Swarabat

'Lady playing swarabat'. Painting by Raja Ravi Varma.

The Swarabat, Swarbat or Swaragat is a rare plucked string instrument of the classical Carnatic music genre of South India.^[1] It belongs to the chordophone, lute family of musical instruments, and is closely related to the veena and yazh instruments of the ancient South Asian orchestral ensemble.

Etymology[]

Although popularly known as Swarabat, its correct pronunciation is Swaragat.^[2] Swara from Sanskrit connotes a note in the successive steps of the octave, ghat refers to steps leading down towards a river, while bhat in the language means scholar.^{[citation needed]}

Construction[]

The painter Raja Ravi Varma featured the instrument in many of his works

Like its Carnatic cousin, the veena, it has frets, a feature that also distinguishes it from their ancestor, the Yazh harp (ancient veena). Part of the chordophonic lute family of instruments, the Swarabat body is made of wood on which a skin is stretched.^[3] On top of this skin, a bridge is placed upon which silk strings pass, which are plucked with a plectrum carved out of horn. There is a resonator and a stem, both made of wood. The resonator is covered with animal hide. The frets were made from animal gut (usually a goat). The head resembles a parrot or peacock. The tuning pegs are fixed to the neck.^[4][5]

Sound[]

Although the Swarabat features a unique construction, the range of sound delivered by it is relatively limited. It produces a timbre similar to a bass rubab and bass guitar.^[6]

Use and history[]

Swarabat or swaragat, 1903, carved with parrot's head.

The Swarabat is today a very rare string instrument used in Carnatic music, that once featured prominently as an original staple in the Katcheri and Harikatha stage ensembles of royal carpet composers.^[7] Musicians in the royal courts of Mysore, Travancore, Thanjavur kingdom and the Thondaman dynasty of Pudukottai favoured its unique bass tone accompaniment; students of the Saraswati veena were often proficient in playing the Swarabat.^[8]

Old manuscripts, photographs and Swarabat instruments themselves have been preserved at museums worldwide.^[9] Prolific musicians who have played it have been Palghat Parameswara Bhagavathar, Baluswami Dikshitar, the Raja Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma, Veene Sheshanna, and Krishna Iyengar.^[10][11]

See also[]

• Veena

References and citations[]

• Media related to Swarabat at Wikimedia Commons
• Padma Bhushan Prof. P. Sambamurthy (2005). "History of Indian Music". The Indian Music Publishing House, 208-214.
• Photo of Met museum
• India9.com