Hsaing Waing

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Hsaing Waing ( Burmese script ဆိုင်း ဝိုင်း , from Burmese hsaing 'hanging down' and waing 'circle') is a traditional orchestra in Myanmar . It is played with a variety of different drums , gongs and other melodic instruments at festive events, ceremonies and to accompany dances in the open air .

history

The origin of the hsaing waing is unclear. In the 18th century, the orchestra was expanded to include playing styles from neighboring Siam , when the Burmese King Hsinbyushin brought many musicians from the court there from his conquest of the Ayutthaya kingdom .

Instruments

  • Pat waing ( pat 'drum') or hsaing waing : The circular drum game is the main instrument and the name of the orchestra. 21 double-headed drums of different sizes, arranged according to pitch and size, hang in a round wooden frame. The drums are played virtuously by the player with his fingers. The player is also the orchestra leader and determines the beginning and end, as well as the speed within the composition.
  • Kyi waing ( kyi 'brass'): Between 18 and 21 circularly arranged hump gongs of different pitches that are struck by a gong player with hammers.
  • Maug zaing ( maug 'gong' and zaing 'hang up'): Between 18 and 23 lower pitched and softer sounding gongs, which are also struck with hammers. The two gong games are mainly responsible for the melody.
  • Hne : One or two cone oboes play a higher position on the melody line. When improvising , they develop their own additional melody level together with the drummer by taking up the drum motifs. If some instruments of the hsaing waing form an ensemble for a quieter style of playing in closed rooms, the hne is replaced by the bamboo flute palwei .
  • Pat ma and sa khun : two large barrel drums.
  • Chauk lon bat ( chauk 'six', lon 'counting word' and bat or pat 'drum'): six double-headed drums placed in a row.

performance

In contrast to the loud music of the hsaing waing ensemble, which is mostly played outdoors , the saung gauk (bow harp), pattala (xylophone), cymbals , piano and violin ( tayaw , introduced by the British colonists) are used in the quieter chamber music.

The mood of the hsaing waing orchestra is diatonic and is similar to the piphat ensembles in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. The compositions differ, however, through sudden changes and shifts in rhythm and their own musical instruments, which do not appear there.

The hsaing waing orchestra plays on public occasions to accompany dances and religious ceremonies. It is the accompanying ensemble for the dance theater zat pwe , which usually lasts all night, for the puppet theater yoke thé and for the modern forms of comedic theater anyeint . At the time of the monarchy (until 1885), orchestras were classified based on their decoration. The rule was: the orchestra which was most preciously decorated was the most sacred. Thus the kings and ministers had orchestras decorated with emeralds, rubies, gold and silver, while in the simple towns and villages they played on orchestras painted with red lacquer and yellow paint.

literature

  • Peter Fletcher, Laurence Picken : World Musics in Context: A Comprehensive Survey of the World's Major Musical Cultures. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, pp. 312f, ISBN 9780195175073
  • Robert Garfias: The Development of the Modern Burmese Hsaing Ensemble. In: Asian Music , Vol. 16, No. 1, University of Texas Press, 1985, pp. 1-28
  • Chalermkit Kengkeaw, Jarernchai Chonpairot, Chalermsak Pikulsri: Classical Ensemble of Myanmar. In: Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, Vol. 3, No. 9, September 2013, pp. 649-663

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Robert Garfias: Burmese Hsaing and Anyein . Asia Society