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For the first time at the Rainforest World Music Festival in Kuching,
Sarawak, there will be music from Malaysia’s immediate neighbour,
Thailand.
Since the ancient times, music has always been an integral part of the
Thai courts and the religious rituals. It was passed down from master
to student aurally – the latter having to reproduce short phrases
directly on the instrument, and to memorise them. Very little is notated,
and that makes it even harder to preserve.
Thai music is like a steady calm flow of water where the main theme dominates
but has several smaller themes weaving in and out and around it in different
registers as well as speeds, creating a hypnotic, timeless and pleasant
experience. It moves in a spiritual and sublime realm of calm and tranquility.
There is some influence from India and China, but because Thailand has
never been under any foreign control despite brief invasions by the Burmese,
Khmers and the Japanese, their music and culture have remained quite independently
individualistic.
The CHULALONGKORN UNISVERSITY ENSEMBLE is a group of ten professional
musicians from the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University,
Thailand. This university is the oldest one in Thailand and was founded
by King Rama V.
They will be at the festival to present a variety of musical styles including
folk and classical music from the four regions of Thailand.
Instruments have always played a big role in the Rainforest World Music
Festival, as they are showcased and get right up close and personal at
the various workshops over the three afternoons.
The CHULALONGKORN UNISVERSITY ENSEMBLE will have with them an impressive
array of string, wind and percussion instruments.
There will be two-stringed fiddles like the saw daung, saw-U and the salaw.
These were very probably modeled after similar Chinese bowed instruments
with some modifications. It is also believed that the name of the saw
duang may have come from a resemblance to a certain kind of trap which
is used to catch a type of edible lizard which is eaten by the people
in the northern provinces. This trap is called a duang dak yae and is
also made of bamboo.
There is also the vertically held flute, the khlui. It is very similar
to the Japanese shakuhachi as well as the Indian mulali except that the
latter is held horizontally like a western piccolo.
Other wind instruments are the pii chum and the pii java, an oboe type
made of hardwood or ivory.
The music from the North East of Thailand or the Isan region, tends to
be more rhythmic and vivacious than the other parts. From here comes the
famous folk wooden xylophone, the ponlang, the whote which is a set of
bamboo tubes, and the popular khaen or mouth organ very similar to the
Sarawakian engkurai or keluri.
There are also various klongs or drums like the thon-ramana and the klong-tuk.
The klong-tuk has been used in the piphat or percussion ensembles since
the earliest times.
The thon-ramana is thought to have the same roots as the Malaysian rebana
as it has the same structure and produces the same kind of sound.
Ching and chab are different sizes of hand cymbals. These are some of
the percussion instruments alongside the krab or wooden clappers, the
mong and the khong khuu which are different types of gongs.
Each year, the Rainforest World Music Festival aspires to bring in a wide
scope of different genres of world music – from the pure roots music
which the CHULALONGKORN UNISVERSITY ENSEMBLE will be specializing in,
to the world beat bands, and just about everything in between.
This year is no different. Each of the three nights of the festival will
encompass as many different moods as possible. There will be, as the organizers
like to promise – something for everyone.
Main stage shows will run every night from about 7.30 pm while daily workshops
will be from 2 pm over the three afternoons.
There will be limited number of tickets sold for each night to ensure
that there will not be any over-crowding. Tickets are priced at RM60.00
per day and will be valid for both workshops as well as the evening show.
Children aged 3 – 12 years old can obtain tickets at RM30.00 per
day. Free admittance would be extended to children aged 2 and below.
Tickets can be obtained from the Visitors' Information Centres in Kuching,
Miri and Sibu, the Sarawak Cultural Village, and Sarawak Tourism Board
or call Rudy at 082-423600 or e-mail: rudy@sarawaktourism.com
Packages are also available from several tour agencies and hotels. Check
out the website at www.rainforestmusic-borneo.com for more information
and contact numbers.
Yeoh Jun Lin
Artistic Director
Rainforest World Music Festival
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