THE BLENDING OF THAI- Phleng Na and Phleng Tak. Those of the MUSLIM MUSICAL Muslim groups are: Rong Ngeng, Ma’yong, Dikia, Li Ke Hulu and Sila. PERFORMANCES IN SOUTHERN THAILAND This article will present information only about the music and performances of the Bussakorn Sumrongthong1 Muslim social group as the Buddhist related research is covered in a separate article. This report will focus on the key Abstract elements and characteristics, succession of musical knowledge, rituals and beliefs, Introduction including the knowledge succession of each musical performance. This paper is a research report of investigative fieldwork on the musical Musical culture of southern culture of the southern provinces of Thailand Thailand. The research was conducted by interviewing prominent musicians from each of the following provinces: Chumphon, Krabi, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phang-Nga, Phatthalung, Phuket, Satun, Songkhla, Surat Thani and Trang. The current political instability in the provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narativas prevented conducting research in these locales. The process of this qualitative research consisted of direct observation, in-depth interviews of well-known artists, a survey of musical instruments and related performance or ritual materials /documents. The research found that the culturally significant music and Figure 1: Map of Southern Thailand performances in this region can be divided into 2 socio-religious groups delineated by Historically, the South of Thailand has the Buddhist and Muslim faiths. been a commercial trading center of South-east Asia. It served as a hub The core songs and performances of the between the two great nations of India and Buddhists are: Ka Lo, Nang Talung, Nora, China and as a result, facilitated the Phon and Li Ke Pa, while the key classical dissemination of both Brahmanism and Thai songs are Phleng Ruea, Phleng Bok, Buddhism in this region. The arrival of many different nationals and 1Associate Professor, Department of Music, especially those from India strongly Faculty of Fine and Applied arts, influenced the local musical culture and Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand theatre. Though the influence is likely to Downloaded from Brill.com10/05/2021 11:24:40AM via free access The Blending of Thai-Muslim Musical Performances in Southern Thailand have been mutual with both the locals and Additionally, the Southern and Central the new arrivals influencing each other, regions of Thailand have maintained a there were elements of the Southern Thai strong artistic relationship over the Nora melody that became altered from centuries. Nakhon Srithammarat is the city contact with Indian musicians. In that is and was considered the cultural particular, the rhythm and manner of center of Southern Thailand. Its playing the pair of drums in this song performance arts and music were so highly conveys the strong influence from India’s developed that it was nicknamed “The city musical heritage. of dramatic performance” (Mueang La- khon). The historically close relationship with the Muslim population from Malaysia in this The performing arts and music of the city region has also had an effect on the always had an influence on Central development of the local Southern Thai Thailand such as in the Thonburi period music. Geographically Malaysia lies along (1768–1782). At this time, King Taksin Thailand’s southern border. Initially, Thai requested that the plays from Nakhon - Malay affairs mostly concerned politics Srithammarat be performed in Thonburi and warring power struggles. However, which was the capital of Thailand. when the Malays and some Southern Thais However, this region’s culture was also in the border areas converted from shared as far as the South as well. For Buddhism to Islam, they were brought example, the Pi Nok (oboe), So Duang culturally closer via a shared religion. (high pitched vertical fiddle) and So U Moreover, considering the long term (low pitched vertical fiddle) from the linguistic and racial blending, a good Thonburi Royal court migrated to percentage of the Southern Thais speak Southern Thailand. Over time these have Malay and carry a Malay bloodline and become common instruments in the vice versa for the northern states of ensembles of this region. Malaysia where the Thais have become intermixed. The musical culture in these According to Sujarit Buapim (1995: 25) areas mirrors this ethnic blending and the who researched the origins of music in this two countries have many characteristics in region, the Southern local song has been common. It can be said that the local influenced by the different cultural groups music in the Southern Thai areas is that resided there as result of the trade predominately in the Java-Malay style. An relationships with India, Java (Indonesia) instrument that demonstrates this blend is and Malaysia. There was also a secondary the incorporation of the Java-Malay’s influence with Central Thailand since small one-sided drum known as the Thais travelled south to receive and further Rammana. distribute the trade goods imported from abroad. Furthermore, this style is not just restricted to the border provinces areas; some When reviewing in detail the former instruments are widespread throughout prominent local melodies that are played Southern Thailand. The tracing of the in Southern Thailand there is not any one migration of the Rammana and the Pi Ho song that one can ascertain as originating (oboe) instruments are examples of this from this region (excluding the remote dispersion. indigenous tribes). The songs are either 100 Downloaded from Brill.com10/05/2021 11:24:40AM via free access MANUSYA: Journal of Humanities, Special Issue No.16, 2008 from Malaysia or Central Thailand. Some, Music, performances and rituals however, have southern names, for of Thai-Muslims instance, the songs of Ka Lo, Rong Ngeng and Li ke Hulu are Java-Malay cultural derivatives. In addition, later on with the The Rong Ngeng growing impact of Western Classical music during the Victorian Era (1839– 1901), the violin was incorporated as accompaniment to the Rong Ngeng and Sampeng dances. In general, it can be said that the Southern Thai musical culture has developed primarily through the inclusion and incorporation of music and instruments from outside its own region. Its music is Figure 2: Rong Ngeng2 therefore defined by how it has chosen to include, modify or blend outside The Rong Ngeng or Rong Ngeng Tanyong influences both into and on to its existing is a folk performance of Thai Southerners musical base. The Southerners have who live on the west coast in the Trang, created their own unique cultural identity Phang-Nga or Phuket districts. It typically by mixing the received musical impetuses consists of 1–2 performers who sing and with the traditional one while maintaining or dance in a “call and response” manner. the core local rhythm that retains the When there is one main singer, the listeners feel for the original southern response portion can be provided by a ambiance. backing group of singers or informally by members of the audience. Additionally, An exception to the generalized musical since it is a community performance, blending during this period is to be found spontaneous audience participation is in the musical originality and consistency common as well. It is popular amongst of the remote rural areas where the Sakai both Buddhist and Muslim villages. tribe resides. The Sakai people are an indigenous member of the Semang ethnic The characteristics of the Rong Ngeng are group. The stable characteristics of their evidently a mixture of the local southern local music are reported to have resulted Thai and Malaysian cultures with the use from their isolation since they were far of Malay words in the lyrics and the removed from both the main trade centers merger of Malaysian rhythm sets. The and their routes. Consequently, their Malaysian song that accompanies this unique musical identity was well performance is called The Tanyong song preserved since there was minimal because each line of the lyrics always external influence. 2 From <http://learners.in.th/blog/ dramatwo2/70125 [2/02/2009]> 101 Downloaded from Brill.com10/05/2021 11:24:40AM via free access The Blending of Thai-Muslim Musical Performances in Southern Thailand starts with “Tanyong Tanyong…” lyrics were in the Malay language, which Tanyong is the name of a specific regional was difficult for the local Thai audience to flower. understand. Consequently, the lyrics were eventually adapted into Thai with the It is hard to identify precisely when the inclusion of the So U and the small Rong Ngeng first appeared. However, singled-sided Rammana drum instruments from interviewing the elders of the to help energize the dancing. In today’s Kantang district of the Trang province, it Rong Ngeng band the So U has been can be ascertained that this performance replaced by a violin and sometimes a has been handed down from generation to Western style tambourine will be used if a generation. In the terms of its background, Rammana is not available. there are two theories of how it was brought to Southern Thailand. The Rong Ngeng that first came to the people of Southern Thailand’s west coast The first states that it came with the Royal is quite different from the original Malay court and later spread to the general version. Only fragments of the melody and population through a Ma’yong dancing remain the same. Furthermore, performance.3 with the lyrics having been translated into Thai, it is even more distant. However, The second idea is that the now popular like the original Malay performance the Rong Ngeng dance was historically verses are sung in an improvised question primarily dominated by the Malays in the then answer manner between the female west coast towns. The performance was and male dancers. brought to this region in the Lanta district of the Krabi province, and performed by This popular performance hasn’t just been the Hua Lam people whose relatives limited to the Thai-Muslim communities resided in the Malaysian city of Penang.