Facilitating access to the sound archives of Khru Prasit Thaworn through the development of an on-line information system at S.E.A. Music-Cultural Information Centre.
Abstract:
Khru (guru) Prasit Thaworn (1921-2002), was an expert in Thai music, and his sound archives are an excellent source for people who are interested in the study of Thai music. The original sound archives of Khru Prasit Thaworn were recorded during 1970-1996, and they were originally stored on reel tapes (458 tapes) stored at the Southeast Asian Musicocultural Information Centre at the Research Institute of Language and Culture for Asia, Mahidol University, Salaya. This study aims to develop an on-line system to help access the sound archives. The study began with an investigation of the Khru Prasit classification of the sound archives. In-depth intervies with key informants who worked closely with Khru Prasit were conducted, and it was found that Khru Prasit classified his sound archis in accordance with the use of the music, for instance, education or entertainment. However, the analog storage caused many difficulties of access for people who were interested in studying his work. The study moved further to transfer the analog tapes to digital format. The computer program (PT Song IS Prasit Thaworn Song Information System) for retrieving the sound archives song by song was developed. The program can facilitate better access to the sound archives of Khru Prasit Thaworn. The improved access is hoped to benefit younger people who are interested in studying traditional Thai music.