Abstract:
The objective of this research was to study the characteristics of music and the preservation of the Mon-hongssawadi Piphat band, in which the members are Mon people from the Ban Wangka community who are talented in music. Their aim is the preservation of the culture of Mon traditional music in the aspect of musical instruments, bands, styles, content of the performance, and repertoires. Ethnomusicological study was adapted and integrated with the preservation of cultural identity approach for use in this qualitative research. Methodology included field research, participant observation, in-depth interview, and musical culture analysis in sociocultural context of the Mon Ban Wangka community, Sangkhla Buri District, Kanchanaburi Province. The results revealed that the Mon-hongssawadi Piphat band consisted of musical identity in many aspects: 1) musician: they are Mon people who reside in the area of Ban Wangka community. The musical knowledge is learnt and passed down only in the community; 2) music instruments and the band: a swan is the symbol of Mon music instruments. The physical design and musical composition represents a uniquely Mon characteristic. The ensemble of the band is done in the style of traditional Mon Piphat band; 3) style and content of the performance: the opportunities, processes, and the performance represent the style and content that reflects traditional Mon characteristics which have been passed down from the past to the present; 4) repertoires: the lyrics consist of both traditional and newly composed ones in Mon language. The content of the song is about Mon society and culture. Most of the rhythms are mainly the traditional ones. The performance is still done in the traditional Mon Piphat style. For the preservation aspect of Mon-hongssawadi Piphat band, it was found that there are many activities that reflect the preservation: the training of the musician to continually improve their musical skill; the presentation of Mon culture inside and outside of the community; the performances in various occasions such as local festivals or Mon national day, which was widely accepted by general Mon people both in the local and national level; the preservation and education of musical culture to youth and society. The results showed that, even though the lifestyle of Mon people of Ban Wangka community has changed by the influence of modern society the Mon-hongssawadi Piphat band is still able to firmly preserve their traditional musical culture. This reflects the capability of the band to adapt to the changing society, and the role of Mon musical culture which is still important to the way of life of the Mon Ban Wangka community.