History & Origins
Chandrakauns (sometimes spelled Chandrakaunsh) is a creation of the Hindustani tradition with no direct ancient textual antecedent, having developed as a distinct raga within the past few centuries. Its name means "pertaining to the moon": it shares Malkauns's pentatonic structure (omitting Re and Pa) but uses Nishad (Ni) where Malkauns uses Dhaivat, creating a different emotional character. Where Malkauns tends toward power and gravity, Chandrakauns tends toward mystery and luminous stillness.
The Notes of Raga Chandrakauns
Raga Chandrakauns is a Audava-Audava raga, meaning it uses audava-audava notes. The ascending and descending movements of the raga are defined below. In Indian classical notation, lowercase letters indicate flattened (komal) notes, and t superscript indicates a sharpened (tivra) note.
The Characteristic Phrase (Pakad)
The pakad is the signature melodic gesture of a raga: the phrase that immediately identifies it to an experienced listener. For Raga Chandrakauns, the pakad is:
Performance
Chandrakauns is performed deep in the night, ideally after midnight. The absence of Re and Pa creates the same spaciousness as Malkauns, but the Ni and dha combination gives it a different quality: something more like moonlight than darkness. A master's exploration of this raga can feel like watching light move slowly across a dark landscape.
Spiritual Significance
Chandrakauns evokes the particular quality of deep-night consciousness: aware, alert, at peace, slightly in awe of the scale of things. Its bhayanaka is not terror but the specific awe of silence, of the world at rest, of the mind emptied of its ordinary contents. The moon (chandra) association connects it to the reflective, feminine, tidal aspect of consciousness.
Notable Performers
- Pandit Ravi Shankar
- Ustad Vilayat Khan
- Hariprasad Chaurasia
- Pandit Shivkumar Sharma
Famous Compositions
- Instrumental compositions in the sitar and flute traditions
- Compositions by Ravi Shankar