raga

raga
Name	raga
Cultural origin	Vedic period; Indian subcontinent
Instruments	Sitar, Tabla, Sarod, Violin (Indian classical), Flute
Genres	Hindustani classical music, Carnatic music, Folk music of India

raga

A raga is a melodic framework central to Hindustani classical music and Carnatic music traditions of the Indian subcontinent, guiding pitch, ornamentation, and improvisation in performance. It prescribes a set of pitches, characteristic phrases, and emotive associations used by performers on instruments such as the Sitar, Sarod, Violin (Indian classical), and by vocalists linked to lineages like the Gwalior gharana, Kirana gharana, and Thanjavur bani. Raga practice intersects with treatises, musical courts, and institutions from the Gupta Empire era through the modern Sangeet Natak Akademi and global concert circuits.

Etymology and Concept

The term derives from Classical Sanskrit sources discussed in texts associated with the Nāṭyaśāstra tradition and later medieval commentaries tied to courts of the Gupta Empire and Chola dynasty, appearing alongside concepts in works endorsed by patrons like Harsha and scholars in the milieu of Nalanda. Treatises link the root to notions of color and attraction in Sanskrit literature, reflected in aesthetic theories developed at assemblies such as the court of Akbar and later codified by musicologists patronized by the Mughal Empire and regional polities like the Maratha Empire. Scholars from institutions including Banaras Hindu University and the Mysore Palace school contributed philological and analytic studies that contrast raga with modal systems in Western and Near Eastern treatises preserved in archives such as the British Library.

Structure and Elements

A raga’s architecture comprises scale degrees (svaras) analogous to pitch sets discussed by theorists connected to the Tansen tradition and later compiled in manuals associated with patrons like Raja Ravi Varma’s contemporaries; ornamentation (gamak, meend) linked to practitioners from the Patiala gharana and the Mewati gharana; and signature melodic phrases (pakad) cited in pedagogies of teachers from institutions such as the Sangeet Research Academy. Performance roles for a drone instrument like the Tanpura and rhythmic accompaniment by the Tabla or Mridangam are elaborated in curricula of conservatories such as the Music Academy (Chennai). The concept of vadi and samvadi parallels discussions in commentaries associated with scholars at the Asiatic Society and repertory catalogues maintained by museums like the National Centre for the Performing Arts (India).

Types and Classifications

Classifications historically include seasonal and temporal associations codified in manuals linked to courts such as Mughal Court ensembles and regional systems from the Carnatic music canon tied to composers like Tyagaraja and Muthuswami Dikshitar. Systems distinguish between symmetric and asymmetric scales as analyzed by musicologists at the All India Radio archives and by ethnomusicologists affiliated with universities such as Oxford University and University of California, Berkeley. Lineage-specific repertoires—groyne names from the Agra gharana, collections curated by institutions like the Sangeet Natak Akademi—classify ragas by jati, thaat, melakarta, and rasa, paralleling cataloguing approaches used by curators at the National Museum, New Delhi.

Performance Practice

Performers enact ragas in forms such as alap, jor, jhala, and bandish, practices maintained by exponents associated with lineages like Vilayat Khan and Ravi Shankar and preserved in recording projects by labels such as HMV India and institutions like All India Radio. Improvisation protocols, pedagogy, and festival programming—seen at events like the Tansen Music Festival, Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan, and Mysore Dasara—reflect conventions cultivated in gharanas and conservatories including the Bhatkhande Music Institute Deemed University and the Kumar Gandharva Memorial. Collaborative contexts that combine raga with forms from the Western classical music tradition have been experimented by ensembles associated with figures linked to the Beatles’ interest in Indian music and cross-cultural projects commissioned by venues like the Royal Albert Hall.

Historical Development

Raga evolved from melodic practices documented in treatises from the Vedic period through medieval commentaries under dynasties such as the Pala Empire and the Chalukya dynasty, with notable developments during the tenure of musicians like Tansen at the court of Akbar. Mughal-era synthesis, regional bhakti movements associated with composers like Meerabai and Kabir, and Carnatic codification via composers linked to the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom shaped modern repertoires. Colonial-era recording, scholarship by figures tied to the Asiatic Society of Bengal, and institutionalization in conservatories such as the Mysore Royal Court and Banaras Hindu University influenced transmission, while 20th-century maestros performed on stages from the Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House.

Regional Traditions and Variations

Regional schools include the North Indian Hindustani classical music lineage with gharanas like Patiala gharana, Kirana gharana, Gwalior gharana, and the South Indian Carnatic music system centered in locales such as Thanjavur, Tiruchirappalli, and institutions like the Music Academy (Chennai). Folk-derived raginis and regional variants appear in traditions of Punjab, Rajasthan, Bengal, and Odisha, often preserved by patrons connected to princely states such as Jaipur and Baroda. Diaspora communities maintain raga practices through festivals and academic programs at universities like Columbia University, University of Toronto, and cultural centers including the India Habitat Centre.

Category:Indian classical music