A Study Of Wai Khru Ritual Music In Thailand

Thai wai khru ceremony is the most sacred ceremony in Thailand.It is a ceremony for students to express their gratitude and show formal teacher-student relationship in order to respect teachers.Wai expresses respect,khru represents teachers,and wai khru is a combination of the two words that represents the meaning of "respecting teachers" of traditional music in Thailand.This Article will record the steps and procedures of the ceremony during the ceremony of the musical wai khru ceremony held by the Conservatory of Music at Mahasarakham University in Thailand,and perform a musical cultural analysis of the ceremony music by understanding the characteristics of the ceremony music.This paper studies the rigorous inheritance of traditional Thai music and the behavioral significance of musical track order learning,and combines the author’s experience and reflection during the inspection process to grasp the characteristics of the wai khru ceremony of music as a whole from the traditional Thai music culture.This Article is divided into four chapters.The first chapter will focus on the music and cultural background of wai khru ceremony,through the discussion of its traditional culture,meaning,the role of khru(teacher)in the ceremony and the master sacrifice teacher,and the band used in the ceremony will be introduced and interpreted from the aspects of selection,organization,performer,etc.The second chapter records and interprets the specific process of the ceremony music of wai khru held by Conservatory of Music at Mahasarakham University,including the time,field,traditional arrangement and procedure of the ceremony,recording from the content and music of the ceremony,which is divided into four parts.The first part carries out the pre ceremony activities,and the second part guides the monks’ ceremony and the main mourners of the ceremony.The third part is the process of the canonical ceremony of wai khru.There are three main processes: three treasures worship(Buddhist,magic and Buddhist);2.Khru worship;3.Offering sacrifices and saying goodbye to khru.The fourth part looks at the learning process of Thai traditional music from the music introduction ceremony.The third chapter will analyze the content of music in the wai khru ceremonyi.The first part describes the form,characteristics and functions of musical instruments used in the band.The second part discusses the function of music repertoire and overture in wai khru ritual to explore the emotional function of ritual music.The third part analyzes the characteristics of ritual music,such as structure,phonology,etc.The fourth part,from the perspective of music,explains how the music and language in the ceremony build a bridge between the human and the sacred field by defining the voice in the ceremony,including the scriptures of the sacrificial master.In the fourth chapter,from the educational function of ritual music,ritual music embodies the connotation of wai khru ritual music culture on the sound of students and teachers,and then discusses the current situation of wai khru ritual music and its inheritance and significance in contemporary Thai music life.As an important part of Thailand’s traditional music,the ceremony of Thailand’s outer Kru reflects Thailand’s traditional culture,ideology and religious belief,while the band,music and scriptures used in the ceremony are part of the ritual sound behavior.Therefore,the author hopes to make an in-depth analysis of the tradition of Thai ritual music and the inheritance of music through the four chapters of this paper,and analyze the importance of wai khru ritual for Thai musicians and their traditional culture,as well as the influence and significance of the existence of ritual music,so as to truly understand the value of wai khru ritual music in Thai music.