The system of Indian classical music known as Raga Sangeet can be traced back near two thousand years to its origin in the Vedic hymns of the Hindu temples. Unlike Western classical music which has written scores, an Indian classical performance is based on improvisation, and anywhere from 10% to 90% of the performance could be extempore, depending on the creative imagination of the artist. The music is rendered orally to the disciple by his guru, commonly known as guru-shishya (teacher-student) parampara (tradition).

The very sensitivity of Indian music is the raga, the melodic form upon which the artist improvises his performance. A raga is a scientific, precise, subtle and aesthetic melodic form with its own ascending and descending movement consisting of either a full seven-note octave or a series of six or five notes.

Every raga is characterized by its own particular mood. The acknowledged order of these nine sentiments, or emotions, is as follows: romantic and erotic, humorous, pathetic, rage, heroic, fearful, disgust, bewilderment and peaceful. Each raga, in addition to being associated with a particular mood, is also closely connected to a particular time of day or a time of year of the year. Thus through the rich melodies and rhythm of Indian music, every human emotion, every subtle feeling in man and nature, can be musically articulated and experienced.

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In terms of aesthetics, a raga is the projection of the artist’s inner spirit: a manifestation of his most profound feelings and sensibilities. The musician breathes life into each raga as he unfolds and expands it so that each note shimmers and pulsates with life and the raga is revealed vibrant and incandescent with beauty.

The tala, or regular cycle of a raga, plays an likewise vital role in expressing the mood. There is a unique