Home > Terms > English, UK (UE) > Raga
Raga
A raga (Sanskrit rāga राग,રાગ, রাগ, literally "colour, hue" but also "beauty, melody"; also spelled raag, rag, ragam) is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.
It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made. In the Indian musical tradition, rāgas are associated with different times of the day, or with seasons. Indian classical music is always set in a rāga. Non-classical music such as popular Indian film songs and ghazals sometimes use rāgas in their compositions.
The term raga was defined by Joep Bor of the Rotterdam Conservatory of Music as "tonal framework for composition and improvisation." Nazir Jairazbhoy, chairman of UCLA's department of ethnomusicology, characterised ragas as separated by scale, line of ascent and descent, transilience, emphasised notes and register, and intonation and ornaments.
Other Languages:
Member comments
Terms in the News
Featured Terms
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. It was first staged in 1903 and the tour typically covers around ...
Contributor
Featured blossaries
Marouane937
0
Terms
58
Blossaries
3
Followers
10 Most Bizarrely Amazing Buildings
Browers Terms By Category
- Dictionaries(81869)
- Encyclopedias(14625)
- Slang(5701)
- Idioms(2187)
- General language(831)
- Linguistics(739)
Language(108024) Terms
- General Finance(7677)
- Funds(1299)
- Commodity exchange(874)
- Private equity(515)
- Accountancy(421)
- Real estate investment(192)
Financial services(11765) Terms
- General boating(783)
- Sailboat(137)
- Yacht(26)
Boat(946) Terms
- Hand tools(59)
- Garden tools(45)
- General tools(10)
- Construction tools(2)
- Paint brush(1)
Tools(117) Terms
- Air conditioners(327)
- Water heaters(114)
- Washing machines & dryers(69)
- Vacuum cleaners(64)
- Coffee makers(41)
- Cooking appliances(5)