A traditional melodic type in Hindu music, consisting of a theme that expresses an aspect of religious feeling and sets forth a tonal system on which variations are improvised within a prescribed framework of typical progressions, melodic formulas, and rhythmic patterns.
R-aga (Hindi/Urdu: r-ag, Tamil: r-agam) is a concept of melodic organization in
Indian classical music, operating between the levels of scale and melody as these
terms are understood in Western music.
Several ragas may share the same scale
(that, mela); each raga can serve as the basis for an infinite number of melodic
compositions or improvisations.
Raga is central to Indian musical theory,
aesthetics and practice; but it also links musical sounds with associated cultural
meanings, and thus has important connections with the visual arts, literature and
drama/film.
