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The Evolution of Entertainment Culture in Thai Society

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THE EVOLUTION OF witnessed significant changes from ENTERTAINMENT sacredness to publicity, while the theme have been based so much on daily life activities CULTURE IN THAI that performing artists could really earn their SOCIETY: FROM own livings using their skills and diversify the SACREDNESS TO forms ofperformances more than in the past. POPULARITY1 The critical change in entertainment culture 2 occurred during the reign of King Rama V, ~atarawdee Puchadapirom when the general public began to be able to select and pay for its entertainment. Abstract Consumer behavior has dictated the creation of the modern musical and performing arts. Associated with the religious, The royal court and high dignitaries played animistic, and ritual aspects in an important role in assimilating European everyone's lifestyle, entertainment culture in Thai performances, resulting in culture has evolved to meet the lakom duk-damban (song and dance drama audience's changing preferences and with soft music) and piphat duk-damban different social status in each era. (orchestra with pipes). The standard practice Whether for the royal court or the of royal court entertainment was established commoners, both forms of entertain­ and handed down. ment were found complementing each other, resulting in its legacy and Introduction creation ofa new variety. Wathanatham kwam banthoeng 1s a Economic growth not only conveyed compound word combining the terms wealth to people but also produced an 'entertainment' and 'culture'. It refers to increase in entertainment entertainment customs and civilization for performances. In the present public enjoyment. Ratanakosin period, entertainment has Coined in the era of Field Marshal Pibulsongkram, the term wathanatham, 1 As part of my Ph.D. dissertation, The known as 'culture', was defined according to Transformation ofEntertainment Culture the 1942 Culture Act as 'characters that in Bangkok Society from 1948 to 1975, this indicate cultivation, refmement, perfect article would not have been possible harmony, progress, and morality of the without considerable help and valuable people'. Technically it means 'collective guidance from Associate Professor Dr. behaviors as well as learnt and shared Dhida Saraya, my advisor, and Dr. Sunait knowledge within their own group' (Royal Chutintaranond, my co-advisor. Dr. Dhida Institute Dictionary, 1982: 7). Saraya and I acknowledge the financial support of the Thailand Research Fund through the Royal Golden Jubilee Ph.D. Today, wathanatham also indicates the Program [PHD/0 124/254 7]. development of people's ways of living in 2 Lecturer, Department of Music, Faculty society and their expressions regarding of Fine and Applied Arts, livelihood, art, and entertainment preferences. Chulalongkorn University Downloaded from Brill.com10/04/2021 07:31:24AM via free access MANUSYA: Journal ofHumanities Vo/.9 No.2 (2006) Defined m the Royal Institute Chancellor Somdej Chaophraya Borommaha Dictionary, 1999, wathanatham, or Srisuriyawong (Chuang Bunnag); and Chao 'culture' consists of 'things that create Phraya Thipakornwong, author of Kitjanukit, collective development, i.e., clothing a religion-and-science question-and-answer culture, collective lifestyles such as book published during the reign of King folklore, hill-tribe culture' (2003: Rama IV. 1058). Since culture has to be taught and cultivated, it is associated with a Siam not only embraced European but also particular society, assembles their adopted to Anglicisms such as the term thoughts, beliefs, and traditions, and sivilai, which refers to a cultivated, refmed, conveys these to said society. and modernized culture similar to the Western world's. According to M.R. Kratai Originally, banthoeng means to Rajothai, a linguist in the reign of King Rama entertain for exuberance. In Bradley's V, the term sivilai was associated with the Dictionary of the Siamese Language modem way of life: '[... ] King Rama IV is (1971: 365), kwam banthoeng refers to such an expert in European affairs [ ... ] that 'the joy of the heart', whereas the the sivilai custom came to Siam [ ... ] In the Royal Institute Dictionary of 1999 reign of King Rama V, our customs have defines the term banthoeng as already improved similarly to the European's. 'cheerful, merry, (v.) to entertain, e.g., So what good there is to ask for the swift 'raikan banthoeng' (entertainment civilization of the country?' (Siam Pra-Peth, program)' (2003: 617). vol. II, quoted in Dhida Saraya, 1996: 152) In brief, wathanatham kwam Apart from modeling after some European banthoeng, or 'entertainment culture' countries, the royal court and high dignitaries in English, indicates the merry preferred to show off the national civilization performances which are parts of through traditional performing and musical people's life with various forms arts which were highly regarded in the depending on their lifestyles, Occident. In 1886, a Siamese ensemble was surroundings, and time span. sent to perform at an exhibition in England. To refer to an advanced stage of social In the beginning, as far as the terms development, the term arayatham was later advancement or civilization were adopted, and promotion and support were concerned, people usually associated poured into the court's performing and them with Chinese and Indian musical arts, an attestation to royal civilization. As trade and other civilization. From King Rama VI's speech, relationships with Europe prospered, ' the country which means to be completely especially in the Ratanakosin period, civilized needs to be merry' some foreign groups .were brought in to (Naikuadhumprae, 1918: 39). Therefore, the settle down in Bangkok, evangelize, performing and musical arts were brought in and teach so much art and science that to highlight the country's progress. the advanced knowledge and technology became talking issues Aimed at studying the evolution of among the members of high society: entertainment culture, this article will discern King Rama IV, then the crown prince; the aspects of musical and performing arts Luang Nai Sith, who later became 2 Downloaded from Brill.com10/04/2021 07:31:24AM via free access The Change ofEntertainment Culture in Thai Society that reflect long-developed Siamese mong khrum, rabeng, kra-ua thang kwai, cultural aesthetics in different social yuan ram khom. 4 backgrounds. In the early Ratanakosin period, various Records of the term dontri date back to amusements in the royal celebrations to the Sukhothai period. It refers to entertain fairgoers were also called musical performances both for pure mahorasop. According to Bradley (1971: pleasure and for ritual accompaniment 508), mahorasop was 'the celebration in the in the animistic belief system. royal funeral such as Icing's funeral', while (Prachoom Silacharuk part I, 1977: today its meaning has been reduced to joyous 66). Associated with several daily life performances, e.g., khan, lakorn' (Royal activities in terms of faith and rituals, Institute Dictionary 1982, 2003: 837). musical arts have witnessed a long development through the evolution of Of any other origins than pure enjoyment, the musical instruments and typical group court and public musical and staged performances. However, in the early performances were meant to accompany Ratanakosin period, mahori ensembles religious rituals. Forced afterwards to recede including stringed instruments and a from solemn events, they were targeted to tuned percussion ensemble, or piphat/ satisfy a wider public. Based on the historical as a whole were called dontri, as in the approach, derived from the concept of expression prakom dontri, which meant changing consumption, the paradigm shift 'to play music' (Bradley, 1971: 217). from solemnization to public entertainment Although more definitions have been led to new entertainment folklore. Gaining a added over time, dontri has the same wider popularity among commoners, certain meaning of sensational melodies and kinds of musical and performing arts required singing (Royal Institute Dictionary, professional performers as well as a larger 1982: 394). variety of performances. As a result, a modem development opportunity was Having been mentioned since the permitted to create various kinds of ensemble Ayutthaya period, the term mahorasop and epic performances such as khan, nang, refers to festivities provided by the hun, lakhorn phun-thang 'historical setting royal court in each ceremony. Coming dance drama', li-kay 'popular folk drama', in the form of performing arts, they lakhorn duk-damban ' song and dance drama include khan 'masked play', hun with soft music' , and lakhorn rang 'dance 'puppet show', lakhorn 'dance drama', drama operetta'. Studying the evolution of nang yai 'shadow play', ngiu 'Chinese entertainment culture from the dawn of Thai opera', tai luat 'tightrope acrobatics', history to the reign of King Rama V, this article will cover the many crucial phases, the substantial growth, and the promotion of royal performing arts as a cultural inheritance 3 Piphat is a musical instrument used to that underscored the country's civilization. play in rituals and in supporting performances. The early ensemble of pip hat was called pip hat khrueng har, or five instruments ; pip hat consists ofpi 'oboe', ranad-ek 'xylophone', gong, glong 4 These are royal entertainment performances in tahd 'drum', and ching 'cymbals' . celebration retes. 3 Downloaded from Brill.com10/04/2021 07:31:24AM via free access MANUSYA: Journal ofHumanities Vo/.9 No.2 (2006) Entertainment Consumption:
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