Mo lam
Mo lam ( Lao ໝໍ ລຳ , ALA-LC : mǭ lam , pronunciation: [mɔ̌ː lám] ; Isan and Thai หมอลำ , RTGS Molam , pronunciation: [mɔ̌ː lam] ; also transcribed as mor lam ) are both traditional folk song singers in Laos and in the northeastern Thai region of Isan , as well as their singing style.
A Mo lam interprets Lam Lao , Lao music, ie improvised singing to accompany the khaen , a mouth organ made from bamboo . The modern variety, however, is mostly composed and accompanied by electric musical instruments . Musically, a Mo lam is characterized by fast tempos and presentation style.
In addition to the usual theme of unrequited love , the lecturer, Mo lam, describes the adversities of life in the rural Laotian settlements, mostly from an ironic perspective. The appearance of a Mo lam is often an important part of festivals and ceremonies in Laos and everywhere in Thailand where the numerous migrant workers from the Isan live (especially in the greater Bangkok area with its industrial areas, but also in the tourist centers). The appearance of a Mo lam is still seen as an important link back home.
development
Some researchers believe that the roots of Mo lam lie in shamanistic chants. This may explain the variation called Lam Phi Fah , which is commonly performed by older women who dance and sing to invoke the spirits .
Other varieties correspond completely to the central Thai Lam Tad , which suggests the conclusion that the Lam is a formalized advertising ritual. One of the most popular types of Mo lam , the Mo lam clone , is a vocal "fight" between a man and a woman who alternately improvise teasing songs, similar to the traditional Like drama (ลิเก) from Malaysia .
In Thailand, young artists also use elements of Lam Lao to perform as Mo lam Sing . Influenced by the central Thai Luk Thung and western pop music , they present mostly "cheeky" to sordid texts in a provocative way with electrical instrumental accompaniment.
performance
After Siam had expanded its sphere of influence to the Lao states in the 18th and 19th centuries and forcibly settled hundreds of thousands of Lao as work slaves in their own country, the music of Laos began its migration into the Thai core area. King Pinklao , the next king (Upparat) at the time of his brother Mongkut's rule , is said to have been charmed by her. After his death in 1865, the Mo lam's public appearances in the Thai heartland under the regent of King Chulalongkorn, Somdet Chaophraya Si Suriyawong (Chuang Bunnag), were banned - because they had nothing to do with Thai culture.
In fact, the ruling elite in Bangkok, who viewed the Lao states as colonies and kept their populations away from education, were suspicious of such gatherings mainly because they promoted cohesion among the Lao.
In the period that followed, the appearance of a Mo lam was largely a regional Lao affair that was limited to festivals in Isan and Laos. How much Lam Lao continued to have an effect as a connecting element of these people was shown in 1946, when a Mo-Lam performance was allowed again in the Ratchadamnoen boxing stadium in Bangkok . Loudspeaker vans announced it and when the Lao heard the familiar sounds far from home, they followed the loudspeaker vans, so that finally around 3,000 spectators followed the performance.
However, the number of workers from Isan was still relatively small at that time and Mo lam appearances went unnoticed outside the Laotian ethnic groups. That didn't change until the late 1970s and early 1980s, when more and more people left Isan to look for work. Mo lam was now appearing on television and the genre gained national prominence. Music remains an important link to home for the migrant workers in the capital, who also use Lam Lao nightclubs and corresponding karaoke bars as meeting points.
Live performances today are often large events with several singers, a dance troupe and comedians. The dancers (Hang Khrueang) often wear spectacular costumes, and it is nothing special for the singers to change their stage clothes several times during the evening.
Smaller performances are common in the context of temple festivals and ceremonies such as weddings or funerals.
features
Instruments
The traditional instruments of Mo lam are:
- die khaen , a mouth organ made of bamboo with around fourteen individual pipes
- the phin , a mostly three-stringed lute instrument
- that hung , a small cymbal
- the sor , a spit fiddle
- Pan flutes and
- Drums .
Most commercial Mo lam use nowadays at least some electrical instruments, usually a keyboard that sounds like a Farfisa - organ from the 1960s. Electric guitars are also common. Other western instruments such as the saxophone and drums are becoming increasingly popular.
The music
The singing is staccato-like and encompasses a wide range of notes: the singer changes very quickly between a number of pitches. In addition, there are sudden changes in tempo, from the slow intro to the main part of a piece. Almost every lecture by a Mo lam is accompanied by the following bass sequence, which is embellished melodically or rhythmically, e.g. B. by playing eighth notes instead of quarters:
The ching usually play a syncopated rhythm offbeat to give the music its characteristically fast beat and clattering sound.
Song parts
A Mo lam lecture is usually divided into three parts, with exceptions confirming the rule:
- Koen ( เกิน ) is the slow, sung introduction that is usually accompanied by the khaen and often contains the words O La No (= "Oh fate").
- Phleng ( เพลง ) is the sung stanza .
- Lam ( ลำ ) is the rap-like chorus .
content
The texts used to be only in Lao , but today in Thailand they are often written in a mixture of Lao and Thai . As is very often the case in light music, unrequited love is an often discussed topic in the Mo lam lecture. However, a considerable amount of humor is also used, which can also be country-rough at times. This is revealed by the titles of well-known pieces such as “I want a foreign husband” or “Jeans that are a thing of the past”.
Many songs are about a loyal youngster who stays at home in Isan while his lover goes to Bangkok and finds a new, rich partner there.
Recordings
Fewer and fewer Mo lam still write their own material, which enables some interpreters to release several albums per year. The albums are named after their title tracks or are often simply numbered consecutively.
The Lam-lao -Video discs, the Mo lam can be used for karaoke can be used. A VCD release usually contains a musical performance and a narrative film plot, which are occasionally edited together. The film usually relates to the subject of the play. Occasionally the music interpreter plays the leading role in the film plot. In the music video, the music is performed by a mostly female group of dancers. Costume changes, including between traditional clothing and modern western costumes, are standard. The blue screen technique is widely used to create psychedelic background effects. Laotian videos are generally simpler, ie kept more traditional.
The most popular Mo lam currently include Banyen Rakkaen (บานเย็น ราก แก่น), Chaloemphon Malakham (เฉลิม พล มา ละ คำ), Chintara Phunlap , Siriphon Amphaiphong (ศิริ พร อำไพ พง ษ์) and Monkaen Kaenkoon (มนต์ แคน แก่น คูน). An exotic girl in the business is the Dutch singer Christy Gibson .
Directions of the Mo-lam lecture
There can be no general list of the numerous varieties of lam lao because they are not mutually exclusive, some are only heard in certain areas or have different names in different areas. Traditional directions are less in demand these days. The following list is an attempt to provide an overview:
- Lam phi fa - a ritual form
- Lam clone - a vocal "battle of the sexes"
- Lam sing - a modern, electrically accompanied form
- Lam mu - folk opera
- Lam soeng - for a dance ensemble
- Lam phun - recitation of legends or Jataka stories by a male interpreter
- Lam diao - solo lecture
- Lam ku - a dialogue between a man and a woman
- Lam ploen - a solemn lecture by a group of singers
- Lam tang san - short title
- Lam tang yao - long, slow track
- Lam kiu - literally "sickle song" (about country life)
- Lam toei - a medium-fast, advertising form
- Lam tangwai - a slow variant
Another classification is as follows:
-
Lam clone
- Lam phuen / Lam ruang
- Lam krap
- Ordinary Lam clone
- Lam chingchu
-
Lam mu
- Lam man tup tao
- Lam phuen
- Ordinary lam mu
- Lam phi fa
Audio samples
- Simon Broughton (Ed.): World Music Volume 2 . (CD) Rough Guides (2000).
- Chawiwan Damnoen: Mo lam Singing of Northeast Thailand (CD). World Music Library (1991).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Volker Grabowsky: Population and State in Lan Na. Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 2004, p. 197.