Senjukambhoji

[narayan]

Debated for a while as to how to spell the thing, but I think people will know what I mean, the Vara Raga Laya ragam (Senju or Chenchu or any combo thereof, Kambodi or Kambhoji, take your pick). For most here, especially anyone over 40 years old, I suspect that this ragam is firmly associated with the one and only GNB and his iconic Music Acad recording. This was in 1964, just a few months before he passed away, if I've got my dates right. If so, it is tough to believe that the person who sang those three something minutes of that ragam with so much life was no more a few months later. There is a far-away look in people's eyes when they reminisce about that particular rendering. Just those few minutes, followed by Lalgudi's two something minutes of an equally powerful return of serve and then the song. It is in people's minds for ever, it would seem. The cittaswaram is in all probability GNB's and I think he even has a composition in this ragam.

Long prelude to the question as to what this mysterious and beautiful ragam is. Sambamoorthy's book (one of his collections of songs) mentions it as SMGRPMDNS and SNPNMGRS. A.S.P.Iyer's collection of Tyagaraja songs lists it as SPMDNS - SNPNMGRS. The avarohanam in this manner is not really singable, as far as I can tell, till I actually hear it sung! From GNB's rendering and the cittaswaram, I would have it as SPMGMDNS - SNDNPMGRS. But actually, I am not that hung up on Aarohanam and Avarohanam, especially for a song like this which I believe says that we who think we are experts in raga and laya are in fact just vehicles of a cosmic urge expressing some thirst or other! Sounds about right to me.

Till I read something convincingly different and preferably hear something different, that ten minutes of GNB-Lalgudi- Raghu (?) is what Senjukambhoji is.

[vs_manjunath]

It's printed as 'chenchukamboji' in Spiritual Heritage of Tyagaraja.
I am sure`this must be a janya of Harikamboji.

[satyabalu]

I have also heard MLV in the same brisk speed with Chittaswaram.

[thenpaanan]

Debated for a while as to how to spell the thing, but I think people will know what I mean, the Vara Raga Laya ragam (Senju or Chenchu or any combo thereof, Kambodi or Kambhoji, take your pick). For most here, especially anyone over 40 years old, I suspect that this ragam is firmly associated with the one and only GNB and his iconic Music Acad recording. This was in 1964, just a few months before he passed away, if I've got my dates right. If so, it is tough to believe that the person who sang those three something minutes of that ragam with so much life was no more a few months later. There is a far-away look in people's eyes when they reminisce about that particular rendering. Just those few minutes, followed by Lalgudi's two something minutes of an equally powerful return of serve and then the song. It is in people's minds for ever, it would seem. The cittaswaram is in all probability GNB's and I think he even has a composition in this ragam.

...
Till I read something convincingly different and preferably hear something different, that ten minutes of GNB-Lalgudi- Raghu (?) is what Senjukambhoji is.

This is not answering your technical question about Senjukambhoji ArOhaNa/avarOhaNa but on a separate thread a poster pointed to a version of the same song from a different location (the "kallidaikurichi" concert) also containing a (maximally elaborate) AlApanA. See http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic. ... 18#p161618 #375. Are there two versions in existence or is it the same recording that got mislabeled?

-Then Paanan

[SrinathK]

senchu kAmbhOji or chenchu kAmbhOji - someone please confirm what the actual spelling of this rAgA is.

This raga, and the Thyagaraja composition in it (vara rAga laya), were owned by this man:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGdCWI11EKY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbONuFYYQPk - with an AlApanA

However, like vAsudEvayani, the tune of vara rAga laya (and the contours of senchu kAmbhOji maybe) as it is sung today is probably thanks to GNB himself. The chittaswaram is also his.

Because (yes, I know what you are thinking, and you're right), there exists a version on manuscript from the Walajapet school. In this version, the rAgA uses the P only sparingly from S, preferring to use SNDMD, GMD, NMD (reminding you of mALavi), and SMG more often (the SMG can still be heard in some versions of vara rAga laya even now) - in fact the exact phrase at svAntamandu and thyAgarAja is S,MG,R,S. SP and DNP which are essential phrases today happen only once. PMGR while possible is not used directly. Also most importantly, from S, you can do a S-GMD, NMD, which is not possible in the modern form of the raga, where you must use only SPMGMD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrICEsUJjp8 - Dr. Aravindhan Ranganathan.

The old version never abandons the ttt,ttt, rhythm that would suit the chatushra chApu of the bhajana sampradaya perfectly. (This form of pacing is important. Many an old song has over time has been robbed of their original pacing because of this rush for more free flow madhyama kAlA versions). However, the tAlA of the old version is given as dEshAdi (the classic 4 beat dEshAdi tAlA with 3 beats and a wave, 3/4 eDuppu).

chenchukAmbhOji since then has abandoned these old phrases it's resemblance to modern mALavi except MDNP (actually old mALavi used to have MNDNS, so it too sounded different from today) and has become more linear and scalar with time. I donno, but IMHO the old prayogas would have given the rAgA some more scope than what it has now and made it's closeness to mALavi more apparent.

Alternate spellings : senchu kAmbOdhi, senjukAmbhOji, chechukAmbhOji, senchukAmbhOji, senchu kAmbhOji, senju kAmbhOji, chechu kAmbhOji. Someone please find out which one it really is. Proper spelling kandupuDikkira vElayai senji panni sollungaLEn!!

[braindrain]

There was a 20min version from Vid.Manda Sudharani somewhere in the youtube ocean. Unable to locate it now.