Raga on and Tala Ho

Comments (0) By Mary Beth Crain Thursday, Jun 14 2012

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Fowler Museum at UCLA

Sunset & Westwood blvds.
Westwood, CA 90024

Category: Museums

Region: West L.A.

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That greatest of raga interpreters, Ravi Shankar, once observed: "There is a saying in Sanskrit, 'Ranjayathi iti Ragah,' which means, 'That which colors the mind is a raga.' For a raga to truly color the mind of the listener, its effect must be created not only through the notes and the embellishments but also by the presentation of the specific emotion or mood characteristic of each raga, [so that] every human emotion, every subtle feeling in man and nature can be musically expressed and experienced." In other words, it takes a heck of a lot to put over a good raga, but the amazing young Indian classical vocalist Aditya Prakash has got it down. Since the age of 8, Prakash has been in raga training; at 16, he so impressed Shankar that the master featured him in his Festival of India III ensemble as lead vocalist. You can hear Prakash this weekend at the Fowler Museum's "Family Jam: Raga and Tala: Music of India," where you'll also learn the basics of raga (melody) and tala (rhythm) — the "building blocks" of Indian classical music. And if you really want to tala, you're welcome to "create anklets adorned with bells, strap them to your feet and experience the rhythm with your whole body." Go for it. UCLA, Fowler Museum, Wstwd.; Sun., June 17, 2-4 p.m.; free. (310) 825-4361, fowler.ucla.edu.
Sun., June 17, 2-4 p.m., 2012