Rituals And Beliefs Of Kalaw Music By Master Sompang Boonmakerd

Abstract

The research studied the life of Kru Sompong Boonmakerd, rituals, beliefs and songs related to Kalaw music. Qualitative methodology has been applied in this research through fieldwork interview. This study found that, Kalaw music by Kru Sompong was transmitted from his father and has served the society over 120 years. This ensemble was hired to perform mainly in the monk and the elderly funeral ceremonies in the nearby provinces such as Krabi and Phatthalung. The ritual Kalaw music of the master Sompong consisted of three elements: rituals, mantra reciting and songs. There are two types of music; one was related to the funeral while another was not. There were 20 songs in the Kalaw music which divided into 2 groups. The first 12 songs were performed with mantra reciting and the second group consisted of 8 songs without mantra reciting. The study of Wai - Phra songs showed that most song modes were in the Penta - Centric D. Kalaw oboe produced a long length of sound and performed in a slow tempo accompanied by Glong Thon drum and Gong.