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| Thaat | Marva |
|---|---|
| Time of day | Sunset |
| Arohana | 'Ni Re Ga Ma Dha Ni Re' S' |
| Avarohana | Re' Ni Dha Ma Ga Re 'Ni 'Dha Sa |
| Equivalent | Malavi, Maru |
| Hindustani classical music |
|---|
| Concepts |
| Genres |
| Thaats |
Marva or Marwa (IAST: Mārvā) is a hexatonic Indian raga; Pa (the fifth tone) is omitted. Marva is the eponymous raga of the Marva thaat.
Arohana: 'Ni Re Ga Ma Dha Ni Re' S'
Keeping the key in C, in the Western scale this would roughly translate to: B D♭ E F♯ A B D♭ C
Avarohana: Re' Ni Dha Ma Ga Re 'Ni 'Dha Sa
The Ma is actually Ma Tivratara, which is a perfect fourth above Re komal (which is 112 cents above Sa)[1])
The Vadi is komal Re, while the Samvadi is shuddh Dha. Notice that these do not form a perfect interval. So V.N.Paṭvardhan [2] says "It is customary to give Re and Dha as vādi and saṃvādi, but seen from the point of view of the śāstras (treatises) it is not possible for re and Dha to be saṃvādī (i.e. consonant) to each other. For this reason, in our opinion it is proper to accept Dha as vādī and Ga as saṃvādī" [3] On the other hand if Ga receives too much emphasis, it would create the impression of raga Puriya[4]
Sa is omitted within a taan; it may only be used at the end of a phrase and even then is used infrequently. Bhatkhande gives the pakad as Dha Ma Ga Re, Ga Ma Ga, Re, Sa. Patwardan has shown the mukhya ang as Re Ga Ma Dha, Dha Ma Ga Re, but points out that the raga is also clearly indicated by: 'Ni Re Ga Ma Dha, Dha Ma Ga Re 'Ni Re Sa.[5]
The chalan given by Ruckert is: 'Ni 'Dha Re 'Ni 'Dha 'Ma 'Ni 'Dha 'Ni 'Dha Sa Re Ga Ma Dha Ma Ni Dha Ma Ga Re Sa 'Ni 'Dha Re Sa [6]
Puriya and Sohni have the same tonal material. In Puriya Ni and specially Ga are emphasised.
Komal re of Marwa is slightly higher than komal re of Bhairavi[8]
According to O.Thakur[9] Pūrvā Kalyāṇa is Marwa with Pa and less emphasis on komal Re. R. Jha[10] treats Bhaṭiya as a mixture of Marwa and Maand.[11] There is only one Author (B. Subba Rao) mentioning a raga Māravā Gaurī, thus Moutal does not consider this an own form.[12] Aspects of Marwa are also incorporated in Mali Gaura[13]
For western listeners the tone material may feel strange. As the sixth is emphasised while the tonic is omitted it may feel like playing in A Major, while the base tone is C (not C sharp). If the musician turns back to Sa at the end of a phrase it always comes like a surprise note.
Ni is not a leading note to Sa. Because Sa is omitted Ni leads to re or Dha (and then only to Sa), as in "Ḍ Ṇ r S" or "r Ṇ Ḍ S" .
Sunset 5:30 pm
Bor characterizes Marwa as "heroic".[14] In ragamala paintings Malav (see history) is often pictured as lovers walking towards the bed-chamber.
Marwa is also characterised as quiet, contemplative, representing gentle love. According to Kaufmann[15] is the overall mood defined by the sunset in India, which approaches fast and this "onrushing darkness awakes in many observers a feeling of anxiety and solemn expectation".
Puṇḍarika Viṭṭhala (16th century) describes as follows:[16]
Marwa's forerunners (Maru or Maruva) have different scales in the literature from the 16th century onwards. Pratap Singh (end of 18th century) writes that Marwa is the same as the ancient Mālavā, and its melodic outline is very similar to today's Marwa [17] Also Jairazbhoy reports that Locana's Mālavā "may be the origin of modern Mārvā" [18]
