Composition of Aleatory Music: The Charm of Kui Ethnic for Brass Quartet for Government Educational Institutions

Abstract

This academic article aims to compose The Charm of Kui Ethnic for brass quartet by integrating aleatoric music techniques with the melodic structure of Klam-or a ceremonial song of the Kui ethnic group in lower Northeastern Thailand. The composition reflects the community’s way of life, beliefs, and rituals related to divination and ancestral worship. The creative process employs card-based randomization to determine musical elements such as melody, note duration, pitch, direction, and instrumental arrangement. The piece is structured into four movements: “Painful,” portraying villagers’ suffering and uncertainty through complex randomization; “Medium,” representing the shaman with emotionally intense and intricate textures; “Relieve,” expressing post-ritual relief with simplified conditions and harmonic layering; and “The End?” which adopts Western compositional techniques to connect with accompanying dance performance. The work demonstrates a synthesis of local cultural identity and contemporary musical concepts, offering a creative model for culturally rooted music development.