The Refashioning of Thai School Theme Songs: A Case Study of Symphony on a ‘Pin-Hatai’ Theme

Abstract

At present, the idea of re-composing school theme songs into more fashionable icons is tenable in the eyes of local composers. In Thailand, although numerous school theme songs are presumably in need of refashioning, yet there are not many where this need has been addressed. A school theme song Pin-Hatai of Triam Udom Suksa School is one of those songs that was successfully re-composed by the author into a sophisticated choral symphony, called Symphony on a Pin-Hatai Theme. There are the compositional techniques such as the use of cyclic form, the intermingling of Thai and Western compositional idioms, and a systematic tension and release being integrated into re-composing Symphony on a Pin-Hatai Theme. I argue that the newly written symphony can rightfully be perceived as a corollary of a new assertion to change twentieth century compositional methods on the consistency of showing an attempt to preserve its traditional characters to please a large audience. Based on the author’s PhD dissertation, the purpose of this article is to conceptualise ways on how Thai school theme songs can be refashioned into upgraded versions, on which a Pin-Hatai theme song of Triam Udom Suksa School will be a particular focus.