Re: Morning versus Evening Ragas

[Linda Seltzer <lseltzer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I studied North Indian classical singing for 10 years and still am not an
expert, but here is some preliminary information.

Source: Printed course notes from Prof. Harold Powers' course on
Hindusthani music at Princeton.  His source is the scholar Bhatkande.

For the ten thats (a that is a raga classification)

[I assume that if you are working on Indian music you are accustomed to
the note names
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni
corresponding to
Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti  in Western solfege]

All notes are natural unless otherwise indicated)

1.  Kalyan Sa Re Ga #Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa
2.  Bilaval Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa
3.  Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha bNi (flat Ni) Sa
For the above three: before noon Ma is natural, #4 occurs before midnight

4.  Bhairav Sa bRe Ga Ma Pa bDha Ni Sa
5.  Purvi Sa bRe Ga #Ma Pa bDha Ni Sa
6.  Marva Sa bRe Ga #Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa
For the above three, before dawn natural 4, before dusk #4

7. Kafi Sa Re bGa Ma Pa Dha bNi Sa
8. Asavari Sa Re bGa Ma Pa bDha bNi Sa
9. Bhairavi Sa bRe bGa Ma Pa bDha bNi Sa
10. Todi C bRe bGa #Ma Pa bDha Ni Sa
For the above 4 after noon natural 6, after midnight flat 6

Vadi = important note (sustained or occurring on strong beats)
occurs in the lower half of the octave at night, in the upper half in the day

I can assure you that there are other more subtle microtonalities that
only the great masters understand or have understood, because in some
cases even Sa is deliberately sung flat.

It is expected that any night concerts end with Bharavi.  You would always
hear asavari in the morning, todi in the late morning.  Marva is always
performed at sunset.  Yemen Kalyan (a raga in kalyan that) is played early
at night.  Darbari Kanada is always performed at night. Those are just a
few examples.  These are ingrained in the culture.

The following book might provide more information:
Nazir A Jairazbhoy, The Rags of North India, Wesleyan University Press,
1973 should contain further information.

If anyone is looking for a co-principal-investigator on projects involving
North Indian music I might possibly be interested in particular projects. 
I also know performers in various parts of the world if you need to ask a
professional performer any questions.