Basanta
बसन्त
S G M# d N S' | S' N d P M# G M# N d M# G r S
Origins & Context
Raag Basanta is a Purvi thaat raga of Hindustani music, performed late at night or any time in spring, that uses komal Re, komal Dha and tivra Ma. Komal means lowered, tivra raised, and a thaat is a parent scale. It is also called Basant, and Vasanta in older texts.
In this notation, lowercase is a komal note, M# is tivra Ma and an apostrophe the upper octave. The aroha, or ascent, is S G M# d N S', without Re and Pa. The avaroha, or descent, is S' N d P M# G M# N d M# G r S. The vadi, the most prominent note, is upper Sa, and the samvadi, its partner, is Pa. The AUTRIM project of the National Centre for the Performing Arts and the University of Amsterdam also names high Sa and Pa as its main notes.
Basanta moves mostly in the middle and upper octaves. Its phrases climb to upper komal Re, as in M# d r' S', a turn shared with Shree, though Basanta does not hold Re as long. AUTRIM compares it with Paraj, which moves faster and is less serious in character.
KalaSudha presents Hindustani musicians in concert and releases their recordings. Its academy teaches ragas online and in local workshops, and each course is built by its instructor with KalaSudha.
Technical Details
Melodic structure and movement patterns
Aroha (Ascent)
S G M# d N S'
Avroh (Descent)
S' N d P M# G M# N d M# G r S
Pakad (Catch Phrase)
M# d r' S', N S' r' N d P, G M# d N M# G, M# d G M# G, M# G M# G r S
Additional Notes
Phraseologies
Key for these phrases: lowercase letters are komal notes, M# is tivra Ma, and an apostrophe puts a note in the upper octave.
The identifying turn is P, M# G M# G, with the second tivra Ma held. The Shree-like phrases N r' S', r' N d P pass over upper komal Re without dwelling on it. The movement relies on meend, the glide between notes.
Shuddha Ma appears only now and then, as in S M M G. The AUTRIM project hears it in certain ascending passages such as G M N d P, and finds that the ascent often begins on tivra Ma.