History & Origins
Jaunpuri takes its name from the city of Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh, an important centre of Hindustani classical music in the medieval period under the Sharqi Sultans. The raga shares Asavari's thaat and many of its notes, but with a different vadi, different emphasis, and a distinctly more lyrical, song-like character. It is one of the most important ragas of the morning-to-midday transition period.
The Notes of Raga Jaunpuri
Raga Jaunpuri is a Audava-Sampurna raga, meaning it uses audava-sampurna 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 Jaunpuri, the pakad is:
Performance
Where Asavari emphasises Dha and has a more heroic bearing, Jaunpuri emphasises Ma and has a more lyrical, searching quality. The characteristic phrases move through the lower register with a gentle intensity that builds slowly. The raga rewards close listening: its emotional complexity is not immediately apparent but deepens with familiarity.
Spiritual Significance
Jaunpuri's karuna is among the most sustained and searching in the classical tradition: not the sharp grief of Todi but a long, gentle sadness that has the quality of nostalgia, of looking back at something beautiful that has passed. Many of the most emotionally moving thumri compositions are set in Jaunpuri or the closely related Asavari.
Notable Performers
- Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
- Gangubai Hangal
- Begum Akhtar
- Kishori Amonkar
Famous Compositions
- Thumri compositions from the Benaras and Lucknow traditions
- Khayal bandishes of multiple gharanas