Fading Musical Memory

150 Years of Lao Phuan Singing in Lopburi, Thailand

Abstract

As a consequence of numerous wars and forced migrations, the Phuan kingdom, which once flourished on the Plain of Jars in Laos, was obliterated during the 19th century. Much of the population was force-marched down to the Mekong Valley and into northeastern and central Thailand. One of the last contingents settled in central Thailand’s Lopburi province, in the district of Ban Mi. After nearly 150 years of exile there, only two living traditional singers of khap phuan, both around 90 years of age, could be found and were recorded in 2012 and 2013. Since our initial documentation of them and their khaen mouth organ accompanist, all have passed away, leaving no one to carry on the tradition. This article examines these musical fragments and compares them to the living music found in the old Phuan area. Due to the stark differences between Ban Mi singing and modern khap phuan, we aimed to identify what was preserved in Thailand and what this reveals about Phuan history and migration.