This is a direct twentieth century result of the so-called “magic” of primitive times. From this you can see how the magic of ancient days is explained by modern science.
Hindu Rags
The Hindu songs presided over by special gods were called rags, but of course, the name has no relationship whatever to our ragtime.
It seems that religious feeling has dominated everything in the Orient; for this reason every idea connected with music has a corresponding idea in Hindu mythology. The rags were all named after the gods who brought music down from heaven to comfort man. The character of each god or goddess was supposed to be reflected in the rag, and it was not the result of scientific study as were, for instance, the scales of the Chinese. Our knowledge of the rag has come down to us from what Sanskrit writers on Indian music have said, and what is practised today by the modern Hindu. No doubt Arabia and Persia once had a music system very much like this one of the Hindus.
Rags, ragas, or raginis were neither airs nor modes in our sense of the words, but something like the modes of the Arab songs, they were melodic forms, or themes, on which musicians either improvised or composed new songs, by using them in rhythms of endless variety.
There were many many rags, and they were under the guidance of the gods of the rainy season, the cold season, the mild, the hot, etc., and could only be sung during their special seasons. It was thought that these songs sung at the wrong time would bring down calamity. Again, as with the American Indian (Chapter II), we find tribes who are most careful to sing certain music at certain times.
It is told that a Hindu nobleman, long ago, tried to sing a night song in the daytime and darkness covered all things within the sound of his voice!
As important as was the song from the earliest time, instrumental music held almost an equal place.
Orchestra
The Hindu orchestra is sometimes large and sometimes small. Its dances are lively and vigorous, and very seldom slow and romantic. Nevertheless they have many kinds of songs, some lively and some not, such as: songs in honor of Krishna (one of their principal gods), official odes, war hymns, love songs, evening songs, wedding songs, cradle and patriotic songs. In some, the Arab seems to have influenced the Hindu music, because they have the lively rhythm and the variety of the Arab music, yet it is difficult to know which one influenced the other. The Arab music has the variety and luxurious soft beauty in popular dances equal to anything our modern musicians or poets have composed.