Swarabat

[duff777]

The swarabat or swaragat is essentially a bass rabab. It has a body made of wood on which a skin is stretched. On top of this skin, a bridge is placed upon which 6 strings pass.

Some personages who have played it: Parmeswara Bhagavathar, the Raja Swati Thirunal, Baluswami Dikshitar, Veene Seshana, and Krishna Iyengar.

A photo of the Met museum:

http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/se ... /180017180

Does anyone have more data about this instrument?

[Shivadasan]

While reading the lives of eminent musicians I have come across the information that the instrument was very popular and many vocalists were experts in the instruments . Late Gangadhara Sastri of Pudukkottai, legal adviser to the State was an expert in making music instruments. His son F.G.Natesa Aiyer of Tiruchirappalli was an expert in the instrument. I have also heard from reliable sources that the strings he used were made out of silk threads of various thicknesses. There is swarabat made by him in good condition which is being maintained by one of his descendents. In Prof Sambamurthy’s book I had seen photo of the instrument with a bow.

[duff777]

Glad contribution of data. Going to investigate more.

[Pratyaksham Bala]

Googled, and got this from the book 'The Hawaiian Steel Guitar and its Great Hawaiian Musicians':-

"... ... the Indian 'Swarabat Sitar' (literally: 'plectrum guitar' in Hindustani), which was played with a quill (ike the turkey-quill used in playing the Swedish 'hulme' delcimer, and the American Appalachian dulcimer); more important, the 'Swarabat Sitar' was played with a cylindrical metal tube, it was alternatively played with a smooth, polished stone, and in both methods, used a crystal plectrum or pick, like the 'bin' and 'bicitrabin' of India."
http://books.google.co.in/books?id=WlDS ... at&f=false

[Pratyaksham Bala]

Goggling for ‘swarabat’, ‘swaragat’ and ‘sarbutle’ results in several leads. A few are listed here:-

http://www.india9.com/i9show/Swarabat-54968.htm
Swarabat is a primitive and rare string instrument used in Carnatic music. It is also known by the name Swaragat. As in most of the string instrument, there is a resonator and a stem, both made of wood. The resonator is covered with animal hide. The frets are made from animal guts. The head resembles a parrot. Silk threads form the strings of this instrument, which are plucked with a plectrum carved out of a horn.

Although the Swarabat features a unique construction, the range of sound delivered by it is very limited. It is similar to the Bass Guitar in its sound quality.

http://www.chandrakantha.com/articles/i ... /seni.html
The seni rabab was an instrument that was very popular during the Moghal period. The seni rabab came close to extinction, but in recent years has started to make a comeback ... Some of the other instruments in the rabab family include the kabuli rabab, the swarabat of south India, and the dotora of Bengal.

http://chandrakantha.com/articles/india ... rabat.html
The swarabat (a.k.a. swaragat, sarbutle) is a very rare instrument of southern India. It is essentially a bass rabab. As such, it is in the same family of instruments as the seni rabab, kabuli rabab, dotora, and the sarod. It has a body made of wood up on which a skin is stretched. On top of this skin, a bridge is placed upon which a number of strings pass. These strings are usually of silk.

A number of great personages are known to have played the swarabat. These include include Parmeswara Bhagavathar, the Raja Swati Thirunal, Baluswami Dikshitar (the brother of the great Muthuswami Dikshitar), Veene Seshana, and Krishna Iyengar. Today this instrument is nearly extinct.

http://www.angelfire.com/musicals/kalli ... struct.htm
Swati Tirunal learned music from Karamana Subramaniya Bhagavathar and Subba Rao taught him swarabat a rare stringed instrument.