Abstract

The study investigates the temporal perceptions of the listeners within the structural framework of North Indian Classical Music exploring the connection between the present-day ragas and the time theory that exists. A pilot study was conducted with twenty diverse participants. The study examines the contemporary relevance of the time theory of ragas, assessing their alignment with the traditional temporal associations and thereby exploring the perceptions of the listeners. The results demonstrated the aspects of the temporal perception that are influenced by factors such as preferences of music, cultural knowledge, upbringing, musical training, etc. The study contributes to understanding of the traditional time theory of the ragas and its complex interactions with the listeners. 

Keywords: Temporal perceptions, Time Theory contemporary relevance, cultural knowledge, complex interactions 

Introduction:

 Indian classical music is considered a bliss to the life for its in-depth artistic qualities and the spiritual aura it creates, which is very similar to the aura found in any Indian temple. This is totally a separate entity due to the unparalleled concept of its Raga systems. The components of music are so intricate and intangible that, despite being able to captivate its listeners, it is very hard, or rather impossible, to define its listening experience into sufficient vocabulary. 

The concept of “Raga” started developing during the fifth Century A.D. when the word ‘Raga’ was first described by Matanga Muni in Brihaddeshi (5^th -7^th century A.D.) where he said that the sound that tinges i.e.  attracts and makes an impression upon the minds of living beings is known as a ‘Raga’

A key feature that distinguishes North Indian classical music from any other tradition is the time theory of the ragas which assigns a particular time to each raga form. The time theory of Ragas is considered to have come to effect in the medieval period of music when ‘Narad’ Muni in his ‘Sangeet Makarand,’ mentioned the ragas to be played or sung in a particular period of the day to gain the maximum emotional effect of the Raga. He divided the time of the ragas as ‘Suyansh’ (Day time) and ‘Chandramans’ (Night time) Ragas. According to Walter Kaufmann; “it is much more than an aesthetic consideration; it is considered to affect the environment.” Alain Danielou quotes Sangeet Makarand 1,23-24 as follows: “one who sings knowing the proper time remains happy. By singing the ragas at the wrong time one ill-treats them. Listening to them, one becomes impoverished and one sees the length of one’s life reduced”.  Basically, this theory had a root in the Rag Dhyan Parampara where ragas were considered to have a personality like human beings and were associated with various gods and goddesses. Apart from this, many of the Ragas were supposed to be effective only when the ‘Shlokas’(hymns) of that particular Raga were chanted properly. 

Pundarik Vittal in his text Ragamala has mentioned such shlokas of ‘Raag Dhyan’ which initiated a tradition of Ragamala Paintings which were created based on ‘Raag Dhyan’. A Ragamala painting is a beautiful and complete picture of a “Raga” denoting its personality, emotional effect, time of singing, and mood. These paintings are generally made paying attention to details of the raga-like time and season of the raga.The association of various other components like Colour, Rishis, birds, Planets, Gods, and Islands, have been established in the classical texts of Indian Classical Music. Within the gradual development of music, the modern scholars of 19^th Century, namely Pt. Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande ji also associated the Ragas of time by establishing a theory of ‘Raga Samay Chakra’ by creating a three-hourly time segment in twenty-four hours and associating Ragas to each of them according to some technical characteristic. Traditionally, the artists usually follow the time theory of ragas but few scholars do not believe such theories in the present day. 

As Time theory is one of the important characteristics of a raga, the present study is based on an empirical investigation of the existing time theory of the ragas from the listener’s perspective. A practical exploration of the time theory of ragas in contemporary musical practices is studied.  

Aims & Objectives:  

As difference in the opinion regarding the time theory of the ragas exists in the present day. So, this study is designed to re-examine the age-old concepts with due respect to the initiators of the principles. The aim of the study is also oriented to find out the proper reasoning behind these concepts and theories of rendition of a raga in a particular time of a day. 

The objectives of the study are outlined as follows:

• To re-examine and collect data regarding the described time of the ragas mentioned by our musicologists in their texts. 
• To analyse the demographic variable of the study. 
• To assess the effective responses of the listeners. 

Hypothesis:

H0- There will be no significant effective responses of the listeners by listening to a particular raga that comply with our old texts of music with regard to time theory. 

H1- There will be a significant response of the listeners by listening to a particular raga that comply with our old texts of music with regard to time theory. 

Methods & Materials:

Sample Selection

For this study, a purposive sampling method was employed. Twenty participants from the Faculty of Performing Arts were selected for this study. They were recruited through university mails, and had ages ranging from 18-30 years with various educational backgrounds (from undergraduates to Research Scholars) and levels of music training. 

Stimuli 

The stimuli consisted of six carefully selected Ragas namely, Ahir Bhairav, Bhatiyar, Yaman, Hansdhwani, Pahadi, Kalavati, All the six ragas were chosen. Thereafter they were carefully edited in a studio using the software “Steinberg Nuendo V.4”. The details of the excerpt are given in the reference section. All the ragas were carefully edited into a total duration of 20 minutes. 

Procedure 

The only way to assess the subjective experience is via a format of listening and self-reports. The study was conducted and held in the Vocal Seminar Hall of Faculty of Performing Arts, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. A demographic questionnaire was prepared including Name, Age, Gender, Educational Qualification, Association with music, Preferences of music. 

 Participants were allowed to be seated comfortably in the auditorium. After that they were instructed to fill up the demographic questionnaire. They were asked to listen to each particular piece for 10 mins and after each audio pieces, they were instructed to mark “Which time they would like to associate with the raga?” The time (prahar) was divided into nine subdivisions namely, Pre-sunrise, Dawn, Morning, Forenoon, Afternoon, Dusk, Evening, Night, Midnight. The whole session lasted for a total of 60 minutes.  

Statistical analysis 

The statistical analysis were conducted using SPSS 21 software. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all the variables. 

Results:

Demographics

A frequency table was generated to illustrate the distribution of the gender in the sample. As shown in table 1, Majority of the participants were female (n=16, 80%), while 4 participants (20%) were male. The results for the gender wise distribution of the respondents were presented in table 1. 

Table 1 

	N	%
Male	4	20.0
Female	16	80.0

Frequency table of gender distribution of the respondents 

Note: N: Sample size 

Age

Descriptives statistics were calculated to summarize the distribution of the age group in the sample Shown in Table 2. The largest age group was 26-30 years (N= 10, 50%). The smallest age group was 18-25years (N=10, 50%). The results for the age wise distribution of the respondents are presented in Table 2.

Table 2.

Descriptive statistics for age group in the sample 

Age (in years)	N	%
18-25	10	50.0
26-30	10	50.0

Note: The age variable was recorded into two categories to create the age group variable. 

Educational Qualification 

Descriptive statistics for the educational qualification of the respondents are also calculated and summarized in Table 3. Three groups consisting of Undergraduates (N=2, 10%) Postgraduates (N=9, 45%), and Research Scholars (N=9, 45%) were taken into consideration. The results are presented in Table 3. 

Descriptive statistics for Education qualification of the respondents 

Ed. Qualification	N	%
Undergraduates	2	10.0
Postgraduates	9	45.0
Research Scholars	9	45.0

Note: The educational qualification of the respondents was recorded into three groups. 

Association of the respondents with Music

Respondents’ association with music was categorized into two groups: Professional and Amateur. The data indicates that the majority of respondents (N=15, 75.0%) identified as professionals in their association with music, while (N=5, 25.0%) identified as amateurs. Descriptive statistics calculated are presented in Table 3. 

Descriptive statistics for the association of the respondents with music 

Categories	N	%
Professional	15	75.0
Amateur	5	25.0

Preferences of the respondents with Music

Respondents’ preference with music were categorized into four groups: Hindustani Classical Music, Semi-classical music, Light Classical Music, All types of music. The majority (N= 13, 65.0%) expressed a preference for Hindustani Classical Music, followed by (N=6, 30.0%) who enjoy All types of music, and a smaller percentage (N= 1, 5.0%) favouring Semi-classical Music. Descriptive statistics calculated are presented in table 4. 

Descriptive statistics for the preferences of the respondents with music 

Categories	N	%
Hindustani Classical Music	13	65.0
Semi-classical music	1	5.0
All types of music	6	30.0

Note: No response was found in the category of Light Classical Music. 

Fig 2. (Bar- Graph representing the style of music preferred by the respondents)

Association of Time with Ragas

Raga Ahir-Bhairav 

Raag Ahir-Bhairav holds a distinctive position among morning ragas, as it seamlessly combines elements of Raag Bhairav in its Poorvang (lower register) and Raag Kafi in the Uttarang (higher register) i.e. Komal ni and Shuddha dha is used in Uttarang. But the raag is characterized as derived from Thaat (parent Scale) Bhairav. The Vadi Swar (most frequently used note) is Madhyam and the Samvadi Swar is Shadaj.  The musical structure, known as chalan, resembles Raag Bhairav in the lower range, characterized by the andolan(oscillation) of the Swar “Rishabh” (G M r r S).  

The aarohan (ascent) goes like: S r, G M P, G M P D, n D, P D n S

The avrohan (descent) goes like: S, n D p, M P G, M P G M r r S.

The emotional Character of the raga has been described as Gambhir whose expressed rasa is Santa. Further, the frequent use of Shuddha Madhyam represents Santa and Gambhir rasa. The serene, slow, and deep melodic features represent Santa rasa on an iconic basis. The time of the Raga has been mentioned as Pratahkaal, which can be considered as close to Dawn. The following are the details of the raga that has been chosen for this study:

Artists: Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia (Flute) accompanied on Flute by Rakesh Chaurasia, Rhythm in Pakhawaj by Pt. Bhavani Shankar, and Tabla Accompaniment by Yogesh Samsi, 

Tanpura accompaniment: Nandini Chaurasia, Geetha Balsara, Zohar Shahan.

Time association 

For the association of time with the raga, descriptive statistics were calculated. The results indicated that the respondents preferred the time “Dawn” (N=9, 45%), followed by “Morning” (N=6, 30%), “Forenoon” (N=3, 15%), “Evening” (N=2, 10%). The results are given in the following Table as follows:

	N	%
Dawn	9	45.0
Morning	6	30.0
Forenoon	3	15.0
Evening	2	10.0

Note: Time was categorized into nine parts: Pre-sunrise, Dawn, Morning, Forenoon, Afternoon, Dusk, Evening, Night, Midnight. 

Fig. Representing bar-graph of the time association of the raga with percent in y-axis and time in x-axis.

Raga Bhatiyar 

Description

Raag Bhatiyar is one of the oldest raag. The Thaat of the Raag is considered to be “Marva” although some considered it to be of “Bhairav”. In the present day, it is mostly sung in “Marva” Thaat. The raag uses both the Madhyams, Komal re and rest all Shuddha swaras are used. The Vadi Swara of the raag is Shuddha Madhyam and Samvadi is Shadaj. The Chalan of the raag is vakra and the Jati of this raag is Sampoorna-Sampoorna. The time of the raag is considered to be Pratahkalin. And this raag is known as Pratahkalin Sandhi Prakash raag. Therefore, this raag is generally sung in the early hours of the morning. 

Aaroha (ascent)- S D D P, G P, G r S. S M P D, M P, m D Ṡ

Avrohan (Descent)- Ṡ N D P,  M P, G, P G r S. 

The nature of the raag has been described as Gambhir. The following are the details of the raga that has been chosen for this study:

Artists: Violin by Vidushi Kala Ramnath accompanied on Tabla by Subhankar Banerjee. 

Time association 

For the association of time with the raga, descriptive statistics were calculated. The results indicated that the respondents preferred the time “Morning” (N=9, 45%), followed by “Evening” (N=7, 35%), “Dawn” (N=4, 20%). The results are given in the following Table as follows: 

	N	%
Morning	9	45.0
Evening	7	35.0
Dawn	4	20.0

Pie-chart representing the distribution of responses for time for Raag Bhatiyar. 

Raag Yaman 

Raag Yaman is one of the fundamental raag known in North Indian Classical Music. It is derived from the Thaat (parent scale) “Kalyan”. This is an Aashray Raag. The musical structure of Yaman resembles the note “Madhyam” as teevra (flat), rest all the swaras(notes) applied are Shuddha swaras. 

The Aaroha (ascent) goes like: Ṇ, R G R G, m D N Ṡ.

The Avrohan (descent) goes like: Ṡ N D P, m D P, M G R S. 

The Jati of the Raag is Sampurna-Sampurna i.e. all the seven notes are used in both ascending and descending. “Pancham” is exceptional as it can or cannot be used in the ascending. 

The time of the Raag is generally considered as “First Prahar of Night” which can be made simultaneous to Night. The following are the details of the raga that has been chosen for this study:

Artists: Spontaneous instrumental duet by Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and Pt. Ronu Majumder accompanied by Ut. Sabir Khan on Tabla.

Time Association 

For the association of time with the raga, descriptive statistics were calculated. The results indicated that the respondents preferred the time “Evening” (N=9, 45%), followed by “Dawn” (N=5, 25%), “Night” (N=4, 20%), “Dusk” (N=2, 10%). The results are given in the following Table as follows: 

	N	%
Evening	9	45.0
Dawn	5	25.0
Night	4	20.0
Dusk	2	10.0

(Fig. representing Pie-chart the distribution of responses for time for Raag Yaman.)

Raag Hansdhwani
Description

Raga Hansdhwani is an import from Carnatic raga but is also extensively used in North Indian Classical Music. This raga does not have all the seven swaras instead it goes with five swaras. Thus, it is known as an audav- Jati raga. 

The aarohan (ascent) goes like: S R G P N Ś

The avrohan goes like:  Ś N P G R S 

Hansdhwani can be translated as the “Song of Swans,” representing a creature with significant cultural connections in the Subcontinent. This association is particularly notable as Saraswati, the goddess of music and learning, is frequently portrayed riding a swan. The swan is symbolic of purity, discernment, and the rhythmic act of breathing.

The emotional Character of the raga has been described as the “Chanchal” “saral”. It refers to the emotional character which is restless, moving, active, volatile, and tremulous. The following are the details of the raga that has been chosen for this study:

Artists: Spontaneous instrumental fusion which were edited from different audios in YouTube of Violin, Sarod, Sitar, santoor, Flute accompanied in rhythm by Pakhawaj, Tabla, Ghatam. All were taken from the album “Music for Relaxation” by Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. 

Time Association 

For the association of time with the raga, descriptive statistics were calculated. The results indicated that the respondents preferred the time “Evening” (N=8, 40%), followed by “Dusk” (N=5, 25%), “Forenoon” (N=5, 25%), “Afternoon” (N=3, 15%). The results are given in the following Table as follows: 

	N	%
Evening	8	40.0
Dusk	5	25.0
Forenoon	4	20.0
Afternoon	3	15.0

Note: Time was categorized into nine parts: Pre-sunrise, Dawn, Morning, Forenoon, Afternoon, Dusk, Evening, Night, Midnight.

(Fig. Representing bar-graph of the time association of the raga with percent in y-axis and time in x-axis.)

Raag Pahadi 

Description 

As the name suggests, this raag is somehow related to the mountains and is known for its folksy tunes. Peoples residing in the mountains, influenced by the nature of the mountains composed folk tunes which is very similar to this raag. The raag is derived from Bilawal Thaat. Madhyam and Nishad is very weak in this raag. The vadi Swar of this raag is Shadaj and Samvadi is Pancham. The Jati of this raag is audav-Sampoorna. In the present day, it is generally used in light and filmy songs. As it is generally considered as a tune the aarohan and avrohan is as follows: 

P D S R G, P, M P, M G R S. R G M P, M P G, M M G R M G, R S. 

The time association is generally considered in the evening but it is not restricted. The following are the details of the raga that has been chosen for this study:

Artists:  Pt. Shivkumar Sharma on Santoor, accompanied by Pt. Yogesh Samsi on Tabla. 

Time association 

For the association of time with the raga, descriptive statistics were calculated. The results indicated that the respondents preferred the time “Evening” (N=7, 35%), followed by “Afternoon” (N=6, 30%), “Night” (N=3, 15%), “Dawn” (N=2, 10%), Forenoon (N=2, 10%) The results are given in the following Table as follows: 

	N	%
Evening	7	35.0
Afternoon	6	30.0
Night	3	15.0
Dawn	2	10.0
Forenoon	2	10.0

(Fig. Representing Pie-chart- distribution of responses for time for Raag Pahadi.)

Raag Kalavati 

Description

One of the most melodious ragas in North Indian Classical Music. The Thaat of the raga is Khamaj.  Rishabh and Madhyam are not used in this raga. Komal ni is used and rest all Shuddha swaras are used. The Jati of this raag Audav-Audav. The vadi Swar of this raag is Pancham and the Samvadi Swar is Shadaj. This raag is generally sung in the midnight. 

Aarohan (ascent)- S G P D n Ṡ

Avrohan (descent)- Ṡ n D P, G S. 

The raga is generally flickering and stimulating in nature. The following are the details of the raga that has been chosen for this study:

Artists: Pt. Shivkumar Sharma on Santoor followed by Pt. Anindo Chatterjee on Tabla.

Time Association 

Descriptive statistics for Time Association of Raga Kalavati was calculated. The results indicated that the respondents preferred the time “Night” (N=7, 35%), followed by “afternoon” (N=6, 30%), “Forenoon” (N=4, 20%), “Evening” (N=3, 15%). The results are given in the following Table as follows: 

	N	%
Night	7	35.0
Afternoon	6	30.0
Forenoon	4	20.0
Evening	3	15.0

(Fig. Representing bar-graph of the time association of the raga with percent in y-axis and time in x-axis.)

Discussion: Time Theory of North Indian Classical Music is one of the aspects that sets it apart from any other traditions of music. On analysing the ratings provided by our participants in response to listening to the various ragas, it can be seen that there is a notable alignment between the perceived timing of the ragas and the descriptions provided by our Indian musicologists. As for Ahir Bhairav it can be seen that majority 45% of the listeners have perceived “Dawn” and 35% of the listeners have perceived “morning” as the performance time of the raga, 15% with “Forenoon” and 10% with “evening”. Further, for Raag Bhatiyar, 45% of the listeners have perceived “morning” while 35% have perceived “evening” and 20% with “Dawn”. As for Raga Yaman, a significant portion of the listeners 45% have perceived it as a “evening” time raga while 25% of the listeners have perceived it as a “Dawn” timing raga 20% “night” and 10 % “Dusk”. This also suggests that while Yaman is considered as a night time raga, majority had perception close to the suggested timing. As for Raag Hansdhwani, 40% of the listeners have perceived it as a “evening” time raga and 25% of the listeners have perceived it as “Dusk” time raga 20% “Forenoon” and 15 % “Afternoon”. For Raag Pahadi, 35% of the listeners have associated with “evening”, 30% with afternoon, 15.0% with ‘Night’, 10.0% each with ‘Dawn’ and ‘Forenoon’ As for Raag Kalavati, the perception timing also varied significantly. The majority of participants 35.0%associated the raga with the ‘Night’ time, while others 30.0% perceived it as “Afternoon”, 20.0% with “Forenoon” and 15.0%. with “Evening”. Although variations in responses are observed, majority aligned with “Night” which is very close to the suggested timing of the raga i.e. midnight.  

 The findings reveal a significant response of the listeners and association of time with the ragas. While it can be seen that for most of the ragas, majority of the listeners, had perception that aligned with our suggested traditional theory of North Indian Classical Music, significant proportions also associated the ragas with other different times of the day as for instance, for Raag Bhatiyar, a notable 35% of the listeners perceived it as resonating with the “evening” ambiance. The variability in the responses lies in the divergent and multifaceted nature of the raga, the timbre of instrument in which it is played (it is generally known as “Kaku” in Indian Music), the influence of the rhythm or tempo, the improvisational techniques (gamak, meend, etc) used by the artists, the musical training and the learning process of the artists also have a significant influence on the playing technique of the raga, the subjective experiences of the listeners inherent in the perception. 

Conclusion: 

Time in itself is a dynamic concept. It changes constantly and the human mind as very simultaneous to time also keeps on changing. One of the most powerful tendencies of the human mind is to adjust to the changed or changing environment. Ragas, being a stimulus have the power within themselves to influence the human mind. Our ancient Indian Musicologists suggested that not only the ragas have the power of influencing the psychological state of the listener as Alain Danielou Quotes Sangeet Makarand I, 23-24 as already afore mentioned.

The present study was an attempt to rediscover the mentioned traditional theory of our North Indian Classical Music in an empirical way. The present-day scenario where advancement of technologies has engulfed music be it North Indian Classical Music or any other, and we have become an “intrusion” for being socialised in such a manner, that the traditional values, ethics, norms seems to have run out and music is not an exception for this. It must be said that the potential of Indian Music and our musicologists are so deep rooted that even after so many years, the traditional theory given by our musicologists aligns (closely) with today’s raga music. Moving forward, this research will provide further avenues for future researches which are as follows:

• A much wider sample of listeners is necessary.
• Listeners not engaged with North Indian Classical Music can be taken. 
• The investigation can be conducted in all separate time slots for different ragas. 
• A wider sample of the stimulus can be used, for ex- different instruments, from alap to gat (i.e. slow to fast movements), octave differences, etc can be used. 

Such investigations will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of North Indian Classical Music and enrich the cultural discourse surrounding its appreciation and preservation.