A Perspective on Sacred Number Beliefs in Sadhukarn Songs

Abstract

This article presents a new investigation of the meaning of sacred number which plays an important role in the composition of Sudhukarn song. Although Sadhukarn is an important song for learning and practicing Thai traditional music, few Thai music scholars can describe its history or the sources that inspired its composition. This article attempts to simulate the work of a composer to find the hidden meaning of numbers that influenced Sadhukarn composition. An analysis of the phrase structure of Sadhukarn melodies clearly shows that the number 108 was composed as the melodic structure of Sadhukarn. This number is related to both Thai traditional music and Buddhist and astrological beliefs that have remained in Thai culture as well as the cultures throughout Southeast Asia to the present day.