Abstract:
The thesis The Song Composition of Pleang Tub-Ruang,Buasamlao aims to explore the background of Sutta Patika, in Majjhima Nikāya, the second of the three divisions of the Tripitaka or Pali Canon, in which the teaching about Buasamlao (the three types of lotuses) is found. The teaching was studied and used as a guideline to compose Pleang Mahori Tub-Ruang called Buasamlao or Three Types of Lotuses to propagate the idea to Buddhists. It was found that lotuses are identified with religious beliefs and usually contain a sense of good fortune. They are also in close connection to Buddhist teachings as found in several works of literature and art. The idea mainly associated with Buasamlao is a metaphor of the three types of lotuses. Each type is compared with human beings ability level to learn the Buddhas teachings: A lotus submerging under water, a lotus being right at the surface of water, and a lotus rising above the water surface. In this study, songs regarding flowers are studied and used as guidelines for the composition. It was found in terms of scale specification that if a piece of music does not contain a Thai music scale, it is mostly specified as a single scale. In contrast, if it follows the Thai music scale, it is considered 2-3 scales. Almost throughout the songs, pitches and melodies do not fluctuate and are orderly arranged. Most of the songs start with the melodies falling from high to low and usually end with a low pitch. The melodies consist of an opening melody and upbeat melody. Hom Rong and Pleang-Tao often contain a chorus. Most melodies found in the songs studied are in a regular pattern and a variety of consonants are found in the first and latter verses of the songs. The composition was made by adapting the structure of Pleang Ton Rag [as a model], using the composers imagination, abridging the melody, rearranging the melody, and composing new melodies from the structure of Buddhist monks prayer in the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta. The composition is composed of two parts. The first part consists of a prelude and Pleang Buasamlao under which is separated into three songs: Pleang Naya Busaya, Pleang Busaya Namdulaya, and Pleang Suriya Komes. The latter part consists of three songs of which composition was derived from the prayer in the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta. The part includes Pleang Handa Mayam, Bod Kat Dhammacak, and Pleang Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta. The third song is composed of the other six songs which are Pleang Pathom Dhammacak, Pleang Koo Payayam, Pleang Plai Koo Payayam, Pleang Ariyasaj Si, Pleang Deva-Nang and Pleang Pitisan, and Pleang Tatiyabhumi. The composition was based on the analysis of the songs related to flowers and completed by arranging and selecting the melodies, scales, pitches, prelude, and consonants; moreover, it also rigorously maintains the meaning of Pleang Ton Rag.