A ''piphat'' is a kind of ensemble in the

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, which features wind and percussion instruments. It is considered the primary form of ensemble for the interpretation of the most sacred and "high-class" compositions of the Thai classical repertoire, including the Buddhist invocation entitled ''sathukan'' ( th, สาธุการ) as well as the suites called ''phleng rueang''. It is also used to accompany traditional Thai theatrical and

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

forms including ''

khon Khon ( th, โขน, ) is a dance drama genre from Thailand. Khon has been performed since the Ayutthaya Kingdom. It is traditionally performed solely in the royal court by men in masks accompanied by narrators and a traditional piphat ensembl ...

'' ( th, โขน) (masked dance-drama), '' lakhon'' (classical dance), and shadow puppet theater. Piphat in the earlier time was called ''phinphat''. It is analogous to its Cambodian musical ensemble of

pinpeat The ''Pinpeat'' ( km, ពិណពាទ្យ, ) is the largest Khmer traditional musical ensemble. It has performed the ceremonial music of the royal courts and temples of Cambodia since ancient times. The orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a ...

and Laotian ensemble of

pinphat Pinphat is a traditional Lao ensemble used to accompanied in Laotian shadow theater and masked theater Phralak Phralam, the Laotian version of Indian Ramaya. This ensemble was adopted from the Khmer orchestra. Pinphat is analogous to Khmer Pinpea ...

Types of ''piphat''

The smallest ''piphat'', called ''piphat khrueang ha'', is composed of six instruments: '' pi nai'' (oboe); ''

ranat ek The ''ranat ek'' ( th, ระนาดเอก, , "also xylophone") is a Thai musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of 21 wooden bars suspended by cords over a boat-shaped trough resonator and struck by two mallets. It is us ...

'' (xylophone); ''

khong wong yai The ''khong wong yai'' ( th, ฆ้องวงใหญ่, ) is a circle with gongs used in the music of Thailand. It has 16 tuned bossed gongs in a rattan frame and is played with two beaters. The player sits in the center of the circle. It i ...

'' (gong circle); ''

taphon 200px, ''taphon'' The taphon ( th, ตะโพน, ) is a traditional drum of Thailand. It is barrel-shaped with two heads, and is played by the hands and fingers of both hands, much like the more popular congas. Originally called the Sa Pho ...

'' or other Thai drums; ''

glong thad ''Klong that'' ( th, wikt:กลองทัด, กลองทัด, ) are large barrel drums used in the classical music of Thailand. They are played with large wooden sticks. They are usually played in a pair and used in the piphat ensemble. ...

'', a set of two large barrel drums beaten with sticks; and '' ching'' (small cymbals). Often other small percussion instruments such as ''krap'' or ''chap'' are used. A slightly larger ''piphat'' ensemble is called ''piphat khrueang khu'', and consists of eight musical instruments. The other two instruments are the ''

ranat thum The ''ranat thum'' ( th, ระนาดทุ้ม, ) is a low pitched xylophone used in the music of Thailand. It has 18 wooden keys, which are stretched over a boat-shaped trough resonator. Its shape looks like a ''ranat ek'', but it is lowe ...

'' (xylophone), which produces a deeper sound than the ''ranat ek'', and ''

khong wong lek The ''khong wong lek'' ( th, ฆ้องวงเล็ก, ) is a gong circle used in Thai classical music. It has 18 tuned bossed gongs, and is smaller and higher in pitch than the ''khong wong yai''. Both instruments are played in the sam ...

'', a gong circle that is higher in pitch than the ''

''. The largest form of ''piphat'' ensemble is the ''piphat khrueang yai'', which consists of ten musical instruments. Another ones are ''

ranat ek lek The ''ranat ek lek'' ( th, ระนาดเอกเหล็ก, ) is a metallophone used in the classical music of Thailand. It is the smaller of the two sizes of Thai metallophone; the larger one is called ''ranat thum lek The ''ranat t ...

'' and ''

ranat thum lek The ''ranat thum lek'' ( th, ระนาดทุ้มเหล็ก, ) is a metallophone used in the classical music of Thailand. It is the larger of the two sizes of Thai metallophone; the smaller one is called ''ranat ek lek The ''ra ...

''; these are almost the same as their ancestors, the ''ranat ek'' and ''ranat thum'', but they have keys made from metal instead of wood.

Piphat khrueang ha

''Wong piphat khrueang ha'' ( th, วงปี่พาทย์เครื่องห้า, ) is an ensemble consisting of: # 1 pi nai - bass oboe # 1

- secondary beat # 1 ching - main beat # 1

- bass gongs hung in a nearly full circular track # 2

- Thai

tympani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally ...

# 1

- treble xylophone

Piphat khrueang khu

''Wong piphat khrueang khu'' ( th, วงปี่พาทย์เครื่องคู่, ) is developed from ''piphat khrueang ha'', by arranging instruments in pairs of treble-bass. It consists of: # 1 pi nai - bass oboe # 1 pi nok - treble oboe # 1

- secondary timekeeper # 1

glong songna ''Klong song na'' ( th, กลองสองหน้า, or ) is a Thai barrel drum. ''Song na'' means "two faces", and the drum has two heads that are played with the hands. It is used primarily in the ''piphat A ''piphat'' is a kind of ...

or 2

glong khaek ''Klong khaek'' ( th, กลองแขก, ) is a type of double-headed barrel drum used in Thai music. The term literally means "Indian drum" from the words ''klong'' (กลอง) meaning drum and '' Khaek'' (แขก) meaning Indian or ...

# 2

- Thai

# 1 ching - main timekeeper # 1 chap # 1

- bass gongs hung in semicircular track # 1

- treble version of gongs hung in semicircular track # 1

khong mong Khong may refer to: * Khong District, Laos, a district of Champasak Province **Khong Island, in Laos * Khong District, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand *Khong, Iran (disambiguation), places in Iran People with the surname * Lawrence Khong (born 1952 ...

# 1

- treble xylophone # 1

- bass xylophone

Piphat khrueang yai

''Wong piphat khrueang yai'' ( th, วงปี่พาทย์เครื่องใหญ่, ) is arranged by adding ''

'' (ระนาดเอกเหล็ก; treble metallophone) and ''

'' (ระนาดทุ้มเหล็ก; bass metallophone) to the ''wong piphat khrueang khu''.

Piphat nang hong

''Wong piphat nang hong'' ( th, วงปี่พาทย์นางหงส์, ) is an ensemble used in funerals. It is arranged by replacing the ''pi nai'' and ''pi nok'' with a ''

pi chawa ''Pi'' ( th, ปี่, ) is the generic term for any of a variety of quadruple reed oboes used in the traditional music of Thailand, ''piphat''. It is very similar in construction and playing technique to Burmese Hne and Cambodian '' sralai''. ...

''. The name ''nang hong'' comes from name of its main music, which is intended for funeral ceremonies. A royal variant for

Thai royal funeral Thai royal funerals are elaborate events, organised as royal ceremonies akin to state funerals. They are held for deceased members of the Royal Family, and consist of numerous rituals which typically span several months to over a year. Featuring ...

s, ''Wong piphat nang hong khruang yai'' (for the King) or ''Wong piphat nang hong khrueang khu'' (for senior members of the Royal Family), introduced during the reign of 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) for use in royal funerals of the

Chakri Dynasty The Chakri dynasty ( th, ราชวงศ์ จักรี, , , ) is the current reigning dynasty of the Kingdom of Thailand, the head of the house is the king, who is head of state. The family has ruled Thailand since the founding of the ...

, was reinstated during the reign of King

Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; (Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great ...

(Rama IX) in 1995, during the state funeral rites for

Srinagarindra Princess Srinagarindra ( th, ศรีนครินทรา; ; 21 October 1900 – 18 July 1995) née Sangwan Talapat ( th, สังวาลย์ ตะละภัฏ; ) was a member of the Royal Thai Family and the House of Mahidol, whi ...

, the Princess Mother, upon the initiative of Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the Princess Royal, after years of absence. If playing for the king, the royal funeral ensemble has 10 to 12 instruments played, a few more than the simple ensemble, for senior members 8 to 9 instruments are used. In some funerals in Thailand the ''nang hong'' variant ensemble is supplemented by Western instruments like trumpets, saxophones, clarinets and even a drum kit, guitars and an electric piano. Some of these have also appeared in the normal ensembles.

Piphat duek dam ban

''Wong piphat duek dam ban'' ( th, วงปี่พาทย์ดึกดำบรรพ์, , literally "ancient ensemble") was proposed by

Prince Naris Prince Chitcharoen, the Prince Narisara Nuwattiwong ( th, นริศรานุวัดติวงศ์ ; 28 April 1863 – 10 March 1947), Prince Naris for short, né Chitcharoen (), was a member of the royal family of Siam (now Thailand), ...

. It consists of: #1

#1 ching #1

- "tympani" made by using two taphons arranged together. #1

saw u The ''saw u'' ( th, ซออู้, , ; also spelled ''saw ou'') is a Thai bowed string instrument. It has a lower pitch than the saw duang and is the lowest sounding of the saw family. Reliable evidence shows that pattern of the Saw U was prob ...

khlui u The ''khlui'' ( th, ขลุ่ย, ) is a vertical duct bamboo flute from Thailand. Originated before or during the Sukhothai period (AD 1238–1583) along with many other Thai instruments. But, it was officially recorded as a Thai instrume ...

- bass flute #1 khlui phiang aw - medium #1 wong khong chai - a set of 7

khong chai Khong may refer to: * Khong District, Laos, a district of Champasak Province ** Khong Island, in Laos * Khong District, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand * Khong, Iran (disambiguation), places in Iran People with the surname *Lawrence Khong (born 195 ...

with different size hung on wooden bar.

Piphat mon

The ''piphat mon'' is believed to derive from the

Mon people The Mon ( mnw, ဂကူမည်; my, မွန်လူမျိုး‌, ; th, มอญ, ) are an ethnic group who inhabit Lower Myanmar's Mon State, Kayin State, Kayah State, Tanintharyi Region, Bago Region, the Irrawaddy Delta, and s ...

, an ancient

Mon-Khmer The Austroasiatic languages , , are a large language family in Mainland Southeast Asia and South Asia. These languages are scattered throughout parts of Thailand, Laos, India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Nepal, and southern China and are th ...

-speaking people of mainland Southeast Asia, and uses special instruments such as an upright gong circle called ''khong mon''. ''Wong piphat mon'' ( th, วงปี่พาทย์มอญ, ) has three sizes:

Piphat mon khrueang ha

''Wong piphat mon khrueang ha'' ( th, วงปี่พาทย์มอญเครื่องห้า, ) consists of: #1

#1 pi mon - bass oboe with horn-shaped end. #1 khong mon wong yai - a set of bass gongs set in vertical frame (unlike khong wong yai, which gongs are set in horizontal semicircular frame). #1 poengmang khok (เปิงมางคอก) or ''khok poeng'' (คอกเปิง) - Mon drums set in cage-shaped frame. # ching, chap and khong mong

Piphat mon khrueang khu

''Wong piphat mon khrueang khu'' ( th, วงปี่พาทย์มอญเครื่องคู่, ) is arranged by adding ''

'' and '' khong mon wong lek'' to the ''piphat mon khrueang ha''.

Piphat mon khrueang yai

''Wong piphat mon khrueang yai'' ( th, วงปี่พาทย์มอญเครื่องใหญ่, ) is arranged by adding ''

'' and ''

'' to the ''piphat mon khrueang khu''. The ''piphat mon'' ensemble is usually used in funerals, but it can be used for other events as well. The ''piphat'' ensemble can be mixed with the ''

khrueang sai ''Wong khrueang sai'' ( th, วงเครื่องสาย, , literally "string ensemble") is a musical ensemble in Thai classical music which consists primarily of string instruments. A typical ''khrueang sai'' ensemble features two two-st ...

'' ensemble to create a new ensemble called ''khrueang sai prasom piphat'' (เครื่องสายประสมปี่พาทย์ or เครื่องสายผสมปี่พาทย์). This hybrid or combined ensemble can also accommodate Western instruments as well.

Similar ensembles

The

Cambodian Cambodian usually refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Cambodia ** Cambodian people (or Khmer people) ** Cambodian language (or Khmer language) ** For citizens and nationals of Cambodia, see Demographics of Cambodia ** Fo ...

equivalent of the ''piphat'' is called ''

''. The

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

equivalent to ''piphat'' is known as ''

hsaing waing The ''hsaing waing'' ( my, ဆိုင်းဝိုင်း, ; also spelt ''saing waing''), commonly dubbed the Burmese traditional orchestra (မြန်မာ့ဆိုင်း), is a traditional Burmese folk musical ensemble that accompan ...

''. The instrumentation is very similar to the Piphat Mon, which indicates a common origin. Gong-chime ensembles are also found in other Southeast Asian nations, such as Gamelan in Indonesia, and Kulintang in the Philippines. Gong-chime ensembles can also be found in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

, although they're no longer played among the ethnic Viet, they're still played among the indigenous peoples in the

Space of gong culture The space of gong culture in the Vietnam Highlands ( vi, Không gian văn hóa Cồng Chiêng Tây Nguyên) is a region in Central Vietnam that is home to cultures that value gongs. It spreads in the Tây Nguyên (Central Highlands) provinces of K ...

, as well as among the

Muong people The Mường (Mường language: ngài Mõl (Mường Bi), ngài Mường; ) are an ethnic group native to northern Vietnam. The Mường is the country's third largest of 53 minority groups, with an estimated population of 1.45 million (accor ...

and the

Thổ people The Thổ ethnic group (also Keo, Mon, Cuoi, Ho, Tay Poong) inhabits the mountainous regions of northern Vietnam, mainly Nghệ An Province southwest of Hanoi. Many Thổ speak the Cuoi language, Tho language, which is closely related to Vietnamese ...

References

External links

Listening

Pi Phat Ensemble page
from SEAsite

{{ThaiMusicalEnsembles Gong and chime music Thai music Classical and art music traditions Articles containing video clips