Siamese Musical Instruments: The French Historical Archives Recorded During the Reign of King Narai the Great

Abstract

As the site of Siam’s first interaction with the Europeans, Ayutthaya is regarded as having an open social scheme. As seen by the journey made by the French ambassadors to the court in Ayutthaya under King Narai (Narayana), the Siamese court dedicated itself to developing foreign affairs. Thus, this cultivated the historical source of information that enables us to go in time to comprehend a variety of phenomena from the observant, curious, comparative, critical, and anecdotal habits of those Europeans. Using the recorders’ understanding, this revealed the existence and function of Siamese music, which is still relatively limited. In total, the study assessed 82 books, covering the French annals from 1656 to 1688 as well as the English and Thai translations. Based on critical analysis in organology and historical ethnomusicology, the musical instruments and their roles in the Siamese court were studied. Additionally, the refinement of errors caused by translations across languages, cultural perspectives, expertise, and time was also accomplished by integrating additional modern sources. According to the primary records of 20 books published in French, percussive-ideophone and membranophone instruments were the most frequently cited, followed by aerophones and chordophones, respectively. The music was mostly utilized as fanfare during ceremonies, such as social ceremonies, royal ceremonies held in honor of the king, honoring ceremonies for important people, and Siamese entertainment activities. The results provide an ontological approach to coming closer to reality. Consequently, evidence of Siamese music during the Ayutthaya period was generated and refined.