Subject: Re: Morning versus Evening Ragas From: Linda Seltzer <lseltzer@xxxxxxxx> Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2010 14:14:44 -0700 List-Archive:<http://lists.mcgill.ca/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=AUDITORY>I studied North Indian classical singing for 10 years and still am not an expert, but here is some preliminary information. Source: Printed course notes from Prof. Harold Powers' course on Hindusthani music at Princeton. His source is the scholar Bhatkande. For the ten thats (a that is a raga classification) [I assume that if you are working on Indian music you are accustomed to the note names Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni corresponding to Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti in Western solfege] All notes are natural unless otherwise indicated) 1. Kalyan Sa Re Ga #Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa 2. Bilaval Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa 3. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha bNi (flat Ni) Sa For the above three: before noon Ma is natural, #4 occurs before midnight 4. Bhairav Sa bRe Ga Ma Pa bDha Ni Sa 5. Purvi Sa bRe Ga #Ma Pa bDha Ni Sa 6. Marva Sa bRe Ga #Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa For the above three, before dawn natural 4, before dusk #4 7. Kafi Sa Re bGa Ma Pa Dha bNi Sa 8. Asavari Sa Re bGa Ma Pa bDha bNi Sa 9. Bhairavi Sa bRe bGa Ma Pa bDha bNi Sa 10. Todi C bRe bGa #Ma Pa bDha Ni Sa For the above 4 after noon natural 6, after midnight flat 6 Vadi = important note (sustained or occurring on strong beats) occurs in the lower half of the octave at night, in the upper half in the day I can assure you that there are other more subtle microtonalities that only the great masters understand or have understood, because in some cases even Sa is deliberately sung flat. It is expected that any night concerts end with Bharavi. You would always hear asavari in the morning, todi in the late morning. Marva is always performed at sunset. Yemen Kalyan (a raga in kalyan that) is played early at night. Darbari Kanada is always performed at night. Those are just a few examples. These are ingrained in the culture. The following book might provide more information: Nazir A Jairazbhoy, The Rags of North India, Wesleyan University Press, 1973 should contain further information. If anyone is looking for a co-principal-investigator on projects involving North Indian music I might possibly be interested in particular projects. I also know performers in various parts of the world if you need to ask a professional performer any questions.