Swarabat
The Swarabat, Swarbat or Swaragat is a rare plucked string instrument of the classical Carnatic music genre of South India.[1] It belongs to the chordophone, lute family of musical instruments, and is closely related to the veena and yazh instruments of the ancient South Asian orchestral ensemble.
Etymology[edit]
Although popularly known as Swarabat, its correct pronunciation is Swaragat.[2] Swara from Sanskrit connotes a note in the successive steps of the octave, ghat refers to steps leading down towards a river, while bhat in the language means scholar.[citation needed]
Construction[edit]
Like its Carnatic cousin, the veena, it has frets, a feature that also distinguishes it from their ancestor, the Yazh harp (ancient veena). Part of the chordophonic lute family of instruments, the Swarabat body is made of wood on which a skin is stretched.[3] On top of this skin, a bridge is placed upon which silk strings pass, which are plucked with a plectrum carved out of horn. There is a resonator and a stem, both made of wood. The resonator is covered with animal hide. The frets were made from animal gut (usually a goat). The head resembles a parrot or peacock. The tuning pegs are fixed to the neck.[1][4]
Sound[edit]
Although the Swarabat features a unique construction, the range of sound delivered by it is relatively limited. It produces a timbre similar to a bass rubab and bass guitar.[1]
Use and history[edit]
The Swarabat is today a very rare string instrument used in Carnatic music, that once featured prominently as an original staple in the Katcheri and Harikatha stage ensembles of royal carpet composers.[5] Musicians in the royal courts of Mysore, Travancore, Thanjavur kingdom and the Thondaman dynasty of Pudukottai favoured its unique bass tone accompaniment; students of the Saraswati veena were often proficient in playing the Swarabat.[6]
Old manuscripts, photographs and Swarabat instruments themselves have been preserved at museums worldwide.[7] Prolific musicians who have played it have been Palghat Parameswara Bhagavathar, Baluswami Dikshitar, the Raja Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma, Veene Sheshanna, and Krishna Iyengar.[8][9]
See also[edit]
References and citations[edit]
Media related to Swarabat at Wikimedia Commons- Padma Bhushan Prof. P. Sambamurthy (2005). "History of Indian Music". The Indian Music Publishing House, 208-214.
- Photo of Met museum
- India9.com
- ^ a b c "Chapter 3: Stringed Instruments Thesis" (PDF). Shodhganga. Shodhganga. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- ^ "Royal Carpet: Indian Classical Instruments". www.karnatik.com. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- ^ Courtney, David. "Swarabat". chandrakantha.com. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- ^ "Royal Carpet: Indian Classical Instruments". www.karnatik.com. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- ^ Music Academy (1987). "The Journal of the Music Academy, Madras". The Journal of the Music Academy, Madras. 58. Madras: 119. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- ^ Sambamoorthy, P. (1985). Great musicians: giving biographical sketches and critical estimates of 15 of the musical luminaries of the post-Tyagaraja period. Indian Music Pub. House. p. 36. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- ^ Sundaresan, P. N. (1999). "Sruti" (172–183). P.N. Sundaresan: 65. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Shanmukha". Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts & Sangeetha Sabha. 10. Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts & Sangeetha Sabha.: 34 1984. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- ^ Kuppuswamy, Gowri; Hariharan, Muthuswamy (1982). Glimpses of Indian music. Sundeep. pp. 148–149. ISBN 9788175740372. Retrieved 29 March 2020.