Rag Desh

Melody

• Improvised apart from Gat
• Sliding
• between notes – meend
• Embellishments
• Fast scalic
• passages = tans
• V.1 Alap some embellishment to notes in
• melody.
• Gat 1: original composition is ornamented
• V.2 Alap: sarod then singer free melody
• based on rag which is a version of the chorus from the song.
• Bhajan: song in verse format, sarod then
• sarangi solos.
• V.3 Alap: Drone Sa & Pa. Bansuri
• short fragments based on rag, gradually more developed
• Gat 1:
• bansuri plays gat repeatedly which tabla improvises. At 3:32 they swap roles.
• Gat 2: bansuri plays melody with wide
• range of pitch, slides & tans

Rhythm

• Tala is repeating rhythmic cycle
• Each beat
• called matras
• First beat
• of the cycle called sam
• V.1 Gat 1 = Jhaptal 10 beats 2+3+2+3 3:55 Triplet improvisation chand
• Gat 2 = Teental 16 beats 4+4+4+4
• Ends with tihai & jhalla
• V.2 Keherwa
• 8 beats 2+2+2+2
• V.3 Gat 1 (part 2) = Rupak 7 beats 3+2+2
• Gat 2 (part 3) = Ektal 12 beats 2+2+2+2+2+2
• Bols rhythmic patterns played within the
• tala, often syncopated.
• Tihai short phrase played 3 times across the
• beat to mark end of improvisations. Finishes on sam.
• Jhalla –
• drone strings in sitar strummed in striking rhythmic effect.

Tonality

• Rag Desh:
• Sa, re, ma, pa, Ni, sa Ni Dh, Pa, Ma,
• Ga, Re Sa
• Sa
• is principal drone note

Instrumentation

• V.1 sitar & tabla
• V.2 voice, sarangi, sarod, pakhawaj,
• cymbals, tabla
• V.3 bansuri,
• esraj, tambura, tabla – Tambura drones on Sa & Pa

Structure

• Alap – slow, free time, improvises around
• notes of raga
• Jhor – steady, sense of regular pulse,
• becomes more elaborate, rhythmic and faster
• Jhalla – Fast – complex rhythms, high point
• in piece, virtuosic with advanced playing techniques
• Gat/Bandish – Moderate to fast, table introduce
• the tala, ‘fixed’ composition introduced, musical dialogue between
• instrumentalist (or singer) and table.
• V.1 Alap, Gat 1, Gat 2
• V.2 Alap, Bhajan (song)
• V.3 Alap,
• Gat 1 (slow) Gat 2 (fast)

Context

• This rag
• played at night. Rag Desh translates as ‘country’ but also means a rainy season
• or monsoon raga.
• Primary
• moods are devotion, romance and longing = rasa
• Improvisation
• Oral
• tradition – gharana
• Northern
• India – Hindustani tradition

Folie 7

• Rag Desh
• Rag Desh - Shankar