Evaluation process of Rasa in the context of nonlyrical nonpercussive Indian pure music for possible application as music therapy

Abstract

Background: The famous rasa theory, with its three complete components, has been widely discussed in the doctrines of poetics and dramaturgy but not in the context of pure music. This study tries to find out the application of three rasa components in the context of Nonlyrical Nonpercussive Indian Pure Music (NNIPM). This would help the field of Indian music therapy to explore its application as a rendition according to desirable emotions relevant to needful subjects after customizing it to the individual need. Aim: This pilot study aims to know the pragmatic approach of rasa theory regarding NNIPM, coupled with rasa-centric rendering method to evoke śānta rasa (related to calmness, satisfaction, pleasantness, and other related emotions). Materials and Methods: Five music clips were recorded on Rudra Vīṇā, which are the stimuli to get emotional responses from fifty participants. A questionnaire was developed to elicit psychophysical responses and transitory emotions to get emotional reactions from them. Based on rasa theory, a Rasa-Matrix (RM) was designed. Based on RM, a Rasa Equation formula was further designed to get the rasa values of each response. Results: Fifty people participated from India and Bangladesh (n = 50). There were 210 (84%) rasa responses, and 40 (16%) were null as the rasa outcomes overlapped. According to Cronbach's alpha for reliability and internal consistency, the questionnaire was highly reliable for all five tunes (α was always 0.86-0.89). Accuracy of desirable śāntarasa (0.98, P < 0.001) was satisfactory. Conclusion: This study shows that the application of rasa theory regarding NNIPM is a reliable approach for emotion-centric music therapy. With the help of the rasa-centric rendering method, there is a considerable potential to create tunes that will be more helpful for inclusion as part of Indian music therapy in specific mental health conditions.