Unit 3-4: Modality in North Indian Raag and Turkish Makam

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Define the following terms as they relate to Indian Classical theory: raag, vadi, samvadi, deergha, alpa, nyaasa, and jaati.
Compare and contrast the concepts of raag and thaat in Indian classical music theory.
Understand how ascending and descending melodic structures (aaroha and avroh), characteristic melody (chalan), and ornamentation (alankar) contribute to the identification of a raag by focusing on raag Yaman.
Understand how scale fragments, pitches (perde), and characteristic melodies contribute to the identification of a makam by focusing on makam Rast.

Preparation for Class

Read:

North Indian Classical Raag (from Sādhana, Demystifying Indian Classical Music)
- "What Is a Raag?" (Be sure to watch the videos)
- "Compositions in Raag Yaman"
- "Ornamentation in Indian Classical Music"
- Section 5 in NYU Guide to North Indian (Hindustani) Music Theory
Turkish Makam Theory
- Section 3 in NYU Guide to Turkish Music Theory

Watch

What is a Raag?
(Anuja K, 12 minutes)

Turkish Music Theory, Ep. 3: Mode (Makam)
(Turkish Ud Lessons, 12 minutes)

Explore

Search on YouTube for the phrase "taksim makam rast" and see which results appear. Take a few minutes to listen to a few of the videos and try to identify the perde-s, makam-s, and characteristic melodies from Makam Rast. Also, pay attention to style of performance, ornamentation, and audience response (if applicable).

Study Aids

Handout: Guide to North Indian (Hindustani) Music Theory

Diatonic Pitch Collection of Turkish Makam

The image shows the diatonic pitch collection of the Turkish Makam system, displayed on two staves in treble clef. Each staff contains whole notes representing different pitches, and beneath each note, the corresponding pitch name is written in Latin and Arabic scripts. In the top staff, the notes from left to right are: 1. Yegâh, with Arabic script as ي. 2. Aşîrân, written as ع. 3. Irâk, written as ف. 4. Rast, written as a stylized ر. 5. Dügâh, written as د. 6. Segâh, written as س with a mirrored flat symbol, indicating a quarter-flat. 7. Çargâh, written as حا. In the second staff, the notes from left to right are: 1. Nevâ, written as ه. 2. Hüseynî, written as ح. 3. Evc, written as ا. 4. Gerdâniye, written as ك. 5. Muhayyer, written as م. 6. Tiz Segâh, written as س with a mirrored flat symbol, indicating a quarter-flat. 7. Tiz Çargâh, written as ع. 8. Tiz Nevâ, written as ﻻ. 9. Tiz Hüseynî, written as حـه.

Makam Rast Melodies [Musescore file]

This is an image of characteristic melodies of madam Rast. Please use MuseScore link above to access annotated melodies.

Pre-Class Assignment

Assignment 3-4

In-Class Activities

Discussion

Definitions: Work as a class to define each of the following terms as they relate to melody in Indian classical music: raag, vadi, samvadi, deergha, alpa, nyaasa, and jaati.
Cross-Cultural Comparison: What differentiates raag and maqam from scales and pitch collections? How is a raag different from the parent scales "thaat" discussed in Unit 2? How do melodic approaches with Hindustani and Turkish music relate? How do they differ? How do these compare with the way major and minor scales are used in Western art music?
Characteristic Style: Aside from pitch, what are some other features of North Indian raga and Turkish makam that lend to their characteristic sounds? Are there analogous characteristic features of Western music (classical, popular, or jazz)?
Improvisation: Discuss examples of characteristic structures, ornamentations, melodic material, and weight given to specific notes that give individual rags their distinctive sound and that guide performers during improvisation. What types of restrictions guide performers in jazz and popular music improvisation in the Western tradition? Discuss some of the similarities and differences between these traditions.

Activities

Analysis of Raag Yaman: Using the same piece from the previous unit, this time analyze the work from a melodic perspective. See if you can identify characteristic melodies (chalan) in the score. Listening to the same recording, see if you can identify some of the ornaments (alankar) associated with raag Yaman.
Characteristic Melodies in Turkish Music:
- - Using the list of characteristic melodies in makam Rast, try to identify as many such melodies as you can in the following compositions:
    - - Rast Nakıs Beste, "Amed nesimi subhudem," by Abdülkadir Meragi (score / audio)
      - Rast Kar-ı Muhtesem, by Abdülkadir Meragi (score / audio)
      - Rast pesrev, by Tatyos Efendi (score / audio)
      - Rast saz semaisi, by Tatyos Efendi (score / audio)
  - Discuss the relevance of characteristic melodies in modal music, such as Turkish makam.
Raag Composition (Bandish) Analysis: Split into groups and select a composition from Sādhana's Raga Composition page here. Study the raag associated with the composition and research its distinct features and characteristics online. Listen to the recording and study the staff notation provided on the webpage. Identify the vadi and samvadi (the primary notes), the deergha or alpa (the emphasized or unemphasized notes), characteristic melodies (chalan), ornaments (alankar), and landing notes (nyasa). Present your analysis to the class.

Repertoire for Practice

This section of the anthology includes raag and makam examples for study. These two examples are included in the anthology and referenced in the activity above.
- - Raag Analysis: Giridhar madhav shyam manohar
  - Makam Analysis: Rast Saz Semai, by Tatyos efendi
Additional Raag Compositions: Visit the composition page of "Demystifying Indian Classical Music" to find a list of compositions, audio files, Western notation, and descriptions of the taal and raag for each.

Go to Anthology

Additional Raag Compositions

NEXT STEP

Next Unit: Rhythm & Meter

Want to learn more?

Read Michael Tenzer, “Theory and Analysis of Melody in Balinese Gamelan,” Music Theory Online 6, no. 2 (2000)
Check out Maqam Lessons: Maqamlessons.com has lessons, projects, and other resources for exploring Arabic Maqam. (See also Farraj and Shumays's book available online through Bobst, Inside Arabic Music: Arabic Maqam Performance and Theory in the 20th Century)
Go Hear Some Music in NYC: Check out the Brooklyn Raga Massive website to attend an upcoming event.

Understanding Turkish Classical Makam

(SMT-V: The Society for Music Theory Video Journal, 10 minutes)

Optional Additional Practice

Musition: Scales: Level 9

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