The Composition Concept of Solo Sawsamsai: Surintharahu Samchan Song by Senee Kasamvatanagul

Abstract

This research article aims to study the Composition Concept of Solo Sawsamsai (tree stringed fiddle) Surintharahu Samchan Song and the composition techniques of the Solo Sawsamsai Surintharahu Samchan song by Senee Kasamvatanagulconcerned with volume and artifices. This research used a qualitative research methodology. The researcher received the direct inheritance of solo Sawsamsai from Khru Senee Kasamvatanagul. There are also note recording collections of documents from academic work and interview with Khru Senee Kasamvatanagul including additional interviews with experts in the field of the Sawsamsai. The composer used a more modern concept than the classic era. This song uses Penta-Centric Scale FGA _CD_ (Java Scale). The song was arranged each section into Thaang Ot and Thaang Phan Kheak accents were inserted into the song. Thaang Ot had a gentle and slow style that resembled a singing melody. Thaang is orderly kept in rhyming melody. Thaang Phan is the repetitive melody at the end of each section which is not the same melody. This song also shows the specificity of the style of Khru Devaprasit Pattayakosol and the technique of solo was found to be used of artifices to showcase the tour de force craftsmanship of the composer and performer. Therefore, it used the weight of loud and soft sounds to create an aesthetic by inserting 9 types of artifices such as Prom-Jark, Prom-New-Sam, Sa-Bad, Sa-Euk, Rood-sai, Tod-New, Luk-Jangwa, Ae, and Loi-Dok.

Khru Senee Kasamvatanagul said about the solo Sawsamsai Surinthrarahu Samchan Song he composed that “I would like to leave this song as a national treasure”. And this song also reflects his experience and taste in high-class of Thai classical music whose knowledge was crystallized and polished until truly beautiful. This resulted in acceptance from the Thai classical music community and the Thai fiddle musicians which is worth inheriting and passing on as a cultural heritage.