Pancharathna Krithis

ThePancharatna KritisAre Written In Praise Of TheHinduDeity Rama They Are Set ToAdi Tala And EachRaga Represents The Mood Of The Song And The Meaning Of Its Lyrics All The Kritis Are Composed In The Style Of ARagam Tanam Pallavi(Rtp) With The Charanams (Stanzas) Substituting For The Kalpana Swaras (Improvisatory Passages) In The Pallavi Section Of The Rtp The Melodic Forms Of These Compositions (Nata Goula Arabhi Varali Sri) Are The FiveGhana RagasOfCarnatic MusicAlso Called TheGhanapanchaka These 5 Ragas Lend Themselves To Elaborate Improvisations [2]They Are So Called Because They Are Suited To PlayingTanamOn TheVeena Nata And Varali Are The Most Ancient Of The Carnatic Ragas And Date Back To Over A Thousand Years Ago A Particularly Difficult Musical Challenge Has Been Taken Up Successfully By Tyagaraja In Three Of These Compositions The Raga Naata Has A Particularly Distinctive Use Of TheDhaivatamNote OrSwara(A In The C Scale Of Western Classical Notes) Tyagaraja Has Avoided TheDhaivatamCompletely In The FirstPancharatna KritiWithout Losing TheSwarupa Or Character Of The Ragam SimilarlyGandharamIs An Accidental Note Of Some Beauty In Goula (E In The C Scale) Tyagaraja Avoids This Too Except In One Instance Without Losing The Character Of The Ragam Finally He Avoids The AccidentalDhaivatamIn Sri Ragam Again A Note That Is Present In Some Very CharacteristicSancharas(Phrases) Of This Ragam.