SAREGAMA Meaning and
Definition
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Saregama is a term of Indian origin that refers to a melodic sequence or a set of musical notes. It is an important concept in Hindustani classical music and is typically used in the context of the seven notes, also known as swaras, which form the basic building blocks of Indian music. The term "saregama" originated from the solfege system known as Sargam, which assigns a specific syllable to each note of the musical scale.
In Sargam, the first note of the scale is referred to as "sa," the second as "re," the third as "ga," the fourth as "ma," the fifth as "pa," the sixth as "dha," and the seventh as "ni." The complete sequence of these notes is often chanted or sung in different melodic patterns to create beautiful melodies.
Saregama is not only limited to Hindustani classical music but is also utilized in various other genres including devotional, folk, and film music in India. It constitutes the foundation of many Indian compositions and plays a crucial role in improvisation and composition.
Additionally, "Saregama" is also the name of a prominent Indian music label that has released countless recordings of Indian classical, devotional, and film music over the years. The term has become synonymous with the company and is often used as a brand name to designate their musical releases.
Etymology of SAREGAMA
The word "saregama" has its origin in Indian classical music. It refers to the seven notes of the musical scale in the Indian solfege system, where each note has a specific syllable associated with it.
The solfege system in Indian music is known as "sargam", and it is derived from the ancient Sanskrit language. The seven notes in the system are "sa", "re", "ga", "ma", "pa", "dha", and "ni". These notes are often used as a foundation for composing and performing Indian classical music.
The term "saregama" is a combination of the first four syllables in the sargam system: "sa", "re", "ga", and "ma". It is commonly used to represent the melodic structure of a musical piece or as a mnemonic to remember the notes.
