Kapi (raga)


Kāpi is a popular rāga in Carnatic music, the classical music of South India. Kāpi is a janya rāgam of Kharaharapriya with a meandering vakra scale. Typically performed at slow and medium speeds, it is capable of inducing moods of devotion, pathos and sadness in the listeners. Kāpi is different from the Hindustani raag and thaat Kafi. The equivalent raag in Hindustani is Pilu.

Structure and Lakshana

Kāpi is an audava-vakra sampoorna rāgam with an ascending pentatonic scale and a descending scale with seven notes, but not in a descending order. Use of Kakali Nishadam and Anthara Gandharam make it a Bhashanga Raagam.
  • [Arohana|] :
  • [Avarohana|] :
The presence of different nishāda swarās lends a distinctive quality to Kāpi, along with the fact that it uses a set of vakra swarās.
There is also a mild presence of shuddha daivatham that renders an invaluable feeling of devotion to the raagam. This, and the presence of Anthara Gandharam makes it difficult to pinpoint the exact nature of the avarohana of the raagam.
In the song Jagadhodharana composed by Sangeeta Pitamaha Sri Purandara Dasa, the note Suddha Dhaivatham also occurs as a foreign note
Kapi ragam gives the feeling Devotion, Sentiment and happiness

Compositions

Some of the popular compositions in Kāpi are:Jagadoddhārana Adisidaleshode, Bannisi gopi - PurandaradasaMee Valla Gunadosha Memi, Anyayamu Seyakura, Intha Sowkhya, Rama Raghukula Jalanidhi, Edi Nee Bahubala, Nithya Roopa, Ennalu Nee Trova and Rama Pahi Megha Shyama - ThyagarajaVenkatachalapate Ninu Nammiti and Veera Hanumathe - Muthuswami Dikshitar **Viharamanasa Rame, Smarasi Pura, Sree Madhavamanu and Namasudhamayi - Swathi ThirunalEnna thavam seydanai Yashoda, Eesananbar, Sodhanai Sumaikku - Papanasam SivanBhaja maadhavam anisham - Mysore VasudevacharyaMaya Gopabala - K C Kesava PillaiJaanaki ramana dasaratha nandana - Vanamaamalai Jeeyar SwamiJavo Mat Thum - Swathi ThirunalChinnanchiru Kiliye - Subramanya BharathiKurai Ondrum Illai - Chakravarti RajagopalachariKarthikeyanai - Mayuram Viswanatha SastriAravinda Padamalar - Ambujam KrishnaCharanamule Nammiti - Bhadrachala RamadasuKanaka Simham - Kalyani VaradarajanKanna Vaa Manivanna Vaa - Ambujam KrishnaNee mattume en nenjil nirkirai - Perumal Murugan and K Arun PrakashVaddani Nenatiga and Samayamide Gadura by Poochi Srinivasa IyengarParulana Mata by Dharmapuri Subbarayar
** Kāpi of Muthuswami Dikshitar is quite different from the traditional Kāpi and often cited as karNATaka Kāpi
The Moorchana of Kāpi as per Venkatamakhin is S R2 G2 M1 P D2 N2 S/ N2 D2 P M1 G2 G2 R2 S

Film Songs

Language : Telugu">Telugu Language">Telugu

Songs listed below are composed in Raga Pilu (raga) which is Hindustani equivalent to Raga Kapi

Language : Telugu">Telugu Language">Telugu

Songs listed below are composed in Raga Pilu which is the Hindustani equivalent of Raga Kapi.