Koyaliya bole ambuva ki dar par
Lyrics, meaning and notation.
About this composition
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Raga | Malkauns |
| Form | Chhota khayal |
| Tala | Teental |
Complete lyrics, transliteration and meanings
| Section | Original script | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sthayi | कोयलिया बोले अंबुवा की डार पर | Koyaliyā bole ambuvā kī ḍār par | The cuckoo calls from a branch of the mango tree. |
| Sthayi | ऋतु बसंत की देत संदेशवा | Ṛtu basant kī det sandeśavā | It brings news of the spring season. |
| Antara | नई कलियन पर गुंजत भँवरा | Naī kaliyan par guñjat bhãvarā | A bee hums over the fresh buds. |
| Antara | उनके संग करत रंगरलियाँ | Unke saṅg karat raṅgaraliyā̃ | It makes merry among them. |
| Antara | यह बसंत की देत संदेशवा | Yah basant kī det sandeśavā | This brings news of spring. |
Word notes
Ambuva means mango tree, dar its branch and kaliyan flower buds. Rangraliyan means joyful play in the spring scene. Basant means the season here, not the raga Basant.
Complete beat-aligned score
Rows begin at beat 9. Teental has sixteen beats, a wave on 9, claps on 13 and 5, and sam on 1. Sam is in the third division. The syllable row shows sung placement.
How to read this notation
Sa is the chosen reference pitch. Note signs used in this score:
S = Sa; n = komal Ni; g = komal Ga; d = komal Dha; M = shuddha Ma.
↑ marks the upper octave and ↓ the lower octave; an unmarked note is in the middle octave.
Each separate beat position is one matra. Joined notes fall within that beat. — continues the previous sound; · is an unsung position. Padding before an entry or after a close does not add another cycle.
Within-beat durations are exact only where specified. Learn the execution of glides, graces and inflection by listening.
Within a grouped column, spaces separate beats; letters joined without spaces share a beat. The column heading states the beat numbers.
| Section / layer | 9–12 · wave | 13–16 · clap | 1–4 · sam | 5–8 · clap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sthayi 1 | S↑ n g↑ S↑ |
d M d n |
S↑ — S↑ d |
n d M M |
| Syllables | को य लि या |
बो ले अं बु |
वा — की डा |
— र प र |
| Sthayi 2 | g g M Md |
nS↑ n S↑ — |
g — g M |
g g S — |
| Syllables | ऋ तु ब सं |
— त की — |
दे — त सं |
दे श वा — |
| Antara 1 | g g M M |
d d n n |
S↑ — S↑ S↑ |
g↑ n S↑ — |
| Syllables | न ई क लि |
य न प र |
गुं — ज त |
भँ व रा — |
| Antara 2 | n n n — |
n — n n |
d n S↑ n |
d n d M |
| Syllables | उ न के — |
सं — ग क |
र त रं ग |
र लि याँ — |
| Antara 3 | g g M Md |
nS↑ n S↑ — |
g — g M |
g g S — |
| Syllables | य ह ब सं |
— त की — |
दे — त सं |
दे श वा — |
Pickups, sam and return
Both sections enter at beat 9. In the first row, va of ambuva falls on sam; in the second, de of det does. In the antara, gunjat starts on sam. The second antara row carries karat across the division: ka is at beat 16 and ra begins the next sam. The final line ends on middle Sa at beat 7, held through beat 8; the sthayi returns with upper Sa on beat 9. The first sthayi row has an upper Ga at beat 11, while the second begins with middle Ga. Preserve that register difference.
Learning sequence
Learn the two sthayi rows first, separating the five Malkauns notes from their octave positions. Count from beat 9 through sam while speaking the aligned syllables. Add the three antara rows, keeping the bee-and-buds image intact across the musical divisions. Finally connect the lower closing Sa to the upper-Sa return without inserting a new cycle.
Pitfalls
There are five fixed bandish rows, not all the rows on these pages: the separately headed alap, bol-tan and tan exercises are excluded. Joined Md and nS↑ each occupy one beat. Do not replace the middle Ni in the first antara row with upper Ni merely because the neighbouring notes are upper-register.