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Apiphat (Thai:วงปี่พาทย์) is a kind of ensemble in theclassical music ofThailand, which features wind and percussion instruments. It is considered the primary form of ensemble for the interpretation of the most sacred and "high-class" compositions of the Thai classical repertoire, including the Buddhist invocation entitledsathukan (Thai:สาธุการ) as well as the suites calledphleng rueang. It is also used to accompany traditional Thai theatrical anddance forms includingkhon (Thai:โขน) (masked dance-drama),lakhon (classical dance), andshadow puppet theater.
Piphat in the earlier time was calledphinphat.[1][2][3] It is analogous to its Cambodian musical ensemble ofpinpeat and Laotian ensemble ofpinphat.
The smallestpiphat, calledpiphat khrueang ha, is composed of six instruments:pi nai (oboe);ranat ek (xylophone);khong wong yai (gong circle);taphon or other Thai drums;glong thad, a set of two large barrel drums beaten with sticks; andching (small cymbals). Often other small percussion instruments such askrap orchap are used.
A slightly largerpiphat ensemble is calledpiphat khrueang khu, and consists of eight musical instruments. The other two instruments are theranat thum (xylophone), which produces a deeper sound than theranat ek, andkhong wong lek, a gong circle that is higher in pitch than thekhong wong yai.
The largest form ofpiphat ensemble is thepiphat khrueang yai, which consists of ten musical instruments. Another ones areranat ek lek andranat thum lek; these are almost the same as their ancestors, theranat ek andranat thum, but they have keys made from metal instead of wood.
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Wong piphat khrueang ha (Thai:วงปี่พาทย์เครื่องห้า,Thai pronunciation:[woŋpìːpʰâːtkʰrɯ̂əŋhâː]) is an ensemble consisting of:
Wong piphat khrueang khu (Thai:วงปี่พาทย์เครื่องคู่,Thai pronunciation:[woŋpìːpʰâːtkʰrɯ̂əŋkʰûː]) is developed frompiphat khrueang ha, by arranging instruments in pairs of treble-bass. It consists of:
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Wong piphat khrueang yai (Thai:วงปี่พาทย์เครื่องใหญ่,Thai pronunciation:[woŋpìːpʰâːtkʰrɯ̂əŋjàj]) is arranged by addingranat ek lek (ระนาดเอกเหล็ก; treble metallophone) andranat thum lek (ระนาดทุ้มเหล็ก; bass metallophone) to thewong piphat khrueang khu.
Wong piphat nang hong (Thai:วงปี่พาทย์นางหงส์,Thai pronunciation:[woŋpìːpʰâːtnaːŋhǒŋ]) is an ensemble used in funerals. It is arranged by replacing thepi nai andpi nok with api chawa. The namenang hong comes from name of its main music, which is intended for funeral ceremonies. A royal variant forThai royal funerals,Wong piphat nang hong khruang yai (for the King) orWong piphat nang hong khrueang khu (for senior members of the Royal Family), introduced during the reign of KingVajiravudh (Rama VI) for use in royal funerals of theChakri Dynasty, was reinstated during the reign of KingBhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) in 1995, during the state funeral rites forSrinagarindra, the Princess Mother, upon the initiative ofPrincess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the Princess Royal, after years of absence.[4] If playing for the king, the royal funeral ensemble has 10 to 12 instruments played, a few more than the simple ensemble, for senior members 8 to 9 instruments are used.
In some funerals in Thailand thenang hong variant ensemble is supplemented by Western instruments like trumpets, saxophones, clarinets and even a drum kit, guitars and an electric piano. Some of these have also appeared in the normal ensembles.
Wong piphat duek dam ban (Thai:วงปี่พาทย์ดึกดำบรรพ์,Thai pronunciation:[woŋpìːpʰâːtdɯ̀k.dam.ban], literally "ancient ensemble") was proposed byPrince Naris. It consists of:
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Thepiphat mon is believed to derive from theMon people, an ancientMon-Khmer-speaking people of mainland Southeast Asia, and uses special instruments such as an upright gong circle calledkhong mon.Wong piphat mon (Thai:วงปี่พาทย์มอญ,Thai pronunciation:[woŋpìːpʰâːtmɔːn]) has three sizes:
Wong piphat mon khrueang ha (Thai:วงปี่พาทย์มอญเครื่องห้า,Thai pronunciation:[woŋpìːpʰâːtmɔːnkʰrɯ̂əŋhâː]) consists of:
Wong piphat mon khrueang khu (Thai:วงปี่พาทย์มอญเครื่องคู่,Thai pronunciation:[woŋpìːpʰâːtmɔːnkʰrɯ̂əŋkʰûː]) is arranged by addingranat thum andkhong mon wong lek to thepiphat mon khrueang ha.
Wong piphat mon khrueang yai (Thai:วงปี่พาทย์มอญเครื่องใหญ่,Thai pronunciation:[woŋpìːpʰâːtmɔːnkʰrɯ̂əŋjàj]) is arranged by addingranat ek lek andranat thum lek to thepiphat mon khrueang khu.
Thepiphat mon ensemble is usually used in funerals, but it can be used for other events as well.
Thepiphat ensemble can be mixed with thekhrueang sai ensemble to create a new ensemble calledkhrueang sai prasom piphat (เครื่องสายประสมปี่พาทย์ or เครื่องสายผสมปี่พาทย์). This hybrid or combined ensemble can also accommodate Western instruments as well.
TheCambodian equivalent of thepiphat is calledpinpeat. TheMyanmar equivalent topiphat is known ashsaing waing. The instrumentation is very similar to the Piphat Mon, which indicates a common origin.
Gong-chime ensembles are also found in other Southeast Asian nations, such as Gamelan in Indonesia, and Kulintang in the Philippines.
Gong-chime ensembles can also be found inVietnam, although they're no longer played among the ethnic Viet, they're still played among the indigenous peoples in theSpace of gong culture, as well as among theMuong people and theThổ people.