Rasiya is a popular genre of Indian folk music from the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh. The style of rasiya consists of multiple sub genres and is performed in a variety of different contexts. The songs have been known to portray a wide range of topics however, they are most commonly sung to a set of stock tunes that often portrays the love of the Hindu god Krishna and goddess Radha. The term rasiya is the Hindi word for “epicure” which refers to the male suitors, or the god Krishna himself as depicted in the songs. Rasiya's are sung and typically played with a variety of instruments, the most c
Rasiya is a popular genre of Indian folk music from the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh. The style of rasiya consists of multiple sub genres and is performed in a variety of different contexts. The songs have been known to portray a wide range of topics however, they are most commonly sung to a set of stock tunes that often portrays the love of the Hindu god Krishna and goddess Radha. The term rasiya is the Hindi word for “epicure” which refers to the male suitors, or the god Krishna himself as depicted in the songs. Rasiya's are sung and typically played with a variety of instruments, the most common are the “dholak” drums, sarangi, and harmonium. This style of music is commonly associated with the popular ancient Hindu festival of Holi and is often performed by villagers, professional entertainers, as well as participants in temple song sessions.
== Characteristics == Rasiyas are characterised by a frequent use of a set of stock melodies which are used equally throughout the genre. There are around 20 stock melodies which are used in performing rasiya, for example, some of the names of these melodies include “tarz”, “bahr”, and “dhun”, however, other melodies, particularly in the sub-genre of hathrasi rasiya can also be encountered. Modern Rasiyas contain erotic lyrics and euphemisms while traditional Rasiyas are devotional portrayals of Radha and Krishna. They are most commonly sung in informal song meetings by members of the rural community in the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh. There are different variants and styles of rasiya's, and villagers will sing their own respective regional variants during their local festivities. During the Holi season, rasiyas are widely performed in temples. Rasiyas tend to encompass a traditional set of themes, however, the range of topics that the songs can be based on within the genre is limitless. Author Peter Manuel has argued that “to some extent, rasiya is distinguished by its characteristic melodies, styles, and contexts rather than text content, and is thus able to accommodate any sort of text topic”.
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