"Sansoen Phra Barami" ( th, สรรเสริญพระบารมี, ; ) is the current royal anthem of
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 b ...
. It was a
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with '' de jure'' ("by l ...
national anthem of
Siam before 1932.
History
The first song to be used as royal anthem and de facto national anthem of Siam/Thailand appeared in the reign of King
Mongkut of
Rattanakosin Kingdom. In 1851, two former British military officers named Captain Impey and Lieutenant
Thomas George Knox served with the Siamese Army. They trained the troops of King Mongkut and the Second King
Pinklao with British military tradition. So, they adopted the anthem "
God Save the King
"God Save the King" is the national and/or royal anthem of the United Kingdom, most of the Commonwealth realms, their territories, and the British Crown Dependencies. The author of the tune is unknown and it may originate in plainchant, ...
" as honor music for the king of Siam.
Phraya Srisunthonwohan (Noi Āchāryānkura) wrote Thai lyrics for this anthem later and named it as "
Chom Rat Chong Charoen
Chom Rat Chong Charoen ( th, จอมราชจงเจริญ, lit: Long live the great king) was the royal and national anthem of Rattanakosin Kingdom.
History
In 1855, there were two captains, Thomas George Knox and Captain Impey. T ...
", which means "long live the great king".
In 1871, King
Chulalongkorn visited
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
and
Batavia (now
Jakarta) in the
Dutch East Indies; it appeared that Siam used the same anthem with Great Britain, who ruled over Singapore at that time. It was necessary that Siam must have a new unique tune for using as the royal anthem and de facto national anthem. A group of Siamese traditional musicians had selected a Thai song named "
Bulan Loi Luean" ("The Floating Moon on the Sky") which was the royal composition of King
Buddha Loetla Nabhalai (Rama II) for use as the new anthem. King Chulalongkorn later ordered Mr.Heutsen, a Dutch bandmaster who served in the Royal Siamese Army, to arrange the song in western style for performing by the military band. According to a research of Sugree Charoensuk, an associate professor from
Mahidol University, the melody of this anthem may be the same tune with another anthem named "
Sansoen Sua Pa" which had been used as the anthem 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 ...
since 1911.
History about the royal anthem of Siam after 1871 are ambiguous, and evidence is rare to find. An evidence of music composition of the royal anthem of Siam appeared again in 1888 when a sheet music of the Siamese national anthem, arranged by the Russian composer Pyotr Schurovsky, was printed in Russia. The main melody of the song in that sheet music is the same tune of "Sansoen Phra Barami" in present time. According to a research of Sugree Charoensook, Pyotr Shchurovsky was the composer of the music of "Sansoen Phra Barami", to serve as Siam's national anthem. Prince
Narisara Nuvadtivong later composed various lyrics of "Sansoen Phra Barami" for using in the
Royal Siamese Army
The Royal Siamese Armed Forces (Thai: กองทัพหลวง) were the armed forces of the Thai monarchy from the 12th to 19th centuries. The term refers to the military forces of the Sukhothai Kingdom, the Ayutthaya Kingdom, the Thonbur ...
, in all Siamese school and in Siamese traditional music bands. Prince
Abhakara Kiartivongse
Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartivongse, Prince of Chumphon (19 December 1880 – 19 May 1923) ( th, พระองค์เจ้าอาภากรเกียรติวงศ์, , full title: th, พระเจ้าบรมวงศ์� ...
also composed a version of lyrics for used in the
Royal Siamese Navy
The Royal Siamese Armed Forces (Thai: กองทัพหลวง) were the armed forces of the Thai monarchy from the 12th to 19th centuries. The term refers to the military forces of the Sukhothai Kingdom, the Ayutthaya Kingdom, the Thonbur ...
. In 1913, King
Vajiravudh decided to relinquish all lyrics of "Sansoen Phra Barami" that mentioned before and revised it to current version only.
"Sansoen Phra Barami" was the de facto national anthem of Siam from 1888 until 1932, when it was replaced by "
Phleng Chat Siam"''.'' It still use as the royal anthem of Thailand today.
In 1940, the Thai government under the administration of Prime Minister
Plaek Phibunsongkhram issued the 8th
Thai cultural mandate, concerning the lyrics of "Sansoen Phra Barami", which were shortened and the word "Siam" replaced with "Thai" (see below). After the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, these lyrics were quietly abandoned due its unpopularity, and reverted to the version that revised by King Vajiravudh in 1913.
The sound recording of "Sansoen Phra Barami" was recorded for the first time ever on the Edison
wax cylinder by
Carl Stumpf
Carl Stumpf (; 21 April 1848 – 25 December 1936) was a German philosopher, psychologist and musicologist. He is noted for founding the Berlin School of Experimental Psychology.
He studied with Franz Brentano at the University of Würzburg ...
, an
ethnomusicologist from the
University of Berlin. In that recording, the anthem was performed by Boosra Mahin Theater Group, a Siamese theater group visiting Berlin in 1900.
Usage of the anthem
The royal anthem is performed during state occasions, as well as when a high-ranking member of the royal family is present for a function. In addition, the royal anthem is still played before the beginning of each film in movie theatres, as well as before the commencement of the first act in plays, musicals, concerts, and most other live performances of music or theatre in Thailand. The anthem is also played at the
sign-on
A sign-on (or start-up in Commonwealth countries except Canada) is the beginning of operations for a radio or television station, generally at the start of each day. It is the opposite of a sign-off (or closedown in Commonwealth countries exc ...
and
closedown
A sign-on (or start-up in Commonwealth countries except Canada) is the beginning of operations for a radio or television station, generally at the start of each day. It is the opposite of a sign-off (or closedown in Commonwealth countries exce ...
of television and radio programming; for example, in 2008,
7HD aired
videowith pictures 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 Grea ...
from his birth to his 80th anniversaries in 2007.
Radio Thailand (or NBT) also broadcast the
sign-off with the anthem at 24:00 every night.
In 2019, the
Royal Thai Government Gazette has published the Royal Office Regulation on Performing Honors Music of B.E. 2562. This regulation is detailed about using the royal anthem and other honors music for the king and members of the Thai royal family in several occasions. According to this regulation, The royal anthem "Sansoen Phra Barami" should be performed for the following:
* The
King of Thailand
*
Queen Sirikit the Queen Mother
* The
Queen of Thailand
* Princess
Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the Princess Royal
* Heirs-apparent to the throne
* Royal remains
*
Some Thai Royal Standards when hoisted or shown:-
** Royal Standard of Thailand
** Standard of Queen Sirikit the Queen Mother
** Standard of the Queen of Thailand
** Standard for Senior members of the Royal Family (Standard of the Princess Mother)
** Standard of Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the Princess Royal
** Standard of the Crown Prince of Thailand
Lyrics
The following are the current lyrics of "Sansoen Phra Barami", which was revised by King Vajiravudh in 1913.
Official lyrics
Lyrics used by the Royal Thai Army
Ancient drama lyrics
Male and female school lyrics
Male school lyrics
Female school lyrics
Lyrics adopted by the Royal Thai Navy
Abridged lyrics during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
Notes
References
External links
nationalanthems.infoRecordings of Thai honors musicfro
The Thai Government Public Relations DepartmentSign off video of PRD's Television of Thailand (Present NBT Digital 2HD)t-h-a-i-l-a-n-d.org- A website dedicated to Thai national culture and the Royal Anthem (Thai language)
{{Authority control
Royal anthems
Historical national anthems
Thai monarchy
Thai songs
Asian anthems
National anthem compositions in E-flat major