Doctoral Music Composition: Prasan Duriya Samniang for Wind Symphony

Abstract

The doctoral music composition Prasan Duriya Samniang for Wind Symphony is a composition that aims to display composer’s ideas of combining contemporary compositional techniques with music elements found in traditional Thai music.  The composition runs for approximately 30 minutes including 4 movements. The composer studies and analyze elements of music found in traditional Thai music at a structural level and investigate the identities of creating melodic idiom for each Thai musical instrument such as plucked-string instrument, string instrument, percussion instrument, and wind instrument. The knowledge gathering from the study is used as raw materials. In addition, the composer applies musical materials from his Jazz background in the composition. The composition technic display in Prasan Duriya Samniang is inspired by the traditional Thai music’s linear structure combining with contemporary compositional techniques to create music that conveys identity of both western and traditional Thai music. However, no traditional Thai music instrument is required. During experiential, various approaches are applied to create unique identity for each movement. As a result, a new contemporary music compositional method with Thai’s elements of music for wind symphony is developed. Prasan Duriya Samniang is an example of the presented method that can be adapted to further music compositions.