Since the turn of the twenty-first century there has been a small but significant number of operas written by Thai composers or those who identify as being Thai. Most of these Thai operas are based on Thai mythology or histories. The majority of the librettos are in English, with the remainder being in Thai. The music is largely Western in style, looking back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, though often incorporating traditional Thai melodies.
This thesis is the first to examine this emerging repertoire of Thai operas. Despite being culturally and musically significant, these works have received scant scholarly attention. This thesis compiles what is known of these works and situates them in their context(s). It offers insights to the development of the genre from its origins: from translations of Western works by King Rama VI in the early twentieth century through to the in-progress Wagner-inspired cycle of Somtow Sucharitkul.
Twenty Thai operas are discussed in this thesis; five unperformed. Of the remaining fifteen, only three are in Thai, with the remainder in English. Much of this research results from fieldwork and interviews with 48 composers and musicians involved in creating and staging these works. Therefore, this is a new area of research. Some of these musicians are elderly or in poor health, making the gathering of information on their first-hand experiences timely. Further insights were derived from the author’s professional experience(s) as an opera singer born and educated in Thailand, with experience of performing both Western and Thai operas.
Findings suggest that although socio-culturally and politically-significant, Thai operas are little-known both in Thailand and beyond. As a result, the genre faces challenges in performance and reception. Five key challenges (and barriers) emerge: (1) culture; (2) politics; (3) popularity; (4) religion; (5) language. Arguably the biggest challenge is for Thai opera to be fully embraced as a ‘Thai’ genre, especially given that the Thai language is often avoided by composers. The reason being that Thai is a tonal language and its words can have multiple meanings depending on how they're pronounced tonally. Non-Thai speakers struggle with Thai because of the tonal nature: when it is sung according to Western notation the text is often rendered unintelligible to native speakers. Many of the composers turned to English for libretti, which arguably renders the genre neither Thai nor Western, instead falling between the two stools. If there is a way to resolve this issue of singing opera in Thai, and avoid having to use other languages, it would be a step towards Thai language opera becoming a national treasure. Thai is as compatible as any other language in terms of its melodic quality, provided it is sung correctly to avoid mispronunciations due to its tonal nature. This leads to the experiment in chapter 5, which has resulted in expanding the Western notation by adding new symbols. Three simple symbols were created to help the conductor understand where the singers slow the tempo to slide the note to fit the meaning of the words. Non-Thai-speaking singers could sing and imitate native Thai speakers using this method. The experiment addresses the problem of Thai’s tonal nature and opens up Thai to become as successfully performed in operas as other languages.
By foregrounding Thai opera this thesis has two main aspirations: (1) to become a vital resource for Thai composers and performers; (2) to increase awareness of this cultural interaction in the West. There are many young Thai composers who want to create operas in Thai but have no examples for inspiration; this thesis will explain the challenges of performing operas in Thailand. It is important for non-musicians to recognise that a national style of Thai opera exists in Thailand. This research has explored why opera in Thai has been challenging for composers and performers. The solution is to translate key elements of the Thai language into Western notation, which allows non-Thai speakers to work with operas in Thai, thus potentially opening up the genre to international singers. Performing these music dramas in schools can help children to develop their confidence and concentration. Moreover, these operas could be an effective way to teach children about important moral and historical lessons from Thai culture.