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The composition of the various orchestras and their use in any given occasion is of Indian origin. The system was brought over to Indo-China by the Indians during the period of the Khmer supremacy. When the Tai succeeded the Khmer they introduced various modifications which finally resulted in the present system.
Siamese musical instruments of Indian origin may, from the method of their use in the orchestra, be divided into two groups:
- The group 'Dontrī' or collection of stringed instruments, which has become the 'Mahorī' otchestra.
- The group 'Turiya' or collection of wind instruments and instruments of percussion which has become the 'Pī Pāt' orchestra.
These two groups have different uses. 'Dontrī' instruments have a soft sound and usually serve to accompany singing indoors. 'Turiya' instruments have a loud sound and are generally used to accompany dances in the open air.
Such is the original of the 'Mahorī' and the 'Pī Pāt'.
Mahorī.
In Siam the original composition of String-hands was of two kinds, known as 'Banleng Pin' and 'Khap Mai' respectively. In the mode 'Banleng Pin' only the 'gourd-lute' was used and the singer accompanied himself on it (see plate IX). Few players can perform on the instrument now and it is not much used, being replaced by the 'Saw' (fiddle).
The 'Khap Mai' is played by three musicians: a singer, a three-string-fiddle-player who accompanies the singing, and a player of 'Bandoh' drum who marks time (see plate X). This kind of music obtains nowadays only in certain royal ceremonies, such as those which mark the Coronation anniversaries. The 'Banleng Pin' and the 'Khap Mai' are played exclusively by men.
The 'Mahorī' seems to have been invented by the ancient Khmers. The Tai adopted and elaborated it⟨.⟩ It was originally played by men, but when this form of orchestra became popular, men of position who had large households caused the 'Mahorī' to be performed by women, and it became composed of women from the
