava rāgam). It is a janya rāgam (derived scale), as it does not have all the seven swaras (musical notes).

It is a morning rāgam.^[1][2] The similar scales in Hindustani music are Rewa and Bibhas.^[2]

Revagupti is a symmetric rāgam that does not contain madhyamam or nishādham. It is a symmetric pentatonic scale (audava-audava ragam^[1][2] in Carnatic music classification – audava meaning 'of 5'). Its ascending and descending scale (ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure) is as follows:

• ārohaṇa : S R₁ G₃ P D₁ Ṡ^[a]
• avarohaṇa : Ṡ D₁ P G₃ R₁ S^[b]

The notes used in this scale are shadjam, shuddha rishabham, antara gandharam, panchamam and shuddha dhaivatham, as per Carnatic music notation and terms for the swaras. Revagupti is considered a janya rāgam of Mayamalavagowla, the 15th Melakarta rāgam, though it can be derived from 5 other melakarta rāgams by dropping both the madhyamam and nishādham.

Here are a few songs composed in Revagupti.^[1]

• Gopalaka Pahimam is popular krithi rendered in this raga nowadays, though originally it was set in the raga Bhupalam by Maharaja Swathi Thirunal
• Griha bala memi composed by Tyagaraja
• Sada vinatu sadare by Muthuswami Dikshitar
• Ni vera ganidhi and Purushottamuda by Annamacharya

This section covers the theoretical and scientific aspect of this rāgam.

• Bhupalam rāgam differs from Revagupti only by the gāndhāram. It uses sadharana gāndhāram instead of antara gāndhāram and its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure is S R1 G2 P D1 S : S D1 P G2 R1 S^[1][2]
• Bhauli rāgam uses an additional nishadam in descending scale, in comparison to Revagupti. Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure is S R1 G3 P D1 S : S N3 D1 P G3 R1 S^[2]
• Karnataka Shuddha Saveri rāgam uses shuddha madhyamam in place of antara gandharam of Revagupti. Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure is S R1 M1 P D1 S : S D1 P M1 R1 S