VOCAL STYLE, INTONATION AND POSTURE OF SOUTHERN THAI LULLABY IN CASE STUDY OF PHLENG RONG RUEA IN NODE-NA-LAY LOCALITY

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to study vocal styles, intonation, and postures of singing the lullaby in the Nod-Na-Le local community. As a qualitative research study, data collection was done by interviews from the informants in Singha Nakhon District, Sathing Phra District, Krasae Sin District, and Ranot District. The findings reveal different steps of singing as follows. Step 1: tie the cradle; Step 2: 1) place the child in the cradle, 2) rock the cradle and ready to sing or hold the baby while singing. The method for singing lullabies was to sing in the southern dialect, which had an effect on the rhythms and range of the singing. The lullabies required flexible breathing punctuation. Thus, the singer started with the word “ha-er” and dragged the “er” sound as long as possible with various melodies, followed by ending the first sentence with the word “he”.
It was found that the singers employed hidden consonants and vowels, especially the U vowel and the E vowel The tone used in singing must be sweet and gentle to make the baby fall asleep easily. However, the singers had to observe the reactions of the babies. If the babies were still awake, the singers could have small talk with the babies. Finally, singing postures were various and flexible as follows; standing positions, carrying positions, etc. Regardless of one's postures, it is advisable to sway the body, as this motion facilitates sound alignment with bodily movements, aiding the child in transitioning to sleep.