RAGA

Sanskrit Raga (colour, or passion), in the music of India and Pakistan, a melodic framework for improvisation based on a given set of notes (usually five to seven) and characteristic rhythmic patterns. The basic components of a raga can be written down in the form of a scale (in some cases differing in ascent and descent). By using only these notes, by emphasizing certain degrees of the scale, and by going from note to note in ways characteristic to the raga, the performer sets out to create a mood or atmosphere (rasa) that is unique to the raga in question. The contrast in emotional states evoked by different ragas might be compared to the difference the Western listener feels between pieces in major and minor modes. Among ragas, however, the spectrum of prescribed moods is vastly wider. There are several hundred ragas in present use, and thousands are possible in theory. To the Indian musician, each raga is deemed suitable only for a given time of day or night. An early morning raga such as tori induces a frame of mind inappropriate for other times of day. A performance of tori in the afternoon would create an incongruity not unlike that of playing a funeral march at a wedding. A raga performance typically lasts for half an hour or more. It may be entirely improvised or combine improvisation with a memorized composition that also uses only the stipulated tones of the given raga. See also alapa; Carnatic music; Hindustani music.