ESAN CHORUS: ESAN BAN KHONG HAO

Abstract

The term “Esan Chorus” has evolved from the Higher Education Choral Singing Competition organized by the Higher Education Commission, Ministry of Education, in 2011. With the idea of establishing a choral group in the Northeastern region, or Esan, the researcher has initiated the concept of creating choral singing in the form of “Esan Chorus” by taking Esan country or folk songs, along with the Morlam singing style, as raw materials for new arrangements. The first song that was rearranged for choral singing was the song entitled “Esan Ban Hao” or “Esan Ban Khong Hao,” composed by Pongsak Jantharukkha, a renowned composer of Esan country songs, and a National Artist 2014. The song is considered important in that it well represents the Northeastern region as well as Esan songs, with its unique use of language and literature that clearly reflects Esan ways of life. Having chosen the song as a raw material, the researcher follows a conceptual framework to rearrange the song for choral singing, employing a 5-part harmony comprising soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass, in combination with “a cappella”, a singing style using human voices to imitate the sounds of musical instruments, consisting of 4 groups: 1) percussions, 2) the sounds of khaen to create chords 3) choral and 4) the sounds of bass. The singing combines choral, a cappella, and Morlam styles accompanied by the piano playing Esan folk melodies called Serng, Tangwai, and Phu Thai. The accompaniment of “folk piano” contributes to the prominence and uniqueness of “Esan Chorus”.