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Thailand
Formerly known as Siam. It is an independent country located in the Western part of the Indo-Chinese peninsula. Surrounded by the Asian countries: Laos, Cambodia, Burma, and Malaysia. It is inhabited by people who trace their roots from Kwantung, now Canton, Southern China. It is known to be the sole nation in Southeast Asia that has never been colonized or ruled by any Western power, the reason why the country has been called Muang Thai or Land of the Free
According to documents written during the Ayutthaya period, traditional Thai music is more than 800 years old. It also tells us that the Thai kingdom started in the southern province of China. When the Mongols conquered Nanchao, the Thais were forced to move farther south. A written account in the time of Sukhotai (1238-1368 A.D.) narrated that Thai people had made use of musical instruments like drums, bells, and trumpets for entertainment. Musical influences from the Khmer and Mon civilizations has allowed the Thais to devise and create their own version of gongs and chimes. Another document written between 1350 and 1767 A.D., pointed out that the Thai people have extensively engaged in singing, acting, and playing instruments.
The growth, development and preservation of the traditional Thai music are well-supported by the Royal Court which is headed by princes and princesses who themselves have musical inclinations and skills. Thai music is historically and geographically influenced by the culture and traditions of China, India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, and Burma. They have adopted the drums, the two-stringed fiddle and the hand cymbals, learned the use of metrical pulses, and the skill of playing the melody using the doubling and quadrupling techniques, from the Chinese. They have adopted the xylophone, metallophone, and reed instruments from India to make their own set of instruments to accompany their songs, dances and ceremonies.