Raga

Raga
A raga (Sanskrit rga , Tamil irgam , Telugu "Raagam" , Kannada "Raaga" , Malayalam rgam literally "colour, hue" but also "beauty, melody"; also spelled raag, raaga, ragam)[1] is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music. A raga uses a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is constructed. However, it is important to remember that the way the notes are approached and rendered in musical phrases and the mood they convey are more important in defining a raga than the notes themselves. In the Indian musical tradition, rgas are associated with different times of the day, or with seasons. Indian classical music is always set in a rga. Non-classical music such as popular Indian film songs and ghazals sometimes use rgas in their compositions. Joep Bor of the Rotterdam Conservatory of Music defined Raga as "tonal framework for composition and improvisation."[2] Nazir Jairazbhoy, chairman of UCLA's department of ethnomusicology, characterized ragas as separated by scale, line of ascent and descent, transilience, emphasized notes and register, and intonation and ornaments.[3]

Terminology
The Sanskrit word rga is defined as 'the act of colouring or dyeing' (the mind and mood/emotions in this context) and therefore metaphorically means 'any feeling or passion especially love, affection, sympathy, desire, interest, motivation, joy, or delight.' Therefore, the word is used in the literal sense of 'the act of dyeing,' and also 'color, hue, tint,' especially the color red in the Sanskrit epics, and in the figurative sense of 'something that colors one's emotions.' A figurative sense of the word as 'passion, love, desire, delight' is also found in the Mahabharata. The specialized sense of 'loveliness, beauty,' especially of voice or song, emerges in Classical Sanskrit, used by Kalidasa and in the Panchatantra.[4] The term first occurs in a technical context in the Brihaddeshi (dated ca. 5th to 8th century),[5] where it is described as "a combination of tones which, with beautiful illuminating graces, pleases the people in general". Rgin (Devanagari: ) is a term for the "feminine" counterpart or "wife" to a rga. The rga-rgini scheme from about the 14th century aligned 6 "male" rgas with 6 "wives."

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Nature of rga
"That which is a special dhwani (tune), is bedecked with swara (notes) and varna and is colorful or delightful to the minds of the people, is said to be rga" - Matanga in the Brihaddeshi. The basic mode of reference in modern Hindustani practice (known commonly as the shuddha - basic form) is a set which is equivalent to the Western Ionian mode (the major scale) this is called Bilawal thaat in Hindustani music (the Carnatic analogue would be Sankarabharanam). In both systems, the ground (or tonic), Shadja, Sa, and a pure fifth above, Pancham, Pa, are fixed and essentially sacrosanct tones. In the Hindustani system, in a given seven-tone mode, the second, third, sixth, and seventh notes can be natural (shuddha, lit. 'pure') or flat (komal, 'soft') but never sharp, and the fourth note can be natural or sharp (tivra) but never flat, making up the twelve notes in the Western equal tempered chromatic scale (Western Raga Shree recital to Krishna and Radha, Ragamala paintings, 19th enharmonic pitch equivalences like, for example, A century and B do not apply; e.g. Re tivra may, to a Western musician appear enharmonic to Ga shuddha in that system, but in practice is not.) A Western-style C chromatic scale could therefore theoretically have the notes C, D, D, E, E, F, F, G, A, A, B, B. The Carnatic system has three versions a lower, medium, and higher form of all the notes except Sa, Ma and Pa. Ma has two versions (lower and higher), while Sa and Pa are invariant. Rgas can also specify microtonal changes to this scale: a flatter second, a sharper seventh, and so forth. Tradition has it that the octave consists of (a division into) 22 microtones ("shrutis"). Furthermore, individual performers treat pitches quite differently, and the precise intonation of a given note depends on melodic context. There is no absolute pitch (such as the modern western standard A = 440 Hz); instead, each performance simply picks a ground note, which also serves as the drone, and the other scale degrees follow relative to the ground note. The Carnatic system embarks from a much different shuddha (fundamental) scalar formation, that is, shuddha here is the lowest-pitched swara. By comparison, using the common tonic "C" for a western musician:

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Carnatic Swara Carnatic Notation Hindustani Swara Hindustani Notation Western E.T. Sa Shuddha Ri Chatusruti Ri Shatsruti Ri Shuddha Ga Sadharana Ga Antara Ga Shuddha Ma Prati Ma Pa Shuddha Dha Chatusruti Dha Shatsruti Dha Shuddha Ni Kaisika Ni Kakali Ni S R1 R2 R3 G1 G2 G3 M1 M2 P D1 D2 D3 N1 N2 N3 Komal Ni Shuddha Ni n N Komal G Shuddha Ga Shuddha Ma Teevra Ma Pa Komal Dha Shuddha Dha g G M M+ P d D Sa Komal Re Shuddha Re S r R C D D D E E E F F G A A A B B B

Rgas and their seasons

Many Hindustani (North Indian) rgas are prescribed for the particular time of a day or a season. When performed at the suggested time, the rga has its maximum effect. For example, many of the Malhar group of rgas, which are ascribed the magical power to bring rain, are performed during the monsoon. However, these prescriptions are not strictly followed, especially since modern concerts are generally held in the evening. There has also been a growing tendency over the last century for North Indian musicians to adopt South Indian rgas, which do not come with any particular time associated with them. The result of these various influences is that there is increasing flexibility as to when rgas may be performed.

Notations
Although notes are an important part of rga practice, they alone do not make the rga. A rga is more than a scale, and many rgas share the same scale. The underlying scale may have five, six or seven tones made up of swaras. Rgas that have five swaras are called audava () rgas; those with six, shaadava (); and with seven, sampurna (, Sanskrit for 'complete'). Those rgas that do not follow the strict ascending or descending order of swaras are called vakra () ('crooked') rgas.

Vasant Ragini, Ragamala, Rajput, Kota, Rajasthan. 1770. Vasant is the raga of spring. The painting depicts Hindu god Krishna dancing with maidens.

Raga The mood of the rga and the way the notes are approached and used are more important than the notes it uses. For example, Darbari Kanada and Jaunpuri share the same notes but are entirely different in their renderings. Similarly, although Bilaskhani Todi is classified under the Bhairavi thaat because of the notes it uses, it is actually closer to Todi than to Bhairavi.

Northern and southern differences

The two streams of Indian classical music, Carnatic music and Hindustani music, have independent sets of rgas. There is some overlap, but more "false friendship" (where rga names overlap, but rga form does not). In north India, the rgas have been primarily categorised into ten thaats or parent scales (by Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, 1860-1936); South India uses an older and even more systematic classification scheme called the melakarta classification, with 72 parent (melakarta) rgas. Overall there is a greater identification of rga with scale in the south than in the north, where such an identification is impossible. Rgas in north Indian music system follow the 'law of consonances' established by Bharata in his Natyashastra, which does not tolerate deviation even at the shruti level. As rgas were transmitted orally from teacher to student, some rgas can vary greatly across regions, traditions and styles. Many ragas have also been evolving over the centuries. There have been efforts to codify and standardise rga performance in theory from their first mention in Matanga's Brihaddeshi (c. tenth century).

Carnatic rga
In Carnatic music, rgas are classified as Janaka rgas and Janya rgas. Janaka rgas are the rgas from which the Janya rgas are created. Janaka rgas are grouped together using a scheme called Katapayadi sutra and are organised as Melakarta rgas. A Melakarta rga is one which has all seven notes in both the rhanam (ascending scale) and avarhanam (descending scale). Some Melakarta rgas are Harikambhoji, Kalyani, Kharaharapriya, Mayamalavagowla, Sankarabharanam and Todi. Janya rgas are derived from the Janaka rgas using a combination of the swarams (usually a subset of swarams) from the parent rga. Some janya rgas are Abheri, Abhogi, Bhairavi, Hindolam, Mohanam and Kambhoji. See the full List of Janya Ragas for more. Each rga has a definite collection and orders of swaras (the basic notes). In Carnatic music, there are 7 basic notes of which there are a total of 16 varieties. The seven basic swarams of Carnatic music are: Sa, Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Da, Ni.

Related rgas
Even though Janya rgas are subsets of Janaka rgas in notation and representation, the differences between the child ragas are clear due to the differences like some notes that figure more in a particular rga compared to another, while other notes used sparingly some notes may be sung with gamaka, stress, elongation, etc., in one rga compared to other specific phrases used and other phrases to be avoided in a rga (so as to avoid deviation into another rga's domain) the scales of some ragas may contain at least one swara that does not figure in their janaka ragas. Such ragas are termed as bhashanga ragas. Ragas such as Bhairavi, Kambhoji, Bilahari, Devagandhari, and Neelambari fall under this category. An important fact to be noted is to never sing Bhairavi and Kharaharapriya together, since, the prayogas while singing aalapana are almost the same, with the Suddha dha of Bhairavi being the only difference between the two. The effect of the rgas are different from each other, even if they notationally use same swarams (or subset of swarams between each other) due to above subjective differences related to bhava and rasa (mood caused in the listener). The artists have to ensure the same when elaborating on a rga, as has been followed and expected on each

Raga rga, without digressing into the phrases of another related rga.

Rga-rgini
The rga-rgini scheme is a classification scheme used from the 14th century to the 19th century. It usually consists of 6 'male' rgas each with 6 'wives' (rginis) and a number of sons (putras) and even 'daughters-in-law'. As it did not agree with various other schemes, and the 'related' rgas had very little or no similarity, the rga-rgini scheme is no longer very popular.[6] Rgas and rginis were often pictured as Hindu gods, Rajput princes and aristocratic women in an eternal cycle of love, longing and fulfilment.[6]

References
[1] "Raag" is the modern Hindi pronunciation used by Hindustani musicians; "ragam" is the pronunciation in Tamil. [2] Bor, Joep; Rao, Suvarnalata; Van der Meer, Wim; Harvey, Jane (1999). The Raga Guide. Nimbus Records. p.181. ISBN0-9543976-0-6. [3] Jairazbhoy, Nazir Ali (1995). The Rgs of North Indian music (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=hGLRqLscf78C& pg=PA45). Popular Prakashan. p.45. ISBN81-7154-395-2. . [4] Monier-Williams, A Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899) [5] Kaufmann(1968) p. 41 [6] Bor 1999 Basohli painting of Ragaputra Velavala, son of the raga Bhairava.

Literature
Bhatkhande, Vishnu Narayan (1968-73), Kramika Pustaka Malika, Hathras: Sangeet Karyalaya. Bor, Joep (1999), The Rga Guide, Charlottesville,Virginia: Nimbus Records Danilou, Alain (1949), Northern Indian Music, Calcutta: Visva Bharati Jairazbhoy, N.A. (1995), The Rags of North Indian Music: Their Structure & Evolution, Bombay: Popular Prakashan Kaufmann, Walter (1968), The Ragas of North India, Calcutta: Oxford & IBH Publishing Company Moutal, Patrick (1991), Hindustani Raga Index Moutal, Patrick (1991), A Comparative Study of Selected Hindustani Ragas Some Ragamala paintings can be found in: Bautze, J (1987), Indian Miniature Paintings c:1590 to c. 1850, Amsterdam: Galerie Saundarya Lahari, ISBN90-72085-01-9 Gangoly, O.C. (1934), Rgas and Rginis, Calcutta Ragas and raginis by Amiyanath Sanyal (English) ORIENT LONGMANS 1959 printed by S.C.Ghosh, Calcutta Press, Wellington Squate, Calcutta (Link: www.dli.ernet.in) Sangita Ratnakara of Sarangadeva (Raga Adyaya) ( -do- )

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External links
A step-by-step introduction to the concept of raga for beginners (http://raag-hindustani.com/Scales1.html) Rajan Parrikar Music Archive - detailed analyses of ragas backed by rare audio recordings (http://www.parrikar. org/) Comprehensive reference on raagas (http://www.soundofindia.com/raagas.asp) Krsna Kirtana Songs Ragamala (http://www.kksongs.org/ragamala) an informative database with over ninety rgas (audio clips coming soon), tutorial on the North Indian notation system, rga classification, and explanation of how rgas work. Hindustani Raga Sangeet Online (http://moutal.eu/indian-music.html) A rare collection of audio & video archives from 1902. Radio programs dedicated to famous ragas. Online quick reference of rgams (http://webspace.webring.com/people/dv/vasudevanvrv/carnatic/raagams. htm) in Carnatic music. Basics of Hindustani Classical Music for Listeners: a downloadable PDF (http://atulnene.com/hcmprimer. html), and an online video talk (http://urtalk.kpoint.in/kapsule/gcc-066a675a-74c2-4f57-8d7b-6b1e82c0583b). Includes "What is a Raga"?

Article Sources and Contributors

Article Sources and Contributors

Raga Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=508973522 Contributors: 2SSophie, Adwaitjoshi, Ahung, Aksi great, Alansohn, Alex n, Allisonmarieanne, Ambarish, Amirdhagopal, Anarchivist, Animeshkulkarni, Annamacharya Vaibhavam, Arjun024, Ashwath Rabindranath, Ashwinijaya, B9 hummingbird hovering, Badagnani, Bharatveer, Calaf, CambridgeBayWeather, Capricorn42, Champ1979, Champaign, Chandrahas Piduri, Charukesi, Chhajlaniv1, Chris the speller, Cminard, Daedalus969, Dbachmann, Deeptrivia, Deltabeignet, DerHexer, Dforest, Dhamit21, Dhesi, Drummerdave1, EdChem, Egoels, Eirik, Ekabhishek, Epioinopaponton, Excirial, FrancoGG, Gautam3, Gene Nygaard, Gh5046, Ghanonmatta, Gnanapiti, Gokhul, Gokul madhavan, Gopikoundinya, Gr8naru, GregorB, Guaka, Gwalla, H3rcul3s, Harisingh, Hekerui, Hu12, Huangdi, Hyacinth, Iammusicfreak, Icarusgeek, Imc, Impy4ever, Introferious, JaGa, Jagged 85, Jan civil, Jarble, Jeff3000, Jerome Kohl, Jhirvi, John Quincy Adding Machine, JohnI, Jossi, Julesd, Kappa, Kaustuv, Keenan Pepper, Kh7, KirtanDevotee, Kksongs, LAAFan, Lerdthenerd, Light current, LilHelpa, LordSimonofShropshire, Lotje, MER-C, MPerel, Madbassist, MarkC77, Matt Gies, Meco, Mellery, MoRsE, Mr. Kalish, Mrahaim, Mukundan, Namjap, Nataraja, NawlinWiki, Ncmvocalist, Neelix, Nizonstolz, Orderinchaos, PMDrive1061, Parrikar, Pepve, Pgan002, Philip Trueman, Prash n rao, Pstarbuck, Pulkitsingh01, Raas1234, RagaBhakta, Ragaist, Raguks, RedWolf, Redheylin, Redtigerxyz, Rigadoun, Roland zh, Rynsaha, S.dedalus, SWFlash, Saga City, Samjones9booyakasha, Sanpra1989, Sciurin, Seth Ilys, Sharifruet, Shobhit102, Shreevatsa, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, Sivaraj, Skal, Smdevesh, Sojarumojaru, Sp3z1aL, SpacemanSpiff, Srinivasaraju, Srkris, SteinbDJ, Sudhir V Gadre, Summer Song, TUF-KAT, Tabalji, Tabisini, Tanaats, Tevildo, Thadius856, The Rationalist, The wub, Trusilver, Tukamhane, Ultimus, Updatehelper, Ushajayaraman, VasuVR, Vegaswikian, Veggieburgerfish, Venu62, WereSpielChequers, Wiki-uk, Wmahan, Zerokitsune, 278 anonymous edits

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Image:Sri Raga recital to Krishna-Radha, 19th century.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Sri_Raga_recital_to_Krishna-Radha,_19th_century.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Abhishekjoshi, Johnbod, Roland zh File:Vasant Ragini, Ragamala, Rajput, 1770.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Vasant_Ragini,_Ragamala,_Rajput,_1770.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Abhishekjoshi, Ekabhishek, Mattes, Roland zh, Wmpearl File:Ragaputra Velavala of Bhairava.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Ragaputra_Velavala_of_Bhairava.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Abhishekjoshi, BostonMA

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