Compositions in Raag Durga
Raag Durga is filled with innocence and purity. It is traditionally performed from late evening to midnight. This raga belongs to the Bilawal thaat. Its vadi (most important note) is ma, and samvadi (second most important note) is Sa. Raag Durga's aaroh and avaroh (ascending & descending scales) are as follows:
Below are a few compositions (bandish) in Raag Durga.
Gaavat durga ragini
This composition is a lakshan geet by Shankar Rao Vyas. A lakshan geet is a composition that outlines the main characteristics of a raga. It serves as a mnemonic device for students. For instance, this lakshan geet tells you that Raag Durga is a pentatonic raga comprising all the natural notes except G and N, that its vadi is m, and samvadi is S, that the raga's mood is heroic and solemn, and that it is sung at night.
Gaavat durga ragini (key A)
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Sakhi mori rum-jhum
This composition is a madhyalaya bandish from the Gwalior gharana (school). It describes a dark stormy night and the poet's helplessness as she wonders how to keep her tryst with her beloved.
Sakhi mori rum-jhum (key A♭)
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Tune mohan ko man har lino
This is a 500-year-old composition in Raag Durga by Govind Swami (1505 - 1586), a poet of the Pushtimarg sect. The Pushtimarg sect is known for its devotional music performed in classical ragas, with both the music and the lyrics preserved faithfully over the centuries.
This composition is not part of my "Bandish with Notations" series, so I haven't provided notations, but you can enjoy my short performance of it with a bit of improvisation.
Tune Mohan Ko Man Har Lino (key A)
Compositions in other ragas
- Bageshree
- Bahar
- Bhairav
- Bhairavi
- Bhimpalasi
- Bhupali
- Bihag
- Bilawal
- Darbari
- Jog
- Kafi
- Kedar
- Malkauns
- Sindhura
- Yaman