Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

MUSIC

RAGA - MELODY

6. While there are graces and accents common to all ragas, most of them have gamakas all their own, which give them distinctive quali- ties. Even when two ragas have the same notes, they may differ in the use of the sharps and flats or the more delicately shaded microtonal variants. Some note or notes may be dropped in ascent or descent. Specific notes may be selected for accenting, as a sort of gravitational centre for the melodic elaboration. This is a very characteristic feature of north Indian musical practice. Certain combinations may be built up as characteristic phrases that are signatures of the raga. Above all, the type of movement from one note to another may differ widely . This last, known as the gamak, is a very rich category including shakes, trills, glides, swings, spiralling accents and numerous other graces. Indian vocal music is generally accom- panied by a drone that establishes the ground or key-note of the Raga. Unlike in Western music there is no change of key or modu- lation in Indian music. The key-note is cho-

sen to suit the performance of the singer as Indian music has no concept of fixed pitch. The number of ragas is about three hundred of which a hundred are common. The ragas are classified in various ways ac- cording to regions, seasons, time to sing, aes- thetic qualities, scientific capabilities, their individual characters, pleasing capacities and many other ways. This time classification is strictly adhered to in Hindustani music but not so much in Karnatak music. There are six basic Ragas : Bhairava, suitable for performance at dawn; Megha in the morning; Dipaka and Sriraga in the af- ternoon; and Kausika and Hindola at night. Bhairava is associated with awe and fear, Kausika with joy and laughter, Hindola, Di- paka and Sriraga with love and Megha with peace and calm. The Ragas derived from these six basic Ragas are called Raginis, per- sonified as wives of the masculine Ragas. Great composers of the past like Tyaga- raja created new raga patterns and Tansen is believed to have been responsible for the creation of ragas like Miyanki Todi, Miyanki Malhar and so on.

The raga concept is a unique feature of Indian music. The raga is the basis of Indian melody. Indian music is built on the raga and tala concepts. The word raga is derived from a Sanskrit root meaning "to colour", the basic idea being that certain melodic shapes produce a continuity of emotional experience and "colour" the mind. Since neither the melodic shapes nor their sequence are fixed precisely the raga serves as a basis for composition and improvisation which is a characteristic feature of Indian music. A raga is a melodic idea capable of elaboration and improvisation. The rules of grammar of a raga are: 1. It has a definite set of notes which are its alphabet. 2. The minimum number of notes for a raga is five and maximum nine. There are however, exceptions. 3. It has a permitted manner of ascent ( arohana) and descent. ( avarohana ). 4. A raga uses characteristic melodic units ( pakad, chalan, tan, sanchara or varna). 5. Certain svaras in its alphabet find emphasis to varying degrees ( vadi, samvadi, anuvadi). Melodic sections commence and end on de- fined notes ( graha and nyasa).

Classification of Ragas by Narada: According to Hindustani Style The great sage Narada has accepted 58 Ragas in all, out of which 21 are masculine, 24 are feminine and the rest neuter Ragas . He next classified Ragas into 3 groups - according to the use of notes in them - such as Sampurna - a raga having all the seven notes, Shadava - a raga having 6 notes only and lastly Odava - a raga having 5 notes only.

17.

Saurashtra

25.

Bhairavi

Ragas at mid-day : 1.

Ragas that are to be sung three hours before the sun- rise are : 1. Deshaakshi 2. Shuddha-Bhairavi 3. Varatika 4. Shuddha-Dravetika Ragas in the morning : 1. Gandhara 2. Devagandhara

Bhoopali Desi Naaga-Varatika Kamaat Haya-Gauda

.

Vasanta

Shankaraa-Bharanam

18

Neuter Ragas: 1.. Kaushiki 2. Lalita 3.

19. 19. 21.

Shuddha Saaranga Raagadwahni Karanaat

. 2. Badahamsa 3. Desi 4. Manohaari 5. Saaveri

Dhanashri

4. 5.

Kurunji

Feminine Ragas :

Ragas that are sung three hours after sunset.: 1. Malhaari 2. Maahuri 3. Andoli 4. Raamakriti 5. Chhayanat

6. Dombuli 7. Kambhoji 8. Gopi-Kambhoji 9. Kaushiki 10. Madhumadhavi 11. Baahuli 12. Mukhari 13. Kaushiki Ragas in the evening : 1. Shuddha-Naata 2. Saalanga 3. Naati 4. Shuddha-Varatika 5. Gauda 6. Maalava-Gaula 7. Shree-Raag 8. Ahari 9. Raamakriti 10. Ramji 11. Chhaya 12. Sarva-Varatika 13. Varatika 14. Dravatika

Thundi

Saurashtri

1.

2 . Turashka-Tundi

6 . Shuddha Darbari

3.

Malwari

7.

Naagavarathika

8 .

4. 5.

Maahuri Pauralika Kambhari

Kamodi Ramakri Saaveri

9.

. .

10 .

6

7.

Bhallati

11 . Badahamsa

3. Dhannyasi 4. Saindhavi 5. Naarayani 6. Gurjari 7. Bangal 8. Patamanjari 9. Lalita 10. Hindola 11. Shree 12. Saurashtra 13. Malhar 14. Saamavadi 15. Vasanta 16.

Saindhavi Saalanga

Saamavedi

Masculine Ragas 1. Darbari 2. Bangal 3. Soma-raag 4. Shree Raag 5. Bhoopali 6.

12. 13.

8

9.

S ankarabharanam

Gaandhari

10.

11 . Devakri

Sampurana Ragas : 1. Deshakh

12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.

Desi Velavali

2. 3. 4. 5.

Maddhyamadi Vasanta

Chhaya-Gaud

Bahuli

Bhairavi

Gunkari Dhurjari Varaathi Darbari Hamsi

Shuddha-Bhairavi Shuddha Vasanta

7. 8. 9.

Andoli

6 .

Dombuli

7.

Varatika

Shuddha-Hindola

8 .

Nata Raag

10. Gaud 11. Phadamamji 12. Suddha-Nati 13. Raagaranga 14. Maalabagaula 15. Chhayanata 16. Kolaahala

9.

Maalavi

. Gaudi

10 . Badahamsa

20

. Naarayani

Shuddha-Bhairava

Mukhari

21

11. 12. 13.

17. 18.

Velavali

Ahari

Ahari

22. 23.

Soma-Raag

Megharanjani

Ramakriya

24.

Mishra Nata

14.

Gandhara