"Bulan Loi Luean" ( th, บุหลันลอยเลื่อน, ) or "Bulan Luean Loi Fa" (, ; ) is a composition of

Thai classical music The music of Thailand reflects its geographic position at the intersection of China and India, and reflects trade routes that have historically included Africa, Greece and Rome. Traditional Thai musical instruments are varied and reflect ancient ...

traditionally credited to

King Rama II Phra Phutthaloetla Naphalai ( th, พระพุทธเลิศหล้านภาลัย, 24 February 1767 – 21 July 1824), personal name Chim ( th, ฉิม), also styled as Rama II, was the second monarch of Siam under the Chakri ...

. According to the traditional story, the King had a dream in which he saw the moon floating toward him and then heard beautiful music. Upon waking up, he played the music he heard in the dream and had court musicians arrange and remember the piece. The music has since been used in the classical play (

lakhon nai Lakhon nai ( th, ละครใน, ) is a Thai performing art originating in the royal court of Thailand (formerly Siam). It features slow choreography accompanied by a piphat A ''piphat'' is a kind of ensemble in the classical music of Th ...

) of '' Inao''. In 1871, King

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร� ...

(Rama V) had a Western arrangement of the song adopted as the royal anthem, and it became known as "Sansoen Phra Barami". The composition was used as the royal anthem until 1888, when the current royal anthem (also known as "

Sansoen Phra Barami "Sansoen Phra Barami" ( th, สรรเสริญพระบารมี, ; ) is the current royal anthem of Thailand. It was a de facto national anthem of Siam before 1932. History The first song to be used as royal anthem and de facto ...

"; the new anthem was distinguished as "Sansoen Phra Barami (

Farang Farang ( fa, فرنگ) is a Persian (and Southeast Asian) word that originally referred to the Franks (the major Germanic tribe) and later came to refer to White Europeans in general. The word "Farang" is a cognate and originates from Old F ...

)" as opposed to "Sansoen Phra Barami (Thai)" for the previous one) was adopted. King

Vajiravudh Vajiravudh ( th, วชิราวุธ, , 1 January 188126 November 1925) was the sixth monarch of Siam under the Chakri dynasty as Rama VI. He ruled from 23 October 1910 until his death in 1925. King Vajiravudh is best known for his efforts ...

(Rama VI) later had another arrangement, with new lyrics, adopted as the march of the

Wild Tiger Corps The Wild Tiger Corps ( th, กองเสือป่า) was a national paramilitary corps founded in Thailand in 1911 by King Vajiravudh (Rama VI). Inspired by the British Volunteer Force, the unit was intended to maintain civil order. The W ...

in 1911, and it became known as " Sansoen Suea Pa".

References

{{Nationalanthemsofasia Thai classical music Thai songs Royal anthems