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Features
of a Raga in Indian Music
by
Dr. Mukul Shri Goel
The Raga in Indian classical music is a musical atmosphere – defined by
a set of properties – that
imparts a distinctive melodious sound to all the diverse compositions
that are
based on it. The set of properties that characterize a raga include the
allowable notes and order of their application (ascend and descend; aroha
and avroha),
the key groupings of notes (pakad),
the most prominent note (vadi),
the second most significant note
(samvadi),
the parent scale (thaat),
the time (hours and/or season),
and the nature or mood (prakriti).
For the purpose of
learning more about these basic characteristics of a raga, let’s take
an
example of a simple yet celebrated raga – Vrindavani Sarang.
(Key: Musical Notes on
the Higher Octave are in Bold, Notes on a Lower
Octave are in Italics,
Komal (soft) notes are Underlined, Shuddha notes
are in regular script,
a comma denotes a slight pause at the musician’s discretion.)
The
Allowable Notes and their Order
Out of the twelve notes
on the keyboard, Raga Vrindavani Sarang uses six notes; namely, Sa, Re,
Ma, Pa,
Ni, and Ni. However, there
exists a condition: shuddha nishad
(Ni) is to be used only in the ascend, and komal nishad
(Ni) is
allowed during the descend only. This condition makes five notes
permissible
while ascending (from Sa to higher notes) and five notes allowable
while
descending (from Sa to lower notes), making the
raga a member of the audav-audav
(five note-five note) family (jaati). Ga, Dha or teevra
Ma can
never be used.
On satisfying these
conditions and arranging the notes in their natural order, the aroha
(ascend)
for this raga becomes:
Ni
Sa
Re,
Ma Pa,
Ni Sa
And the avroha
(descend) becomes:
Sa
Ni
Pa, Ma Re, Sa
Prominent
Notes and Preferred Progression
You must have noticed
the slight pauses after Re and Pa in the above aroha-avroha
sequences.
The reason for pausing at these notes in a presentation is that these
two notes
demand special status in Raga Vrindavani sarang – they are to be used
prominently for an authentic display of this raga. Because Re is the
most
important note of the raga (vadi note), the longer one holds this note
in a
performance, the easier it is form the atmosphere of the raga.
Similarly, the
second most significant note (samvadi note) is Pa. Such
relative importance of notes must be kept in mind during both
raga-based composing and improvising (alaap/ taan).
The preferred note
progression, pakad, for Raga Vrindavani Sarang is
as follows:
Ni
Sa
Re, Ma Re,
Pa Ma
Re, Sa
Repeated use of these
key groupings of notes can highlight the uniqueness of this raga and
prevent
the performer from entering the domains of closely associated ragas,
either
from its parent scale (thaat Kafi )
or the sarang-group. In the pakad, you can again
note the significance of the note ‘Re’ for this raga.
The
Timing and Mood
The time of this raga is ‘afternoon.’ Even though the rule regarding
time is not strictly followed by
many musicians, it is believed that the vibrations of Vrindavani Sarang
would
be more effective in creating the desirable effect on its listeners if
it is
performed in the afternoon. Besides, this raga is more suitable for the
monsoon
(rainy) season. Because the name of this raga has originated from the
town of Vrindavan,
where Krishna
enacted many divine plays (leelas) during His
incarnation, devotional songs are often composed in
this raga. The mood of this raga is believed to be devotional. Though
lyrics in
classical presentations are regularly short so that the mood
and
intricacies of the raga can be focused upon, lyrics, while composing,
must be
chosen to match this feel of the raga.
A
Composition
A traditional composition (chhota khayal) with a
devotional flavor, commonly taught to
beginners in Hindustani Classical Music, is given below.
Lyrics
Ban-ban dhoondhan jaaoon. Kithoon chhip gaye Krishna Murari.
Sheesh mukut aur kanan
kundal, bansi dhar man rang firat Girdhari.”
(Implied Meaning:
Having searched numerous places in the material world, the devotee
wonders
where Lord Krishna, adorned with a crown on the head, earrings, and a
flute, is
hiding.)
Sthayi (part 1)
Antara
(part 2)
The rhythmic cycle (taal)
involved in this khayal is – Teentaal (16 beats),
the most popular taal
of Hindustani classical music. From the perspective of percussion, the
major
‘pulse’ (sam; first beat) in a teentaal composition
can be felt after
every 16 beats. (This is the moment where most members of the audience
nod
their head.) Minor pulses (internal divisions) in this cycle can be
felt every
four beats. The song is set to medium-fast tempo.
Copyright �
2007 Mukul S. Goel
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