Damrong Rajanubhab

“ It is evident to me, on whom has fallen the task of finding a suitable book, that attendance at the cremation will be large, for the deceased lady and her husband have been fortunate in the possession of a wide circle of friends, both Siamese and foreigners. The King's command that the cremation be an official function is widely appreciated as a token of His Majesty's recognition of the sterling character of the lady, and it will have the effect of increasing further the number of those attending the ceremony. ”

“ Princes, noblemen and others with large households consequently trained their women solely for the 'Mahorī', leaving play-acting and the 'Pī Pāt' to their men, King Mongkut Removed the prohibition, and permitted women to be trained as actresses. ”

“ There are fewer women than men who take up Mahorī.
Pīpāt Band.
The 'Pī Pāt' modelled upon the system of ancient India comprised five instruments:
Oboe playing the melody (Sushira) ; Drum with one face (Āyata) ; Drum with two skins connected by means of straps (Vitata) ; Two-faced drum with skins nailed down (Ativitata) ; Gong marking the cadence (Ghana) . The combination is known as "The Five Instruments". ”

“ Instruments coming under the 'Avanaddha' group comprise the different varieties of drums: those which have only one face which the Siamese call 'Thap' (or 'Thon') , 'Rammanā', and 'Klong yao'; those which are covered on both sides with skins held together by means of bands (straps) such as the 'Bandoh'; the 'Thon' (or 'Taphon') ; the 'Poeng Mang', the 'Klong Chana', Malay and Javanese tom-toms ”

“ Later the tom-tom and the oboe ('Pī ō') of the 'Klong Khek' were replaced by the 'Rammanā' and the reed pipe, and the name 'String Mahorī' was given to this new orchestra. Some orchestras added the xylophone and a set of gongs, and thus we have men's Mahorī replacing that of women (see plate XVI) .
But in playing the string-band, later on the number of instruments employed was not fixed. For instance, there can be as many fiddles ("Saw Duang", "Saw Ū") as there are men available to play them. The aim seems to be a greater volume of sound rather than harmony. ”

“ The difference between the Malay drum and the Javanese drum is that the faces of the first are held together with leather lashes, it is larger and is struck with a wooden stick on one side and on the other with the hand, whereas the faces of the second are held together with rattan and it is struck with the hands on both sides. ”

“ The majority of Siamese musical instruments are modelled after those of Ancient India, which also provided prototypes for the instruments of Cambodia, Pegu, Burma, Java and Malaya. That the people of the above countries have copied the musical instruments of Ancient India may be seen from the similarity of their instruments to-day. ”

“ E. Groote behind it. In the case of musical instruments which are not available elsewhere, exhibits of the National Museum have been used. The Royal Institute tenders its thanks to all who kindly gave their help. ”

“ Plate VIII. National musical instruments of the Siamese which have come down from the past:— Beginning from the top right hand corner: 1. Jew's harp ("Chong Nong") . 2. "Naw" pipe. 3. Reed organ ("Can") . 4. "Pī Saw" pipe. 5. "Teng" pipe. 6. "Ray Rye" pipe. Plate IX. Brahmin playing the gourd lute. Plate X. "Khap Mai" group. ”

“ Plate I. Stringed instruments played by twanging the strings:— i. Gourd lute. 2. "Krachappi" lute. 3. "Cha Khe" lute. Plate II. Stringed instruments played by drawing the bow across the strings:— 1. "Saw Ū" fiddle. 2. Three-stringed fiddle. 3. "Saw Duang" fiddle. Plate III. Instruments of percussion:— Top row: 1. "Bandoh" drum. 2. Multiplo castanets (Krap Puang) . 3. Single gong ("Khong Mong") . Second row: 1. Alto cymbals ("Ching") . 2. Basso cymbals ("Chap") . 3. Two pairs of castanets. Plate IV. Instruments of percussion which have evolved from the single gong:— Above: Single gong. ”