How to create a Raga?

[cmlover]

There are myriads of ragas in CM, both known and unknown.
We are only aware of Ragas which have kritis and popularly sung.
These known ragas have well-defined Raga LakshaNa by way of origin from a specific mela,
Aro/Avaro, and gamaka quantifications. When they are violated some feel uneasy and condemn
those artiste(s)! But then no such restrictions will apply to a new-fangled Raga. One can define the characteristics and delineate the raga and even our competent vaggeyakaras can create an appropriate kriti and the really versatile one will complete the picture through a RTP!
Earlier, ragas used to be imported from HM which have become very popular since. Some examples are: Sindhubhairavi, Hamsanandi, Tilang, Sivaranjani, Patdeep and a host of others.
CM by itself can be indeed an inexhauastible source for new ragas under a competent artiste.
BMK did some experimentations but other than Mahati none of the rest became popular.
Now my question is how one should go about creaating a raga. The cine musicians do it at the drop of a hat! But then those are not acceptable within our Carnatic grammar. Can we discuss the correct mechanics (if any) so that we can inject some new vitality into CM for the benefit of the Rasikas?

[harimau]

There are myriads of ragas in CM, both known and unknown.
We are only aware of Ragas which have kritis and popularly sung.
These known ragas have well-defined Raga LakshaNa by way of origin from a specific mela,
Aro/Avaro, and gamaka quantifications. When they are violated some feel uneasy and condemn
those artiste(s)! But then no such restrictions will apply to a new-fangled Raga. One can define the characteristics and delineate the raga and even our competent vaggeyakaras can create an appropriate kriti and the really versatile one will complete the picture through a RTP!

Even ragas that one creates have to follow certain rules and cannot have arbitrary sancharas.

Modern composers have created such ragas and they sound good.

I can name Spencer Venugopal as one composer who has created new ragas. I am sure there are others. Bangalore and Mysore seem to have composers with special affinity for these things.

[cmlover]

Thanks harimau
Could you elaborate and outline the procedures if you know?

[VK RAMAN]

This is possible if we listen to music by various people of various languages throughout the world, IMHO. I like to hear from Ravikiran, who travels world over and collaborates.

[cmlover]

You are right VKR. But then we can adapt only those which conform to CM grammar.
HMB was fascinated by Sohini and adapted it to CM as Hamsanandi which is most popular.
There are very nice tunes in Arabic music which ARR is adapting for cine music. However
to pass into CM system someone has to do research and modify them and somebody has to
fashion a kriti which fascinates the Rasikas!
Every melodious tune cannot become a Raga!
The Trinty only scrached the surface. There is lot more to CM which requires talented artistes and
appreciation by the Rasika crowd....
Let us understand and codify the mechanics which as yet is not yet done. I am not aware of our
ancient texts mentionig the How To of Raga construction. At any rate let us get started Now...

[cmlover]

For example just listen to this RTP by BMK on hamsavinodini over 50 years ago!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TDPTr0iiys
He along with LGJ builds the Magic for this not too well-known raga and masterfully weaves it
with Ananda Bhairavi and subsequent ragas concluding with a stunning neelambari melodiously.
What is the technique?

[Ramasubramanian M.K]

CMLover: Your You tube post brought back nostalgic memories--the concert in 1963 in Bombay--I forget the venue--BMK literally took Bombay by storm--this Raga if I am not mistaken was claimed by him as his invention--he has a kriti in it--GURU NEE SWARUMPUMO(I might have got the last part wrong--forumites correct me!!!).
LGJ has composed a Varnam within the 5/10 years--I have heard GJR and Viji render in a couple of concerts--if I can paraphrase the aroha/Avaroha--it is Vasantha in the ascendant and Sa Ni Dha Ma Ga Ree(chatusruti Rishabam instead of Vasantha's Suddha Rishabam--Forumites correct me if I am wrong!!!
The Varnam in my opinion makes the Raga more melodious and imaginative than the original piece of BMK--thanks to LGJ's genius --THIS IS NOT TO DETRACT FROM BMK'S creation.

As regards the mechanics of a Raga construction,I find it is more inspiration-driven rather than a labored exercise in creation--example-- GNB's Kamalacharane in Amrita Behag or HMB's Karnaranjani --both have Vakra Swara Prayogam( especially Karnaranjani in the Arohanam-Sa Ri Ma Ga Pa Da Sa and Sa Ni Da Pa Ma Ga Ri Sa in the avarohanam in krama order)--Karnaranjani has become popular but Amruta Behag has not--which I attribute to his disciples not taking it up--I am sure someone will "build" on it. HMB's Valaji has become very popular even displacing Malayamarutham,but his creation like Niroshti(noted for its deftness--not having to purse one's lips!!!) has not caught on.

I myself did some experimentation eons ago== with Andolika which is asymmetrical--in one way--i.e the Arohanam(Sa Ree Ma Pa Ni Sa) and Avarohanam(Sa Ni Da Ma Ri Sa). If you keep the arohanam same as the Avarohanam you get a symmetrical Oudava(5 notes) Raga--my "kitchen-table-research" showed that this Raga does not exist(so I think!!) and I was tempted to give it my own name!! ---which resembles in some way SriRanjani(the Ga in Sriranjani in the ascent and descent is the only difference between "my" Raga(????)--in the absence of any patent infringement suit against me I shall name it Ga-less-Sriranjani!!

Seriously though -- one does not know how the ragas are created by individuals and why some of them gain universal currency and some do not--take Navarasakannada--besides Thygaraja's 2 compositions--Ninnuvina,Palukukantachakkara--we have Poochi Iyengar's(Nee Padamule gathiye Nee),Vasudevachar's kriti I forget the name--Ms Sheela used to sing it)--Swati's Vande Sada Padmanbham and Sivan's Nan Oru Vilyattu Bommaiya--I am sure there are many more that Lakshmanji can whip out in a jiffy!!
likewise WHY a raga like Suddhaseemanthini or Suddhabangala(Ram Bhakthi) or manohari(Paritapamu) or Tharangini(Maye by MD) has drawn many composers' attention despite the Saints' lead!!
My motto nowadays is by all means welcome any NEW Raga and let us wait and see if it gets early adoption and subsequent following--forget the grammar and other niceties!!!

[cmlover]

Thanks MKR for that off-the-cuff rumination.
If raga creation and delineation is pure genius, not much we can do. But at least AI can get a handle on it if some rudimentary rules are discovered. HMB was indeed very versatile in that area. With all his in-born gift how could T have missed Valaji or Karnaranjani?
Now that we have the aid of powerful computers to assist we can tackle the Raga puzzle effectively if there is a symbiotic collaboration among artistes and IT wizards...

[munirao2001]

Process of creation- a Raga
Logics in Upanishads-Brhadaranyaka and Chandogya, establishes the process of creating. Annam Bhatta in his ’Tarka Sangraha’ interpreted and explained the process of creativity based on bhava-existence and abhava-non existence:
1. ATYANTA BHAVA- Absolute non existence. Real excludes self contradictory non-existence.
2. PRAGABHAVA- Potential existence, prior or antecedent non-existence. Creation is not out of absolute non-existence but, out of prior non-existence or possibility. Matter not existent before its production.
3. PRADHVAMSABHAVA-Matter with no beginning but has end, a posterior non-existence.
4. ANYONYABHAVA- Fact of difference between non-existence and existence.

Applying this logic to the creation of a raga/melody, we arrive at:
1. ATYANTABHAVA as primordial sound identified as OMkara naada, the immanent.
2. PRAGABHAVA revealed as A,U,M of OMkara naada, the emmanent.
3. PRADHVAMSABHAVA as revealed ‘dvadasa svarams’ or twelve notes in KM.
4. ANYONYABHAVA as revealed in aroha and avaroha krama of a raga.

To illustrate take the example of Great Genius and Maestro, Dr.Balamuralikrishna Sir’s creation of raga ‘mahati’ based on the three notes out of twelve notes. Three notes raga or melody was prior existence in samagaana or as immanent. Dr.BMK Sir recognized the three note melody possibility from the potentiality of twelve notes and brought to existence with the raga svaroopa of three notes, as emmanent and a fact of difference from other raga. The raga was hailed as ‘adisiya ragam and aananda ragam’.

There was a debate among the stalwart musicians and experts. At the experts committee meeting called by the Madras Music Academy, the issue of claim of raga creation was discussed, with the majority of the members not supporting the claim and appropriateness of a raga based only on the three notes by Dr.BMK. Sandhyavandanam Srinivasa Rao, a lakshya and lakshana legend and principal of Central College of Music and a member of experts committee member settled the debate with the analysis of potential existence and pradhvamsabhava, supporting Dr.BMK’s claim is logically correct and is similar or equally applicable to all the other ragas/melodies claims of the creation of a raga/melody in the past. Any creation in the present and in future shall also be the modification or variant of the absolute but, with a factual structure and form. Rasaanubhuti will take the theoretical aspect to practical aspect of its value.

munirao2001

[VK RAMAN]

Rigved - poems
Yajurveda - text
samaveda - singing

Does chanting of mantras - an example for developing raga.

[cmlover]

Thanks munirao for connecting with the Upanishadic concepts.
It is claimed that vedic chanting conforms to Raga Kharaharapriya.
Not that Kharaharapriya is based on Vedic chant. The raga itself was only
discovered by T who breathed life into it through his immortal compositions.
The three notes R GM of that raga appear to occur in vedic chants.
No body yet gave those three notes a janya Raga name!
BMK, the genius that he is has the ability to take the swaras and build a Raga out of them.
Mahati became popular due to the movie connection and the magic of Yesudas's voice.
Hamsavinodini is BMK creation only which he further developed through his own compositions and applying it to the Narayana Theerthar kriti which became immensely popular. He also did a RTP subsequently and gave a masterful demonstration on a Swati kriti at the swati fesstival 2008.
There is also a beautiful Thillana in that Ragam. I wonder whether any one would compose a Varnam in it!
We can see how a raga is born and get developed observing Masters like BMK.
Can we extract a rule or procedure which can be successfuly applied for develoing new interesting Ragas?
Incidentally the instrumentalists have the advantage here since they are free from the shakles of languages. As we may note in the RTP, LGJ excels in the elaboration of Hamsavinodini even beating its creator!

[munirao2001]

cmlover
The prerequisites for the creation of a raga are:
1. Total knowledge, mastery and excellence in svara perfection-Plain and Kampita in all the melakartha ragas.
2. Good knowledge, mastery and excellence in anu svara perfection and its pramana-time and scope.
3. Idealization and attained mastery in the creative thinking-intent, its content communication-oral and written (notating) and delivery.
4. Arriving at the very basic idea of offering a variant or modification of one established or its group of established raga or raga(s); A new raga, with clear structure, form a beauty and aesthetics; a raga with challenging structure form, beauty a combination of the intelligent and judicious mixture of the existing, variant or modification with the new.
5. Very good knowledge of the major compositions of the vaggeyakaras in the raga(s) which inspires the idea to create.
6. New raga's potentiality for a composition and its delineation-mathu and dhatu aspects.
7. New raga should be clearly distinct and offering rasanubhooti to the other composers, performers and rasikas.
Many technical aspects are to be discussed in personal interaction for the clarity and understanding.

munirao2001

[cmlover]

A good list, some are specific and some generic.
In short one should be a veteran with years of training and experience in CM!

[munirao2001]

cmlover
Besides the brief summary,most importantly, a person has to be creative and enjoy the creative process- ideation to final ideal result.
munirao2001

[VK RAMAN]

Post No.12, 13, 14 makes me ponder if Saints Tyagaraja, Purandaradasa, and Annamayya were experts and veterans in all the fields listed therein.

[cmlover]

Barring Thyagaraja the others were only composers whose lyrics have been tuned to present day ragas by Tunesmiths!

[munirao2001]

cmlover
With excellent contributions of direct sishya parampara by writing down the text and other details,training their disciples and great maestros contributing with their own rich variants and modifications and notations, we have Thyagaraja's compositions. Bhadrachala Ramadasu and Purandara Dasa were role models for Thyagaraja, as he had acknowledged in his keertanas. Yes, Thyagaraja was an expert and veteran-Sangita and Saahithya beyond doubt and speculation.
Annamayya did mention ragas for his compositions. Haridasas were singing their compositions of with primacy for saahithya based on the karna parampara. We have dasa koota following the this tradition in the present times. When great maestro-lakshana and lakshya vidwans realized the rich contents in the karna parampara, the compositions were set to tune based either with enriched musical content or tuning based on the Trinity musical rich content. Not only Annamayya and Purandara Dasa but also entire dasa koota parampara of Karnataka and other regions, but also Bhadrachala Ramadasu. Similar is the history of many other vaggeyakaras of KM mainly due to the tradition of karna parampara predominance over the written texts.
VK Raman
It is not required to achieve excellence in all the aspects of knowledge to become a creator of a raga. Creation at its best-time tested and proven- can happen when all these aspects of knowledge has been attained by the creative individual. We have instances when by pure chance also a composer or tune smith have created a raga. Creation made known by a lakshana vidwan later, mostly a variant of an existing raga(s).