Phra Chenduriyang (Piti Vādyakara) ( th, พระเจนดุริยางค์ (ปิติ วาทยะกร), ; born as ''Peter Feit'', (July 13, 1883 – December 25, 1968) was a Thai composer, conductor, music professor, collector and arranger. He was the son of a German American immigrant, Jacob Feit, and a Mon mother. However, he never left Thailand and identified himself solely as Thai. He composed the

Thai National Anthem The Thai National Anthem ( th, เพลงชาติไทย, translit=Phleng chāt Thai ) is the title of Thailand's national anthem, which was adopted in its current form on 10 December 1939. It replaced "Sansoen Phra Barami" in 1932, which ...

. Feit's father Jacob, who was also a musician, had arrived in Siam (the former name of Thailand) during the reign of King

Rama V 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� ...

(Chulalongkorn) and became a trumpet teacher at the royal court. Feit studied piano and western string instruments with his father and at the Assumption College, Bangkok. In 1917, he joined the Royal Entertainment Department and formed the first western-style orchestra in Siam. King

Rama VI 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 ...

(Vajiravudh) appointed him deputy director, later director of the "Royal Western string orchestra" and granted him the feudal title and name of ''

Phra Phra () is a Thai term that may refer to: *''Phra'', a Thai-language term for Buddhist monk *''Phra'', a Thai-language term for priest *''Phra'', a Thai-language word used as a prefix denoting holy or royal status, including in Thai royal ranks ...

Chenduriyang'' (translating to "skilled with musical instruments"). Phra Chenduriyang was primarily responsible for the spread of Western classical music in Siam, teaching many young Thais. On the other hand, he also collected and notated Thai folk music which had only been passed down orally until that time. After the Siamese revolution of 1932, the new rulers who called themselves the "People's Party" ''(

Khana Ratsadon The People's Party, known in Thai as Khana Ratsadon ( th, คณะราษฎร, ), was a Siamese group of military and civil officers, and later a political party, which staged a bloodless revolution against King Prajadhipok's government a ...

)'' tasked Chenduriyang—having been the royal music advisor to the Thai court—with composing the music for the

''(Phleng Chat)''. He was reluctant to accept this order as he was a loyal liegeman of the king, but had to relent. Reportedly, the melody came to his mind during a tram ride, and is inspired by Brahms' Symphony No. 1. The corresponding lyrics were written by

Khun Wichitmatra Sanga Kanchanakphan ( th, สง่า กาญจนาคพันธุ์; ; 7 July 1897 – 2 July 1980), also known by the noble title Khun Wichitmatra ( th, ขุนวิจิตรมาตรา; ), wrote the lyrics of the Thai Nation ...

His Western orchestra became a core component of the

Fine Arts Department The Fine Arts Department ( th, กรมศิลปากร, ) is a government department of Thailand, under the Ministry of Culture. Its mission is managing the country's cultural heritage. History The department was originally established ...

, a government agency established by the revolutionaries. In 1939, during

Thaification Thaification, or Thai-ization, is the process by which people of different cultural and ethnic origins living in Thailand become assimilated to the dominant culture of Thailand, that of central Thailand. Thaification was a step in the creation ...

in Thailand, he adopted the Thai name ''Piti Vādyakara''. Between 1940 and 1950 he was a professor of music at the

Silpakorn University Silpakorn University (SU.) ( th, มหาวิทยาลัยศิลปากร; ) is a national university in Thailand. The university was founded in Bangkok in 1943 by Tuscan–born art professor Corrado Feroci, who took the Thai name S ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

. Among his students were King-to-be

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 ...

, Eua Sunthornsanan, Wet Sunthonjamon, Sa-nga Arampir and Saman Kanchanaphalin. Phra Cheduriyang died of heart failure in Bangkok on 25 December 1968, at the age of 85. He had six children and 20 grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chenduriyang, Phra 1883 births 1968 deaths Thai composers Alumni of Assumption College (Thailand) People from Bangkok Recipients of the Dushdi Mala Medal, Pin of Arts and Science Phra (nobility) Academics of Silpakorn University Thai people of American descent, Phra Chenduriyang Thai people of German descent, Phra Chenduriyang Thai people of Mon descent, Phra Chenduriyang