Research & Article

The goal of this paper is to survey the history and forms of written notation as it has been tised by musicians in the Thai classical tradition,.With an emphasis upon the functions and implications of notation. While the topic is of significance in its own right, it also touches upon broader issues such as acculturation, the social organization of performing artists, and the interface between oral and written tradition. Most significantly, we must ask to what extent the use of notation signifies changing values and represents altered contexts of music-learning in Thailand. Data are drawn from my research in Bangkok in 1985- 86.1 Towards the end of this paper, I shall briefly contrast the Thai example with Judith Becker's discussion of notation in Java. Thai and Javanese music are similar in structure, especially in the traditionally formulaic, "improvisatory" nature of performance, and the type of notation commonly used in each society is very similar, so that any arguments regarding the implications of notation might be compelling in both cases. Becker has made a strong argument that notation, as a foreignderived innovation, potentially alters the nature of musical performance in Java. I believe the Thai example, though similar in some ways, shows another way in which the technology of notation can operate, one which leaves the musical system more intact. 20th century changes in Thai music-making-which granted are more profound-are more the result of social changes than the result of notation.