THAILAND

• is officially the Kingdom of Thailand, formerly

known as Siam.
• is known for being the sole nation in Southeast Asia
that has never been ruled by a Western power.
• is also called “Muang Thai”, which means “Land of
the Free”.
Music of Thailand
MAPEH 8
THAI MUSIC ………………

• is a conglomeration of Asian influences.

• is used in royal courts, dance, theater,
and in ceremonies.
Thai music is written in various genres:
 RITUAL SONGS
a. Suod – is the chanting of religious verses that is used
to worship spiritual and supernatural beings.
b. b. Thes – is a ritual song that is performed and is
learned by memory. It can be used in poetry reading,
recitation, and speech.
ENTERTAINMENT SONGS – this group of
songs is basically secular and is used to tell
stories about customs and traditions
a. Phleng klomdek – are nursery rhymes.
b. He ruea – is a boat song
c. Sangkhara – is originally a beggar’s music.
Thailand has different kinds of ensemble:
• Pi phat - is an ensemble composed of woodwind and
percussion instruments.
• Khrueang Sai - composed of string, wind and
percussion instruments..
• Mahori - is an ensemble composed of stringed and
percussion instruments
Pi phat Ensemble
Pi phat Ensemble
• Pi phat ensemble is an ensemble composed of woodwind
and percussion instrument.
• It is usually performed to interpret the most sacred and
"high-class" compositions of the Thai classical repertoire.
• It is also used to accompany khon , lakhon and shadow
puppet theater.
• It also performs during funerals and cremation ceremonies
for Mon ethnic group.
Instruments of Piphat Ensemble
Ranat ek
• Thai percussion family that
consists of 21 wooden bars
suspended by cords over a boat-
shaped trough resonator and
struck by two mallets.
• It is used as a leading instrument
in the piphat ensemble.
Pi nai
• is sounded by an unusual quadruple reed of Bai tan, a
form of palm.
• Its six holes produce a range of twenty-two tones.
• Khong Wong Yai, or The Circle of
Gongs, is a percussion instrument in
which the musician sits inside a ring of
different toned gongs attached to a
rattan base.
• While the Khong Wong Lek with its
18 gongs is a smaller version. It is
played to provide the skeletal melody
for the other instruments of the
elaborate ensemble.
Klong That
are large barrel drums used in the
classical music of Thailand.
They are usually played in a pair
and provides the rhythm in the pi
phat ensemble.