Indian raga

Indian raga
Name	Raga
Other names	Rag, Raag
Region	South Asia
Developed	Ancient to Medieval periods
Typical instruments	Sitar, Sarod, Violin, Flute, Veena, Santoor
Related	Tala, Bhava, Bhairav, Kalyani

Indian raga

A raga is a melodic framework used in South Asian classical music traditions such as Hindustani classical music and Carnatic music, defining a set of pitches, characteristic phrases, and rules for improvization and composition. It functions alongside rhythmic systems like Tala and expressive systems like Bhava and Rasa theory in performances by artists associated with gharanas and sabhas across regions like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, and Thiruvananthapuram. Major composers, performers, and theorists — including Tansen, Purandara Dasa, Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, Bhimsen Joshi, Ravi Shankar, and MS Subbulakshmi — have elaborated ragas in forms such as Khyal, Dhrupad, Kriti, Alap, and Thumri.

Definition and Characteristics

A raga prescribes a scale of notes drawn from pitch collections like those codified by Panchama, Shadja, Rishabha, Gandhara, Madhyama, Panchama (note), Dhaivata, and Nishada and specifies melodic contours embodied in motifs used by instrumentalists and vocalists in lineages such as the Gwalior gharana, Kirana gharana, Patiala gharana, and Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. It includes microtonal inflections related to Shruti theory and stylistic ornamentations (gamak, meend) practiced on instruments like the Sitar, Sarod, Violin (music), and Bansuri. Treatises like the Natya Shastra, Brihaddeshi, and works attributed to theorists such as Bhatkhande and Venkatamakhin articulate parameters including prominence of specific notes, prescribed phrases, and time or seasonal usages adopted by performers at institutions like the Sangeet Natak Akademi and festivals such as the Tansen Samaroh.

Historical Development and Origins

Raga traditions trace to ancient texts and court cultures spanning the Maurya Empire, Gupta Empire, and medieval sultanates, evolving through encounters at courts of rulers like the Mughal Empire and regional dynasties including the Chola dynasty and Vijayanagara Empire. The codification of raga concepts appears in treatises such as Brihaddeshi and later in medieval compilations associated with scholars in centers such as Varanasi and Tiruchirappalli. Mughal-era musicians including musicians patronized by Akbar and later reformers like Sadarang and Adarang influenced genres such as Dhrupad and Khayal; Carnatic consolidation occurred through composers linked to the Tanjore Maratha kingdom and the Trinity of Carnatic music: Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, and Syama Sastri.

Classification and Systems (Thaat, Melakarta, Jati)

Ragas are organized into theoretical systems: the Hindustani Thaat system advanced by Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande groups ragas into parent scales, while the Carnatic Melakarta scheme formalized by Venkatamakhin and adopted in modern pedagogy at conservatories and sabhas categorizes 72 parent ragas. Jati classifications—such as Audava, Shadava, and Sampurna—describe note counts used in ascent and descent and are central to pedagogues at institutions like the Madras Music Academy and the Sangeet Research Academy. Theoretical debates involving scholars like Bhatkhande, Pandit Omkarnath Thakur, and S. Balachander address modal relationships, similar to comparative studies referencing concepts from Persian music and Ottoman classical music.

Performance Practice and Structure (Arohana/Avarohana, Pakad, Vadi/Samavadi)

Performance practice codifies ascent (Arohana) and descent (Avarohana), signature phrases (Pakad), and principal/supertonic roles (Vadi/Samavadi) as executed in improvisational sections such as Alap, Jor, Jhala, and Gat in instrumental and Khyal or Dhrupad renditions. Artists like Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Bismillah Khan, and vocalists from schools like Kirana gharana emphasize melodic development through phrases tied to raga grammar while accompanists from the Tabla tradition and Mridangam tradition maintain rhythmic cycles derived from Tala patterns. Compositional forms—Bandish, Kriti, Thillana, Tarana—embed raga identity into fixed pieces performed at venues such as the Sawai Gandharva Music Festival and Thyagaraja Aradhana.

Role in Hindustani and Carnatic Traditions

Hindustani and Carnatic traditions treat ragas both as living improvisational frameworks and as vehicles for composed repertoires: Hindustani uses forms like Dhrupad, Khayal, Thumri, and Bhajan while Carnatic centers on kritis, varnams, and tillanas by composers such as Purandara Dasa, Annamacharya, and the Carnatic Trinity. Pedagogical institutions including the Kalakshetra Foundation and conservatories in Kolkata and Chennai transmit raga interpretations; prominent exponents—Ustad Amir Khan, MS Subbulakshmi, S. Janaki, Balamuralikrishna—have adapted ragas in film music industries like Bollywood and Tollywood and collaborations with Western artists and ensembles such as orchestras at festivals like the Edinburgh International Festival.

Emotional Content and Rasa Associations

Ragas are traditionally linked to rasas—sentiments codified in the Natyashastra—with specific ragas associated with moods like love, heroism, devotion, and melancholy and tied to times of day or seasons in performance practice. Examples taught in sabhas include morning ragas such as Bhairav-related modes, evening ragas like Yaman, and seasonal ragas like Malhar, each invoked by exponents to produce bhava and elicit responses in audiences familiar with repertories by composers and performers across lineages including Gwalior gharana and Carnatic veterans. Cross-cultural reception studies and ethnomusicological research in universities and museums examine how ragas convey affect in film scores, devotional contexts, and concert settings.

Category:Indian classical music