The Source of Sound involves the material, the movement and the vibration of which music arises.
The Source of Sound 19. The land of three nebulae.
Sam mo lan salakan orchestra
A broadcast of the music of the Thai Yai or Shan from North Birma, using a single track of the Salakan orchestra, filling the whole air time. The extraordinary thing about this orchestra, and other Thai Yai orchestras, is the use of the banjo and Stroh violin as the main instruments, along with gongs, drums, cymbals, a wood block and flute, all to tell stories through long songs. The Stroh violin was invented in 1900 by a German, Johannes Stroh, and instead of a sound box, the violin has a membrane with a horn, which amplifies its sound and makes is possible to aim the sound. The instrument was at first used in the early days of sound recording to record orchestra music, but soon faded away, except in Romania and at the Shan people of North Birma. There, the loud and metallic sound of the Stroh violin blended beautifully with local orchestra music and was preferred over the traditional viol. For the same reason, the lute was replaced with the louder and sharper sound of the banjo.
Say Tii Tun
Sam Mo Lan Salakan is a refugee villange in the Mae Hong Son province of Thailand, and its inhabitants were ousted from their original home of Kayah State, Birma about fifty years ago. Ever since, the Birmese army has driven them towards the Thai border, until they finally crossed it and there settled down in Mae Hong Son, the land of three nebulae. The only song played in this broadcast, is about the history and life in exile.
“Om Thai”
Composers./performers. Sam Mo Lan Salakan orchestra
Nang Nii – vocals
Nang Khamdii – vocals
Nang Hong – vocals
Nang Esa – vocals
Jay Tii Tun – pinjo, vocals
Lung Sangkham – vocals
Mana – Stroh violin
Say Otaa – vocals
Jay Yaa – drums
Jay Sam Tung – cymbals, woodblock
Say Mon – flute
Say Moon – Gongs
Field recordings by Fred Gales, 2001
