Sapta Svara

Sapta Svara/Sapta Swara/Sapta Sur means the seven notes or the seven svaras of Indian Classical music. These svaras are Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni respectively.

A Svara or Swara is actually a Sanskrit word that connotes a note in the successive steps of the octave. More comprehensively, it is the ancient Indian concept about the complete dimension of musical pitch.[1][2]

Sapta Svara can be collectively called as a Saptak or also known as the Sargam (the word is an acronym of the consonants of the first four swaras). Sargam is the Indian equivalent to solfege, a technique for the teaching of sight-singing. These Sapta Svaras are spelt as Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni, but these are shortforms of Shadja (षड्ज), Rishabha (ऋषभ), Gandhara (गान्धार), Madhyama (मध्यम), Panchama (पंचम), Dhaivata (धैवत) and Nishada (निषाद) respectively.[3] Actually for simplicity in pronouncing while singing the syllable, these svaras are given shortforms. These are also equivalent to Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti.

Svaras in the Indian classical music system
Svara in North Indian system of raga[4][5][6]
Svara
(Long)		 Ṣaḍja
(षड्ज)		 Ṛiṣabha
(ऋषभ)		 Gāndhāra
(गान्धार)		 Madhyama
(मध्यम)		 Panchama
(पंचम)		 Dhaivat
(धैवत)		 Niṣāda
(निषाद)
Svara
(Short)		 Sa
(सा)		 Re
(रे)		 Ga
(ग)		 Ma
(म)		 Pa
(प)		 Dha
(ध)		 Ni
(नि)
12 Varieties (names) C (shadja) D♭ (komal re)
D (shuddha re)		 E♭ (komal ga)
E (shuddha ga)		 F (shuddha ma)
F♯ (teevra ma)		 G (panchama) A♭ (komal dha)
A (shuddha dha)		 B♭ (komal ni)
B (shuddha ni)
() Svara in South Indian system of raga[5]
Svara
(Long)		 Ṣaḍja
(षड्ज)		 Ṛiṣabha
(ऋषभ)		 Gāndhāra
(गान्धार)		 Madhyama
(मध्यम)		 Panchama
(पंचम)		 Dhaivat
(धैवत)		 Niṣāda
(निषाद)
Svara
(Short)		 Sa
(सा)		 Ri
(री)		 Ga
(ग)		 Ma
(म)		 Pa
(प)		 Dha
(ध)		 Ni
(नि)
16 Varieties (names) C (shadja) D♭ (shuddha ri)
D♮ (chatushruti ri)
D♯ (shatshruti ri)		 E (shuddha ga)
E♭ (sadharana ga)
E♮ (antara ga)		 F♮ (shuddha ma)
F♯ (prati ma)		 G (panchama) A♭ (shuddha dha)
A♮ (chatushruti dha)
A♯ (shatshruti dha)		 B (shuddha ni)
B♭ (kaishiki ni)
B♮ (kakali ni)

Only these seven svaras built up the Hindustani classical music and the Carnatic classical music. These seven svaras are the fundamentals of a raga.

List of the Sapta Svaras

Some facts about the Sapta Svara
  • It is said that Sadja is the basic svara from which all the other 6 svaras are produced. When we break the word Sadja then we get, Shad And Ja. It means that Shad is 6 and ja is 'giving birth' in marathi.[7] So basically the translation is :
 षड् - 6, ज -जन्म . Therefore, it collectively means giving birth to the other 6 notes of the music.
  • Talking about frequencies of the svaras, the frequencies change for all svaras i.e. Sa 240 Hz, Re 270 Hz, Ga 288 Hz, Ma 320 Hz, Pa 360 Hz, Dha 405 Hz, and Ni 432 Hz. Consequently, the Sa after the Ni of 432 Hz has a frequency of 480 Hz i.e. the double of the Lower octave Sa and does all the other 6 svaras.[8]

Considering the Sa of the Madhya Saptak then frequencies of the other svaras will be,

                  Sa      Re       Ga     Ma      Pa      Dha     Ni
  Mandra Saptak: 120 Hz, 135 Hz, 144 Hz, 160 Hz, 180 Hz, 202.5 Hz, 216 Hz.}
  Madhya Saptak: 240 Hz, 270 Hz, 288 Hz, 320 Hz, 360 Hz, 405 Hz, 432 Hz.} 
   Taar   Saptak: 480 Hz, 540 Hz, 576 Hz, 640 Hz, 720 Hz, 810 Hz, 864 Hz.}
  • All the other svaras except Sadja(Sa) and Pancham (Pa) can be Komal or Tivra svaras but Sa and Pa are always Shuddha svaras. And hence svaras Sa and Pa are called Achal Svaras , since these svaras don't move from their original position. Svaras Ra, Ga, Ma, Dha, Ni are called Chal Svaras, since these svaras move from their original position.
    Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni - Shuddha Svaras
   
    Re, Ga, Dha, Ni - Komal Svaras 
  
    Ma - Tivra Svaras
  • Talking about Shrutis of these Sapta Svaras,
Sa, Ma and Pa have four Shruti's respectively
Re and Dha have three Shruti's respectively
Ga and Ni have two Shruti's respectively

And these all Shruti's add up to 22 Shrutis in total.[9]

  • Each svara is associated with the sound produced by a particular animal or a bird, like,
    • Sadja is said to be sourced from the cry of a peacock,
    • Risabha is said to be sourced from the lowing of a bull,
    • Gandhara is said to be sourced from the bleating of a goat,
    • Madhyama is said to be sourced from call of the heron,
    • Panchama is said to be sourced from call of the cuckoo,
    • Dhaivata is said to be sourced from the neighing of the horse,
    • Niṣāda is said to be sourced from the trumpeting of the elephant.

So each svara is said to be sourced from the sound produced by an animal or a bird.[10][11]

  • Each Svara is also associated with a planet,[12]
  • Each Svara is also associated with a colour,[13]
  • 'Risabha is the long form of the syllables रे and री. For simplicity in pronouncing while singing the syllable, Risabha is pronounced as Re and Ri'. This is given because the pronouncing of the syllable Re is different in the Hindustani classical music and Carnatic classical music. In Hindustani classical music, the pronouncing of Risabha is done as Re and in Carnatic classical music, the pronouncing of Risabha is done as Ri.
So a Hindustani classical singer will sing the seven svaras as : Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni 
Sa.
While a Carnatic classical singer will sing these svaras like : Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Dha 
Ni Sa.

See also

References
  1. Rowell 2015, p. 13.
  2. Vimalakānta Rôya Caudhurī (2000). The Dictionary of Hindustani Classical Music. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 122–123. ISBN 978-81-208-1708-1.
  3. https://brainly.in/question/4916824
  4. Te Nijenhuis 1974, pp. 13–14, 21–25.
  5. Randel 2003, p. 815.
  6. https://raag-hindustani.com/Notes.html
  7. https://saxonianfolkways.wordpress.com/2013/01/30/the-7-shadows-of-shadja/
  8. https://adharashadja.wordpress.com/2017/03/21/swara-and-shruti/#:~:text=SHRUTIS
  9. https://adharashadja.wordpress.com/2017/03/21/swara-and-shruti/#:~:text=SHRUTIS
  10. https://adharashadja.wordpress.com/2017/03/21/swara-and-shruti/#:~:text=SHRUTIS
  11. https://www.dollsofindia.com/library/raga_ragini/
  12. https://adharashadja.wordpress.com/2017/03/21/swara-and-shruti/#:~:text=SHRUTIS
  13. https://adharashadja.wordpress.com/2017/03/21/swara-and-shruti/#:~:text=SHRUTIS

Bibliography

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