Acoustical Perspective on Raga Rasa Theory

Contents Preface VII Acknowledgements IX Introduction XI Chapter 1 The Emergence of the Raga-Rasa Concept 1 The concept of rasa 1 Interpretations of the term rasa 1 Aesthetic relevance 2 Categories of rasas 3 Subdivisions and interdependence of rasas 4 The raga concept in Indian music 4 Chapter 2 Raga-Rasa as Expounded in Ancient, Medieval and Modern Works 12 Raga-rasa as expounded in the ancient Sanskrit works 13 Raga-rasa as expounded in the medieval treatises 17 Raga-rasa as expounded in modern works 21 Chapter 3 Indian and Western Interpretations on Rasa-Emotion 39 Western views on music-emotion 41 Similarities and dissimilarities between the Indian and Western views 45 Chapter 4 Approaches used to Study Raga-Rasa in the Acoustical Perspective 52 Traditional profile of raga Yaman 61 Melodic Movement Analyser 62 LVS System 65 Methods adopted for acoustical analysis of raga-rasa 66 Chapter 5 Results Accrued from the Experiments 78 Pitch measurements for individual notes 78 Details of vocal inflections 88 Observations pertaining to the melodic movement of the raga being performed (Yaman) 112 Chapter 6 Conclusions 115 Appendix 1 125 Appendix 2 128 Glossary 129 Bibliography 134 Index 140