The Thai National Anthem ( th, เพลงชาติไทย, translit=Phleng chāt Thai ) is the title 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 ...

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...

, which was adopted in its current form on 10 December 1939. It replaced "

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 ...

" in 1932, which remains as the royal anthem of Thailand. The melody was composed by Phra Chenduriyang (Peter Feit), and the words were made by Luang Saranupraphan. ''Phleng chāt'' ( th, เพลงชาติ), literally meaning "national anthem", is a general term for a national anthem. The term is also used to refer to this specific song.

Periodization

})
(Glorify the King Narai) , , 1687–1688 , , Sri Ayutthaya ( th, ศรีอยุธยา) Unofficial National Anthem in 1946–1949 , - , Chom Rat Chong Charoen
( th, จอมราชจงเจริญ)
(Long Live the Great King) , , 1852–1871 , , Siamese Rattanakosin period royal anthem and national anthem, introduced by

King Mongkut Mongkut ( th, มงกุฏ; 18 October 18041 October 1868) was the fourth monarch of Siam (Thailand) under the House of Chakri, titled Rama IV. He ruled from 1851 to 1868. His full title in Thai was ''Phra Bat Somdet Phra Menthora Ramathibo ...

(used the melody of

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, b ...

)
, - , Bulan Loi Luean
( th, บุหลันลอยเลื่อน)
(The Floating Moon On the Sky) , , 1871–1888 , , which was the royal composition of King

Buddha Loetla Nabhalai 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 ...

(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 Suea Pa ( th, เพลงสรรเสริญเสือป่า : Tiger Corps Hymn) which was used as the anthem of the Wild Tiger Corps since 1911. , - ,

( th, สรรเสริญพระบารมี)
(Glorify His Prestige) , , 1888–1932
Royal anthem since 1932 , , Rattanakosin period national anthem , - ,

Maha Chai Samut Sakhon ( th, สมุทรสาคร, Pronunciation is a City in Thailand, capital of Samut Sakhon province. It is a stop on the Maeklong Railway. Samut Sakhon is 48 km from Bangkok. It is part of the Bangkok Metropolitan Region ...

( th, มหาชัย)
(Grand Victory) , , 1895
Provisional National Anthem in 1932 , , Other members of the royal family and colours party of the unit colour in slow march , - , Phleng Maha Nimit
( th, ตระนิมิตร / มหานิมิตร)
(Grand Vision) , , 1934 , , , - , Phleng Chat Siam
Phleng Chat Thai
( th, เพลงชาติสยาม / เพลงชาติไทย) , , 1932–1946
1949–present , , After Siamese revolution of 1932, the anthem was classified into 2 factions, Phleng Chat Thai was used as national anthem and Sansoen Phra Barami was still used as royal anthem. In 1939 the country's name was changed from Siam to Thailand and the anthem's lyrics was changed from the words Siam to Thai.

Historical background

National anthem before 1932

Before 1932,

(the Royal Anthem) was used as the national anthem of Siam.

National anthem after 1932

The anthem was composed a few days after the revolution of 1932 in the tune vaguely similar to the national anthem of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

Poland Is Not Yet Lost ( "Dąbrowski's Mazurka"), in English officially known by its incipit Poland Is Not Yet Lost, is the national anthem of the Republic of Poland. The original lyrics were written by Józef Wybicki in Reggio Emilia, in Northern Italy, between ...

, and was first broadcast in July 1932. The original lyrics were 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 ...

Phleng Chat Siam (Khun Wichitmatra lyrics, 1932–1934)

First national anthem competition (1934)

In 1934, Thai government launched competitions for the official national anthem, for both melody and lyrics. Changwang Tua Phathayakoson (จางวางทั่ว พัทยโกศล) composed a tune in a traditional style called ''Phleng Maha Nimit'', but Phra Chenduriyang's melody was selected because it sounded more modern.

Second national anthem competition

After that, in the competition for the lyrics with Phra Chenduriyang's music, the original words by Khun Wichitmatra took first prize. They were in use until 1939, with a minor edit and an additional version written by second prize winner Chan Khamvilai (ฉันท์ ขำวิไล) adopted in 1934.History of Thai National anthem from Rakbankerd.com

Phleng Chat Siam (Chan Khamvilai lyrics, 1934–1939)

Thai Cultural Revolution

In 1939, when the name of the country was changed from

Siam 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 ...

to Thailand, a competition was launched to create new lyrics, with those by Luang Saranupraphan winning.

Thai prime minister The prime minister of Thailand ( th, นายกรัฐมนตรี, , ; literally 'chief minister of state') is the head of government of Thailand. The prime minister is also the chair of the Cabinet of Thailand. The post has existed s ...

Plaek Phibunsongkhram ordered the anthem to be played every day at 08:00 and 18:00 (8 AM and 6 PM), and ordered the populace to stand up to show respect for the nation. Nowadays, the morning and evening anthems correspond to the hoisting and lowering of the national flags in public areas (e.g. schools, workplaces, public buildings), respectively; hence, the anthem is broadcast by both radio and television channels twice per day from 1980's.

Current lyrics

Notes

References

External links

Recordings of the National and Royal Anthem of Thailand and others honor musics
fro
Thai Government Public Relations Department

Thailand: ''Phleng Chat Thai'' - Audio of the national anthem of Thailand, with information and lyrics

เพลงชาติไทย (Thai National Anthem)
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English lyrics to the Thai National Anthem

A website dedicated to information on Thai National Anthem (Thai Language)
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