Samaveda

The Samaveda (सामवेद) is the Veda of melodies and chants. It consists of 1,549 unique verses, of which all but 75 are taken from the Rigveda and set to musical notation.

The Samaveda is considered the foundation of Indian classical music. It contains the world's oldest surviving musical notation system, using seven notes (svaras) that evolved into the Saptaka (seven-note scale) of modern Indian music.

The verses are divided into two main parts: Purvarchika (First Archika) containing verses for Agni, Indra, and Soma, and Uttararchika (Second Archika) containing verses arranged by ritual sequence. The melodies (samans) were sung by Udgatri priests during Soma sacrifices.