Why is a Raag?

Disclaimer: What I express here are the observations from my own meditation. This is highly subjective and depends upon my own alignment at the time of writing. I may discover something new that completely contradicts what I’ve written and may publish that in a new article; even within a the space of a few minutes; while still retaining the original. This is completely OK since it is just a reflection of me evolving over time.

“Classical Music” is a Western term. In India, Hindustani (North Indian) Classical Music is known as “Shastreeya Sangeet”. The word Shaastra literally means science. If we were to be pedantic, Hindustani Classical Music should be called Technical Music. The fact of the matter is that as much as it is Sangeet, it is also very technical. It is not Lok Sangeet (folk music). Lok Sangeet is not formalised — Shastreeya Sangeet is.

Sangeet has been formalised in India through the construct of Raag-s. In a very simplistic view, Raag-s are melodies which correspond to a scale on steroids. They have ascending and descending scales, different phrases which must be used to establish a Raag and so on. Videos such as this one; or indeed a teacher educating a student; lean towards answering the questions of “What” or “How” is a Raag. I do feel, however, that the answer to “What” is generally provided through “How” and in a very intellectual sense, very vague. Beyond these technical aspects though, I have been pondering over a very existential question ever since I began to take interest in Raag Sangeet some four years ago — “Why is a Raag?”

The quotes below are from Alain Daniélou’s “The Raga-s of Northern Indian Music” (RNIM) and “Music and the Power of Sound: The Influence of Tuning and Interval on Consciousness” (MPS) unless otherwise stated.

Melody

In the context of the harmony as practised in Western music, Raag-s are seen as melodies. However, upon learning Raag Sangeet, it is quite apparent that Raag-s are based upon the dialogue between specific Swar-s. This dialogue is formalised through concepts such as Vaadi and Samvaadi Swar-s. In most cases, this pair is equivalent to the relationship between Shadja & Pancham or Shadja & Madhyam. In the Western context of harmony, these are known as the intervals of Perfect Fifth and Perfect Fourth respectively. Of course, their “Perfect” nature in the Western harmony is due to the tempered nature of the Western scale. Raag-s, however, are borne from the natural harmonics. The context I wish to establish here is that any melody must always correspond to a harmonic context. Western music inverts this and establishes a harmonic context into which to fit a melody, whereas in Raag-s, harmony is built into the melody itself.

While the approach to the construction of music, on the surface, seems very different between Western music (harmony oriented) and Raag Sangeet (melody oriented), the end result is to produce an intended expression.

There is no essential difference between successive and simultaneous sounds, provided the ratios that bind them are the same. The image appears suddenly to our mind as soon as the different elements that constitute it have been perceived. (MPS)

However, as already stated, the difference is that of the tempered scale and the natural harmonics. So much so, that I have heard claims that chords, as defined and used in Western context of harmony, are impossible in a scale built on natural harmonics (this might indeed be the case and I haven’t personally verified otherwise, either). The modern perspective seems to lean towards the necessity of chords and thus the tempered scale as a necessity to illustrate harmony. In my opinion, Raag Sangeet proves otherwise.

…Indians attribute to the modal degree (“mode”, discussed below — MK) almost exactly the same emotional and suggestive characteristics that Westerns attribute to the corresponding harmonic interval. The ancient Indians were aware of the equivalence of the two systems, and treatises insist the same thing can be expressed by the succession of notes in a well-established mode or by the harmony of simultaneous sounds, the cosmic and emotional correspondences being the same in both cases. (MPS)

To establish a context of how I’m using the term “mode” here, as pertains to the construction of Raag-s, let’s start from the beginning: the tonic.

Any object made to vibrate produces a combination of sound wave that, depending on its composition, is more or less pleasant to the ear and more or less “musical.” This sound is formed of one or more fundamental notes and other notes called harmonics. <snip> When with the help of different instruments (human voice being an instrument as well — MK) some of these harmonics are reinforced, the quality of the basic sound is enhanced, and its expressive value, which differs according to the specific harmonics reinforced, is improved. Thus is born harmony, which is the art of superimposing sounds. If the sounds are successive rather than simultaneous, the notion of time intervenes and we have to call upon memory to establish the harmonic relations, which alone give melody its meaning. (MPS)

In musical terms, a tonic is established, upon whose harmonics is built a musical mode.

The mode, being a series of sounds that have definite relations to a permanent tonic, can truly be said to represent the fixed harmonic basis of all melodic music… (MPS)

In this context, Raag is a mode. Every Swar in a Raag has a specific harmonic relationship to the tonic (and to each other).

The relations to the tonic are brought out in modal music by the almost continuous sounding of the tonic. This constant tonic is called ison in Byzantine music (Shdja, or Sa, in modern Indian music)…

No interval, no note, no melody has a meaning unless the ison (Sa) is present. (MPS)

The role of the Tanpura is to establish the tonic in the form of Shadja.

“Shadja (Sa, C) is the first of all the notes and so it is the main or chief note.” (Simhabhoopaala commentary on the Sangeeta-ratnaakara, I, 4, 6–8.) (RNIM p.23)

Raag Sangeet, like Western harmony is based upon the relationship of Pancham (Perfect Fifth) and Madhyam (Perfect Fourth) to the tonic (Shadja). That the Western scale is then tempered has no bearing here; we’re concerned only with the natural harmonics in Raag Sangeet. The first five harmonics based on the relationship of Pancham to Shadja are: Shadja (Unison, U, C), Pancham (Perfect Fifth, P5, G), Rishabh (Major Second, M2, D), Dhaivat (Major Sixth, M6, A), Gandhar (Major Third, M3, E). This corresponds to the first five notes, clockwise, in the circle of fifths. Correspondingly, they also give us the scale of Raag Bhoop and Raag Deshkar.

The key term here being “scale” rather than “mode”. In our context, the term “mode” would mean the same as “scale” in the tempered scale, because the tempered scale considers one fixed position for every harmonic — a set of fixed intervals. Raag-s being based on the natural harmonics, however, can constitute different modes from the same scale in the form of Raag-s — Bhoop & Deshkar, Puriya Dhanashree & Shree, Marwa, Puriya, Todi & Multani being some examples of this phenomenon.

Shruti, Swar and Naad

…the fifth successive fifth, whether in an ascending or a descending series, represents the limit of consonance in modal music also. Beyond this limit, no interval can appear harmonious, nor can it be accurately recognised. (MPS)

If successive fifths (Pancham) are stacked upwards, there is a difference in the actual frequency of the Gandhar (M3) than the expected mathematical value. This difference is known as the “syntonic comma”. Given that Raag Sangeet bases itself upon natural harmonics, this syntonic comma can be used to derive the 22 shrutis that constitute the different modes, some of which are the known Raag-s. For the detailed analysis, mathematical calculations and the values of the harmonic relationships of the shrutis based on the origination point of the Shadja, please refer to Dr. Oke’s 22 Shruti. The Western scale is tempered precisely to correct this “natural error” such that all the intervals line up correctly across octaves. Technically, natural harmonics lead to an endless spiral of fifths rather than a closed circle. The closed circle is only possible due to the tempering of the harmonics.

While Dr. Oke’s research provides us with the ratios for the shrutis, it is important to note that Raag Sangeet concerns itself as much with the distance between the shruti-s and the approach to a shruti in the context of a Raag as much as the location of the shruti itself. This is manifested through various expressive connective means such as meend-s and gamak-s.

The note (svara) is not only a definite pitch of sound. The word svara means a sound plus expression, so it would be more correctly rendered as “expressive note”.

Matanga says: “The sound that generates an expression is called svara (note).” (Brihaddeshee, comm. on I, 63.)

“The word svara means ‘that which shines on itself” — from raajri (to shine) with the prefix sva (self).” (Matang, Brihaddeshee, I, 63.) (RNIM p.24)

It is the approach to the shruti which provides it with the expression and such an expressive shruti is called a swar. Raag-s are composed of swar-s. Dr. Oke also illustrates the contribution of the pronunciation of swar-s in different Raag-s pertaining towards the location of their corresponding shruti.

“The sound is first heard as an interval, a shruti; but the resonance that immediately follows, conveying of itself (without external aid) an expression to the mind of the hearer, is called a svara, a ‘musical note’.” (Sangeeta-ratnaakara, I, 3, 24–25.) (RNIM p.25)

Beyond the fundamentals of harmonics established via shruti, a Raag is a mode in which multiple consonant swar-s contribute to an expression as a whole. The fact that a shruti can be used as a different swar in a different Raag provides tremendous expressive power.

…an external perception can produce a permanent impression in our mind (sthaayee bhaava) only if we concentrate on it for a sufficiently long time. Only modal music can create such impressions, because all its variations only tend toward the expression of one accurately determined feeling or image. This cannot fail, after a sufficient time, to imprint that feeling or that image in the mind of all those who hear the mode, whether they are attentive or not. (MPS)

And while all of these technicalities are considered, it would be a mistake to ignore the more spiritual aspects of Raag Sangeet. At its core, the Raag Sangeet is about Naad-nirmitee (Naad creation).

In Indian musical theory it is said that there are two kinds of sound, one a vibration of ether, the other a vibration of air. The vibration of ether, which cannot be perceived in the physical sense, is considered the principle of all manifestation, the basis of all substance. …It forms permanent numerical patterns which are the basis of the world’s existence. This kind of vibration is not caused by a physical shock as are audible sounds. It is therefore called anaahata, “unstruck”. The other kind of sound is an impermanent vibration of air, an image of the ether vibration. It is audible and always produced by a shock. It is therefore called aahata or “struck”. (RNIM p.21)

Not all audible vibrations are intelligible sounds. The sounds used in music are those whose mutual relationships form an image of the basic laws of the universe as represented by the unstruck sounds. Thus musical sounds have it in their power to reproduce the first creation of the Primordial Intellect. This creation is at the same time a rhythm and a thought. The main characteristic of musical sounds is that they convey ideas, emotions and at the same time form simple harmonious relations. This is why, according to symbolic etymology, musical sound is called “Naad”, “intelligible sound”, and is said to result from the union of physical breath with the fire of intellect.

“The syllable ‘Na’ means breath, the syllable ‘Da’ the fire (of intellect). Born of the union of breath and fire, intelligible sound is called Naada.” (Sangeet-makaranda, 4, I8, reproduced in Sangeet-ratnaakara, I, 3, 6 and Sangeet-darpana, I, 39.) (RNIM p.22)

What and Why

Putting together all the discussion so far, we could thus arrive at a (very generic and very very dry) possible answer to the question “What is a Raag”:

Raag is a melodic construct created from a combination of consonant harmonics to a tonic that together contribute towards a common, humanly recognisable expression.

And, assuming that the “What” is correct, at a technical level the “Why” is self-evident:

Raag-s are created to document the humanly observable relationships between natural harmonics and expressions.