Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WWhiite Ele
e Elepphants & G
s & Golde
olden D
n Duck
ucks Enchanting Musical Treasures from Burma(1997;
Shanachie)
Classical Music
Classical-music traditions were largely borrowed from Siam musicians in the late 1800s,
who borrowed the traditions from Cambodian conquests centuries earlier. Myanmar clas-
sical music, as played today, was codified by Po Sein, a colonial-era musician, composer
and drummer who also designed the
hsaing waing
(the circle of tuned drums, also known
as
paq waing
) and formalised classical dancing styles. Such music is meant to be played
as an accompaniment to classical dance-dramas that enact scenes from the Jataka or from
the Ramayana.
Musical instruments are predominantly percussive, but even the
hsaing waing
may
carry the melody. These drums are tuned by placing a wad of
paq-sa
(drum food) - made
from a kneaded paste of rice and wood ash - onto the centre of the drum head, then
adding or subtracting a pinch at a time till the desired drum tone is attained.
In addition to the
hsaing waing,
the traditional
hsaing
(Myanmar ensemble) of seven
to 10 musicians will usually play: the
kye waing
(a circle of tuned brass gongs); the
saung gauq
(a boat-shaped harp with 13 strings); the
pattala
(a sort of xylophone); the
hneh
(an oboe-type instrument related to the Indian
shanai
); the
pa-lwe
(a bamboo flute);
the
mi-gyaung
(crocodile lute); the
paq-ma
(a bass drum); and the
yagwin
(small cym-
bals) and
wa leq-hkouq
(bamboo clappers), which are purely rhythmic and are often
played by Myanmar vocalists.
Classical dance-drama is performed nightly at Mandalay's Mintha Theater and occasion-
ally at the National Theatre in Yangon.
Folk
Older than Myanmar classical music is an enchanting vocal folk- music tradition still
heard in rural areas where locals may sing without instrumental accompaniment while
working. Such folk songs set the work cadence and provide a distraction from the phys-
ical strain and monotony of pounding rice, clearing fields, weaving and so on. This type
of music is most readily heard in the Ayeyarwady Delta between Twante and Pathein.
