Traditional Music in Songskan Tan Khap Ritual: A Case Study from the Cremation Ceremony of Venerable Monk “Phra Dev Visuddhigun” (Kuson Gandhavaro) at Wat Suan Dok Temple, Chiangmai Province

Abstract

This article on traditional music in Songskan Tan Khap Ritual: A case study from the cremation ceremony of venerable monk “Phra Dev Visuddhigun” (Kuson Gandhavaro) at Wat Suan Dok Temple, Chiangmai Province was aimed to examining these two main points: 1) the process of Songskan Tan Khap ritual; and 2) the traditional music played during the ritual. The research took on an Ethnomusicological approach by means of field data collection and report as a qualitative research. Results reveal that this cremation ceremony of Songskan Tan Khap is the Lanna tradition of cremation ceremony conducted by Lanna Buddhists in which several types of multi-tiered paper castle are made to accommodate the body by the rank of the deceased to show honor and respect to them.
The ritual process is consisted of 1) merit ceremony for the deceased; 2) preparation for cremation; 3) making multi-tiered paper castle for the cremation; 4) castle procession to cremation ground; 5) accommodating the body into the castle; and 6) proceeding cremation ceremony. This process of cremation ceremony is a combination of religious rite, traditional rite, and Lanna arts and cultural work, all of which are dedicated to the deceased and promote the unity of the temple and community. In the cremation ceremony of Venerable Monk “Phra Dev Visuddhigun” (Kuson Gandhavaro), two types of musical bands were found namely:
1) Glong Joom as drum band played during the castle procession, with the main song of Phrasart Wai; and 2) Paad Gong as piphat band played during the cremation ceremony to build the atmosphere and accompany
the performances, with the main songs of Phrasat Wai, Muai, Mengkhabut, and Thai pop songs.