Definition of "raga" [raga]

• A traditional melodic type in Hindu music, consisting of a theme that expresses an aspect of religious feeling and sets forth a tonal system on which variations are improvised within a prescribed framework of typical progressions, melodic formulas, and rhythmic patterns. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "He ended with a tillana in Hindustani raga Chandrakauns, which he composed."
• "A raga, which is typically created for a specific time of day, releases positive vibrations that increase your inner harmony and appeal to the inner self."
• "It is enough to say for now that a raga is a melodic structure."