MUSIC COMPOSITIONS AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR MUSIC PERFORMANCE BY MASTER AMNAD NOON-IEAD

Abstract

     This qualitative thesis aims to study the life and musical works of master Amnad Noon-iead and to examine the techniques used in his compositions and arrangements. It was found that Amnad Noon-iead was born in 1951 in Pattalung, a province in Southern Thailand. A self-taught musician, Amnad is adept in playing pii, a reed instrument, to accompany nora and nang talung, two popular theatrical performances in Southern Thailand. In the analysis of Amnad’s theatrical musical pieces, it was found that there was a total of 73 pieces used across sixteen performance items. Out of the 73 available pieces, fourteen of them were composed by Amnad, each bearing distinct musical signature. To create new pieces, metabole and the use of the fourth and seventh degree pitches were employed to render mellifluous melodies. In addition, five prominent compositional techniques were observed: 1) the use of the “pillar tone” or primary pitch, 2) melodic doubling, 3) consistent rhythmic patterns, 4) the use of ood-phan melodies, and 5) the use of chai ruup melodies. These techniques were an indicator of a seasoned composer who truly understood the traditional music and had a great command, resulting in the characteristically unique outputs.