Lao Duang Duean


Lao Duang Duean is the classical Thai musical composition of Prince Benbadhanabongse, son of King Rama V. It was composed in 1909 as the original title Lao Damnoen Kwian and was later changed to the new title Lao Duang Duean.

Meaning

In Thai, Lao Duang Duean means Moonlight Serenade or The Moon, and the original title Damnoen Kwian means cart proceeding. The term Lao describes a Lao dialect of northeastern Thailand and Lan Na, and the term Duang Duean means the moon, which means praising the girl's beauty by comparing the face of a young girl to the full moon.
Due to misunderstandings, some Lao believe that all Thai compositions with the Lao accent and Lao identity, e.g., Lao Duang Duean, Lao Siang Thian, and Lao Charoen Si, are originally Lao melodies adapted by Thai composers. In fact, most Thai compositions with the Lao accent were derived from the music of Lan Na, which is called Lao Chiang and Lao Kao for northeastern Thailand by the Siamese royal court during 1851–1925.

History

In 1909, Prince Benbadhanabongse, the director general of the Department of Agriculture, composed a new song to emphasize the song Lao Damnoen Sai during his wanderings to the silk weaving factory in Ubon Ratchathani, Siam. He entitled the new song Lao Damnoen Kwian because he had to ride a cart along certain routes. Luang Amnat Narongran, a Thai noble in the Ministry of Defense, was the first person to sing the Lao Damnoen Kwian in the reign of King Rama V. Its melody and downbeat are similar to Antonín Dvořák’s Humorous Symphony No. 7.
Since the lyrics start and end with the Thai word Duang Duean, it is popular to call the new song title Duang Duean, which means the moon, instead of the original song title, Lao Damnoen Kwian, which was given by Prince Benbadhanabongse.
In the reign of King Prajadhipok, the Fine Arts Department of Thailand has adopted the Lao Duang Duean for Thai classical dance, called Fon Lao Duang Duean. The first performance was set in the audience hall; there were Siamese royal ladies and ladies-in-waiting performing the dance in front of his majesty. King Prajadhipok also refines the Fon Lao Duang Duean by adding a rhythm and had Thanpuying Puangroi Apaiwong play the piano to accompany the performance.
In the reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the song Lao Duang Duean was revamped for the Thai dance, Fon Duang Duean, by the Fine Arts Department of Thailand; the performance was led and sang by Montri Tramote, and its dance movements were created by Paew Snidvongseni, to honor his majesty and Queen Sirikit on the occasion of the state visit.
In 1962, Queen Ingrid of Sweden and King Frederik IX of Denmark had visited Thailand. There is a record in His Majesty's Footsteps: A Personal Memoir, said that Queen Ingrid watched the performance of the crown prince of Thailand singing the thai classical music Lao Duang Duean:–
Queen Ingrid might have been surprised to see the crown prince sing the famous traditional Thai song ‘Lao Duang Duean’ and to hear Princess Sirindhorn play a Thai fiddle and sing traditional Thai songs as well.

The dance Fon Duang Duean was later performed many times, such as,
Since the lyrics of this song are a lamentation of the love between a young man and a young woman, the newly invented Fon Duang Duean dance shows beautiful courting gestures in the style of Thai dance.

In popular cultures

Lao Duang Duean appears in various contemporary cultures and media as follows:

Drama and movie

Computer Program

Loa Duang. The Loa Duang, also known as the Lao Duang Duean virus, is a type of computer virus that was discovered in May 1991 in Thailand. The virus caused the system boot sector and directory corruption and decreased computer memory.

Video Games

Civilization V. Appears as the great work of Prince Benbadhanabongse, who appears as a Great Musician in the game.