Note in the octave (Indian classical music)
This article is about a concept in Indian classical music. For other uses, see Swara (disambiguation).
| Indian classical music |
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Swara (Sanskrit: स्वर (swara) is a word that connotes simultaneously a breath, a vowel, the sound of a musical note corresponding to its name, and the successive steps of the octave or saptanka. More comprehensively, it is the ancient Indian concept of the complete dimension of musical pitch.[1][2] Most of the time a swara is identified as both musical note and tone, but a tone is a precise substitute for sur, related to tunefulness. Traditionally, Indians have just seven swaras/notes with short names, e.g. sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni which Indian musicians collectively designate as saptank or saptaka. It is one of the reasons why swara is considered a symbolic expression for the number seven.
- ^ Rowell 2015, p. 13.
- ^ Vimalakānta Rôya Caudhurī (2000). The Dictionary of Hindustani Classical Music. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 122–123. ISBN 978-81-208-1708-1.