A study of Prasidh Silapabanleng(1912-1999) :
special reference for his practice of Thai music as a Thai musician
Doctoral Dissertation, 2016
OCHANOMIZU UNIVERSITY
Comparative Studies of Societies and Cultures,
Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences
YAMASHITA, Akiko
The objective of this paper is to investigate that Prasidh Silapabanleng ประสิทธิ์ ศิลปบรรเลง (1912-1999) had an aspect of traditional Thai musician. His father is Luang Pradit Pairoh หลวงประดิษฐไพเราะ (Sorn Silapabanleng ศรศิลปบรรเลง, 1881-1954) who is known as a master of Thai music. Prasidh is known as first musician who went abroad to study Western music. In 1998, he was chosen to be “National Artist ศิลปินแห่งชาติ” as a Western composer and considered as a pioneer of Western music in Thailand.
Only one article about Prasidh is to study his composition (SORELL 2000). In addition, brief descriptions about him are available in some articles. In these descriptions, Prasidh has been considered mainly as a composer of Western music and has not described as a musician of Thai music.
Prasidh was in modernization period of Thai music situation. This paper is positioned as one of the case study for the history of modern Thai music.
In this paper, I would investigate Prasidh’s activities through the academic articles about Thai music and my own research in Thailand and reconsider how to describe about “Thai music” through his activity.
In Chapter 2, I investigated how Prasidh has been described in the academic articles. Prasidh was no doubt a pioneer of Western music but at the same time he was important musician of Thai music. However, there are no study to make out his activities and practices as Thai musician in detail.
In Chapter 3, I investigated about the performance tour in Japan, 1935. This tour was by Siam national school of dance and music and the event of national importance. Prasidh joined this tour as a Thai music teacher and played important role. Prasdh’s visit to Japan means not only that he studied Western music at Tokyo ongaku gakko but also he was leading person for Thai music.
In Chapter 4, I investigated about PIDM (Phakavali Institute of Dance and Music) directed by Prasidh. PIDM was a school of traditional Thai dance and music. Their activities were performances for tourists came to Thailand, cooperation for musicologists, the interaction of educational institute and the performance tour in abroad. PIDM was established as a private institute but at the same time had an official and representative aspect.
These activities and practices of Prasdh as Thai musician can be considered as his lifework. Considering his accomplishment of the performance tour in Japan and activities of PIDM, it is considered that Prasdh regarded himself as Thai musician. Prasidh was a Western musician but at the same time or moreover a Thai musician.
His work is not a “synthesis” of Thai music and Western music or is not a something new music. Thai music and Western music existed independently in him. His activities were not based on Dichotomy between “Western music” and “non-Western music”. He seemed to juxtapose “Thai music” and “non-Thai music”. In that case, “Western music” must be one of the “non-Thai music”. Studying Western music didn’t stop Prasidh’s activities as Thai musician and he didn’t mix up them. Prasidh juxtaposed “Thai music” and “non-Thai music” including “Western music”.
I would suggest that Prasidh’s attitude is one of the model case of Thai musician and such view is important to consider the music of Thailand.