Carnatic music: Svara, Gamaka, Motif and Raga identity

Krishna, T. M.; Ishwar, Vignesh

Carnatic music: Svara, Gamaka, Motif and Raga identity

License

Citation

Krishna TM, IshwarV. Carnatic music: Svara, Gamaka, Motif and Raga identity. In: Serra X, Rao P, Murthy H, Bozkurt B, editors. Proceedings of the 2nd CompMusic Workshop; 2012 Jul 12-13; Istanbul, Turkey. Barcelona: Universitat Pompeu Fabra; 2012. p. 12-18.

Abstract

Over the last century in Karnatik music, the method of/nunderstanding raga has been to break it down into its various/ncomponents, svara, scale, gamaka, and phrases. In this paper, an attempt is made to define the abstract concept of raga in its entirety within the aesthetics of Karnatik music considering the various components and their symbiotic relationship. This paper also attempts to prove that the/nidentity of a raga exists as a whole. Section 2 explains the/nconcept of a fundamental musical note or svara. Section 3 illustrates the concept of gamaka or inflections. Section 4 delves into the concept of raga in detail and then flows into Section 5 which enunciates the identity of a raga in terms of svara, gamaka, and phraseology. The paper concludes in Section 6, and Section 7 gives the references.