SESSION IV:

Vikram Iyengar

Towards the Classification of Ragas

We ended the last discussion on the Natyashastra’s writings on music. If you recall, we had stressed that the word ‘Raga’ does not occur in this treatise. The journey towards detailed classification of Ragas began only later.

Is there a mythical origin for Ragas?

According to mythology, six male Ragas were born at the time of Creation – Bhairav, Kausika, Hindol, Deepak, Sriraga and Megh. These Ragas gave birth to six Raginis each, who, in turn, produced Ragaputras. Thus began a multiple Raga system all umbilically linked to the original six. The first mention of male Ragas and female Raginis is found in the 9th Century Sangeet Makarand ascribed to Sage Narada.

Where do we find the first mention of Raga-based music?

Dattilam

A major landmark in the evolution of Raga music occurred when the sacred Sama-gayan or Vedic chanting gave way to Gandharva-gaan as the primary sacred music of India. Dattilam, dated about 400 AD, is the main text for this music. It details out many nuances already encountered in the Natyashastra such as grama, murchhana, tana and jati. It describes in detail the 18 jatis, the fundamental melodic structures for the Jati-gayan. Jatis have ten basic characteristics closely resembling the structuring and elaboration of the contemporary Raga in Hindustani music. While Jati-gayan was entirely pre-composed, improvisation was given pre-eminence in Raga-based classical music.

Brihaddeshi

Matanga’s Brihaddeshi of the late Buddhist period (about 500 AD) is the first text to properly detail music in the period after Bharata. Brihaddeshi is the first available text to describe the Raga. It also introduces the concept of sargam and clarifies what the Natyashastra has to say on musical scales and micro-tonal intervals.

But Matanga’s major contribution lies in his discussion of ‘deshi’ or regional music in contrast to the ‘margi’ or pan-India sacred music. Deshi music, rendered as expressions of lay people, captured the entire range of human emotions and moods. Through notations, Brihaddeshi formalised them into various ascending and descending scales.

Sangeet Ratnakara

Another text which emphasises the ever changing nature of music, the role of regional influences, and the constantly increasing complexity of musical material which requires repeated systematisation, is Sangeet Ratnakara by Sharangdeva (1210-1247 AD). This is also the first text which classifies Ragas according to seasons and time of day. The names of some of the Ragas, such as Turushka Todi and the Turushka Gaud, reveal the extent of the Islamic influence by that time.

The Bhakti and Sufi devotional movements which began between the 6th and the 9th centuries made full and free use of music to communicate their message of devotion without the trappings of religiosity.

‘Bhakti’ is a term we first come across in Pali literature in about 800 AD, denoting intense emotional attachment of a devotee to a personal god. The devotional fervour of the Alwar and Nayanar saints of the 5th and 6th century in south India soon spread northwards and gave rise to this movement, renowned for the rich music and poetry it produced in various regional languages and dialects. Around the same time the Sufis secured a firm foothold in northern India with their great love for music and acceptance of many indigenous customs.

Continuing well into the 1500s these movements saw a host of poets whose verses are sung across India till date: Kabir, Tulsidas, Meera-bai, Sri Chaitanya, Vidyapati and Nizamuddin Chisti, to name but a few. Amir Khusro (1295-1338) is credited with evolving the popular qawwali form. Jayadev, author of the immortal Geet Govind love ballad of Radha and Krishna, went to the extent of specifying the raga and tala for each verse. Guru Nanak (1469-1539), founder of the Sikh religion, wrote several beautiful shabads – the devotional music of the Sikhs. Shabads are mainly ascribed to saints of the Bhakti movement and each is set to a specific Raga.

A hallmark of the lyrics by the Bhakti and Sufi saints was that they all made use of local languages like Braj, Avadhi, Hindi, Farsi and Bengali. It was no wonder, therefore, that both these traditions held sway over the common populace for whom Sanskrit was becoming more and more alien and inaccessible. And as the popularity of Sanskrit diminished, the earlier sacred music transformed into Dhruvapad (dhrupad) – which is the root of all classical music today. Dhrupad compositions were (and are) in the language of the common people and gradually shifted from temples to courts in the 15th century.

It was Raja Mansingh Tomar of Gwalior (1486-1516 AD) who consolidated the position of dhrupad in his court. He also composed three volumes of songs which included dhrupad, dhamar and hori. His court boasted of the most distinguished musicians of the time – both Hindu and Muslim. With their participation, he initiated a systemisation of the music of his era resulting in the comprehensive Hindi treatise, Mankutuhal.

In the next session we will look at the Islamic influence on classical music.

Test Yourself

1. What is the myth around the birth of the Ragas?

2. What are the similarities and differences between Jati-gayan and the Raga system?

3. What are the contributions of Raja Mansingh Tomar of Gwalior to Hindustani classical music?

4. True or false:
   1. Bhairav is one of original six Raginis.
   2. Sama-gayan is Vedic chanting.
   3. Sacred music in Sanskrit evolved into dhrupad, which was and is in the language of lay people.
   4. Guru Nanak wrote devotional music called shabads.

VIKRAM IYENGAR is a Kathak dancer, performance artist, director and choreographer with a degree in Performance Studies from the UK; he researches and writes on dance, music, and theatre.