Abstract:
To investigate the historical data, musical components, and the melodies that were performed and vocalized as lullaby during the last part of the ceremony. The historical investigation led to a discovery of important evidence that recorded the celebratory ceremony of the newborn princes and princesses. The celebratory ceremony was dated back to the Ayuthaya period and was appeared in the Royal Decree. In the Rattanakosin period, King Rama I passed the royal decree to include the royal celebration as one of the mandatory royal ceremonies. There is evidence showing that the royal lullaby was performed for the last time to accompany the royal celebration of Prince Prachadhipoksakdhidej's one-month birthday anniversary during the reign of King Chulalongkorn. The date of the first royal ceremony of newborn princes and princesses which was accompanied by Wong Khab Mai was unknown. There are three kinds of ensembles accompanying the royal celebration: (1) Wong Prakom Sankha accompanying the first and second section of the ceremony when the King arrived and began to cut the prince's hair, (2) Wong Pipat Pithee accompanying the first and the second section of the ceremony, (3) Wong Khab Mai appeared in the third part of the ceremony to accompany the royal lullaby. The musical analysis shows that the royal lullaby melodies are performed in slow tempo. Each phrase is long. The royal lullaby is accompanied by Wong Khab Mai, which consists of Saw Sam Sai and Ban Daw. The melodies of Saw Sam Sai and the vocal melodies are interacted in harmony. The Saw Sam Sai player must follow the vocalist and progress in the same manner with the vocalist, although the Saw Sam Sai player can add appropriate elaborations to emphasize aesthetics and artistic expressions.