Part II: Mainland Southeast Asia

1. Part II: Mainland Southeast Asia

2. Introduction to the Musics of Mainland Southeast Asia

3. Nation-states do not necessarily define human cultural groups • nation-states are complicated by linguistic and ethnic pluralism • no one type of music is Thai, or Burmese, or Lao • terms like Thai, Burmese, and Lao denote majority cultures

4. Each Southeast Asian nation looks clearly defined, but is complex • each has cultural regions, minority ethnic groups, and historical strata • provinces and even neighboring villages can differ markedly

5. Knowledge of the mainland by researchers is not uniform • Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia have been ‘open’ to researchers • Burma, in contrast, was closed to outsiders until the 1990s • parts of Cambodia and Laos are still either off limits or difficult to visit

6. Questions for Discussion • How does this description of the mainland differ from the general region? • What is the relationship between a nation-state and an ethnic group? • Does being part of an ethnic group mean being unified as a people?

7. The Khmer People of Cambodia

8. Khmer denotes the majority ethnic group in the Kingdom of Cambodia • The nation was called Kampuchea, but the term is now avoided • Cambodia’s boundaries were created during colonialism • many lowland Khmer live in Thailand and Vietnam • many upland Khmer live in Laos and Vietnam

9. The nation • most of Cambodia is flat, except for mountains on the borders • extensive forests and plains with wet-rice cultivation • Two major rivers: the Mekong and the Tonle Sap • estimated population of almost 14 million people • 90% of the population is ethnically Khmer

10. The culture • Many aspects of culture were transmitted from India • temples of Angkor include bas-reliefs of cultural elements, including music • Buddhism became the dominant religion in Cambodia by the 13th century

11. War and colonialism • The Siamese Tai kingdoms of Sukhothai and Ayuthaya warred frequently with the Khmer • the Tai carried off 90,000 prisoners, including musicians and dancers • Khmer people were bereft of their cultural treasures

12. War and colonialism (cont.) • Cambodia asked for France’s protection against Siamese and Vietnamese aggression, and became a French protectorate in 1864 • Cambodia became part of the Indochinese Union

13. Independence and chaos • King Norodom Sihanouk proclaimed independence in 1949 • Sihanouk was overthrown by Lon Nol in 1970, who established the Khmer Republic

14. Independence and chaos (cont.) • 1975-1979: Cambodia led into destruction by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, including the killing of many traditional performing artists • 1992: Paris Peace Accord restored Sihanouk to power as king; his son now reigns

15. Music in Cambodia • Khmer civilization reached its peak from the 9th to the 15th centuries • the temple at Angkor reveals musical instruments and their contexts

16. Music in Cambodia (cont.) • 15th century conflicts with the Siamese led to a decline in Khmer musical culture Khmer music revived by the 18th century • In the 20th century, conservation, preservation and revival

17. Khmer musical instruments • three divisions: • percussion • stringed • wind instruments • two functions: • religious • secular

18. Khmer musical instruments (cont.) • other classifications include: • physical materials • role (leader, follower) • musical style • ensemble context • controlling action • size • status (court, folk) • system of beliefs

19. Khmer musical instruments (cont.) • Materials • Clay • hide • Bamboo • Gourd • Silk • horn • Wood • metals

20. Idiophones • concussion idiophones (chhap, krapp) • struck idiophones • xylophones (roneat ek, roneat thung/thomm, roneat dak) • gongs (korng, korng vung tauch, korng vung thomm, korng mong, khmuoh) • plucked idiophones (angkuoch)

21. Membranophones • drums (skor arakk, skor thomm, skor chhaiyaim, skor yike, skor klang khek, sampho, rumanea) • mirliton (slekk)

22. Chordophones • harp (pinn) • zithers (khse muoy, krapeu, khimm) • lutes (tror, tror Khmer, tror chhe, tror so tauch, tror so thomm, tror ou, tror ou chamhieng, chapey dang veng)

23. Aerophones • flutes (khloy) • reeds (sneng, ploy, pey pork, ken, pey prabauh, sralai, sralai tauch, sralai thomm, sralai klang khek) • trumpets (saing)

24. System of tuning • the perfect fifth and octave are constant; the rest are tuned by ear • scales: anhemitonic pentatonic and heptatonic • key: two main tonal centers (G and C) for two main performing ensembles

25. System of tuning (cont.) • mode: basis for composition, improvisation, embellishment, extra-musical features (context, time, mood, etc.) • basis of mode has to do with pitch hierarchy in relation to final tone • texture: melodically based, heterophonic

26. Rhythmic features • meter: duple • final stroke of each metrical cycle is the strongest • strong and weak beats articulated by cymbals • drumming patterns are cyclic • drums set the tempo and keep time, but are considered secondary

27. Structural features • pitches at the end of each cycle constitute the skeletal form of the melody • musicians follow a collective melody, serving as a general guideline

28. Structural features (cont.) • cycles: three lengths occurring in multiples of two (for example, four measures, eight measures, and sixteen measures) • drums execute a specific pattern associated with the prescribed metrical level

29. Court music, dance, and theater • Ensembles • vung phleng pinn peat (main court ensemble) • pinn peat (drum music/dance music) • vung phleng mohori (secular entertainment) • arakk and kar (religious contexts) • Repertoire • musicians are expected to vary their playing

30. Court music, dance, and theater (cont.) • Dance • dancers try to make their bodies, arms, hands, and feet curvilinear • types of dance: pure dance, thematic dance, dance-drama • Reamker (Ramayana) principal theme for court dance • gestures are formalized • pinn peat supports the dancers through melodic, temporal and percussive signals

31. Court music, dance, and theater (cont.) • masked play • shadow puppet play • dance, mime, song, music, narration

32. Folk music • ceremonial music (life cycles, seasonal celebrations, temple fairs) • spirit worship music (arakk) • wedding ceremonies (kar) • funerals • other festivals

33. Theater (lkhaon) • yike (dancing, acting, miming, narrations, songs, music) • basakk (Chinese derived) • functional repertoires • boxing (pradall) • repartee (ayai) • narrative (chrieng chapey)

34. Theater (lkhaon) (cont.) • folk dance • performed in conjunction with seasonal festivals • natural world as inspiration • other festivals

35. Solo instrumental music • slekk (leaf) • angkuoch (Jew’s harp) • sneng (free-reed horn) • saing (conch shell) • pey pork (free-reed pipe) • say diev (chest-resonated monochord)

36. Khmer religious music • Theravada Buddhism • chanting (saut thoar) in Pali • poetic recitation (smaut)

37. Foreign and modern music • French colonial roots • Filipino influences • disappearance of pop music 1975-1979 • contexts: nightclubs, parties, weddings, sports, social dances, restaurants • low social status of musicians

38. Foreign and modern music (cont.) • themes: love, revolution, heroism, sadness • pop bands use only Western instruments • classification of songs by rhythms and styles of dancing • fixed format: ABCB

39. Contemporary uses of traditional arts • shift from recreation and entertainment to politics or tourist performances • diminishment of cultural practices • few opportunities for traditional musicians • Khmer refugee communities abroad are known for their performing arts • other festivals

40. Questions for Discussion • What kind of impact can an internal or external political power wield on the performing arts? • What is the point of having a different ensemble for entertainment and religious purposes? • Can you think of other heterophonic types of music? • Why would pop bands use only Western instruments?

41. Thailand

42. History • four cultural regions: center, south, north, northeast • Westernization began in the 19th century, but Thailand was not colonized • Golden Age of Thailand between 13th and 17th centuries

43. History (cont.) • Thailand includes 76 provinces and about 65 million people • Tai people are a diverse set of related groups both inside and outside Thailand

44. Village and court associations • courts associated with ruling elite and their ceremonies and entertainments • villages associated with cycles of festivals related to agriculture and Buddhism • classical music, dance and theater are tied to Thai identity • transmission is primarily through public school system • Bangkok remains highly influential culturally

45. General observations • importance of etiquette • no use of notation or questioning by the students • training was lengthy and done by rote • Thai music is ensemble oriented

46. Idiophones • concussion idiophones (ching, chap, krap) • struck idiophones • xylophones (ranat ek, ranat thum) • gongs (khawng wong yai, khawng wong lek, khawng mawn)

47. Membranophones • single-headed drums (thon, rammana) • double-headed drums (klawng that, taphon, klawng khaek, boeng mang kawk)

48. Aerophones • flutes (khlui) • reeds (pi, pi chawa, pi mawn)

49. Chordophones • lutes (krajappi, saw sam sai, saw duang, saw u) • zithers (ja-khe, khim)

50. Ensembles • khrüang sai types (string ensemble) • mohori types (entertainment and dance-drama accompaniment) • piphat types (most important ensemble in Thailand)