RAGA





 

THE NATURE OF RAGA

 

A raga is a character. Each raga has an intrinsic mood or atmosphere, and a unique temperament. When well rendered, its spirit is evoked, and its quality is revealed. Melodically, a raga is a matrix — the interplay of certain musical intervals, accents, silences, and movements — through which improvisation and composition become possible and meaningful. Within these boundaries, freedom exists. 


Traditionally, the unfoldment of a raga has three movements: the first is free of measured tempo, the second introduces a regular pulse — a heartbeat — on which the melody floats peacefully, until it gradually — or suddenly — accelerates into the final movement, the lively play of intricate rhythms. A raga may also be explored in consort with a percussionist. In such a case, a short composition is used as a theme on which the musicians freely elaborate.


The ragas — as they are sung and played today — are of an oral tradition dating back at least several hundred years. They have been revealed and stirred into being through the collective imagination of numerous dedicated musicians, passed on — refined and redefined — from generation to generation.  Originating from still older forms of music, this lineage may be traced back to the recitation of the Sama Veda. From its measure and intonation — the rising and falling of the voice — the very first melodic entities evolved, foreshadowing the becoming of raga.





THE VOICE OF THE SITAR
 
The sitar is a long-necked, fretted lute. It was developed in Northern India (Hindustan) in the mid-eighteenth century. The sitar is based on the older Rudra Veena and was partially inspired by the Persian Sehtar. 


The sitar has a wooden soundboard and a dried gourd as a resonating chamber. It has a long hollow wooden stem. Its curved steel-wire frets are not fixed but bound. Their ratios can be freely tuned to the raga's various temperaments.

The sitar has two to four melodic strings (one steel, the other bronze) and two to four brighter-sounding rhythm strings. An underlying scale of resonance strings vibrate in sympathy with the main strings. 


The main left-hand techniques of the sitar are: the gliding of the fingers over the string lengthwise, and the uninterrupted movement from one tone to another by sideways deflection of the string over a single fret. A wire plectrum is worn on the right index finger. The melodic and rhythm strings are plucked alternately.


The sitar has wide bridges that gently incline underneath the strings. This causes a slight buzzing sound, rich in overtones. Through the delicate shaping of the bridge’s curvature  a process called jivari, from the words jiva (soul) and savari (to transmit)  this effect may be intensified or subdued. 





ABOUT THE ARTIST

 

Wilhelm Van Langendonck has imbibed North India’s classical music tradition into his own nature. With intention, he explores the unfoldment of raga through slow and moderate tempi. His music can best be described as lyrical, nuanced, and tranquil.


“I am engaging not with anything superficial – but with something essential. In my practice, all discrete tonal relations – and the subtle ways in which they affect me — are meticulously explored.”

Wilhelm was a sitar apprentice to Ashok Pathak and learned Dhrupad singing from Sayeed-ud'din Dagar, both esteemed personalities within the Indian music pantheon and torchbearers of their respective family heritages.

"The time spent with my teachers was definitely not easy.  As our expectations ran high, some opposing feelings and conflicting ideas emerged. In retrospect this too has had its purpose. Beyond the transmission of knowledge and artistry, what was instilled in me — and what I feel most grateful for — is a love and a passion for music. To receive and learn from such valuable sources, has certainly been a blessing and a grace."

Wilhelm is a long-time educator and performer with an in-depth knowledge of — and true devotion to — this art and craft. He is available for public recitals, lectures, and one-on-one lessons, offered both online and in person. For inquiries, please reach out via WhatsApp or email:

+32-486-48-30-44 / wilhelmvl@gmail.com / Ghent-Belgium