As all Thais know, HM King Rama IX composed many moving and delightful melodies and other musical works. Yet the blues was always significant for his musical creativity, starting from the first song that His Majesty ever wrote, Candlelight Blues (Saeng Tien in Thai; 1946). Candlelight Blues shows an instinctive understanding of the blues as a genre of music. Sad and tragic emotions of loss are expressed in the blues as a way of preserving health. The Thammasat University Libraries own books explaining the blues, such as The Meaning of the Blues by Paul Oliver. Circulating copies of this book are available at the Pridi Banomyong Library, Tha Prachan Campus, and the Puey Ungphakorn Library, Rangsit Campus. The blues are generally described as starting in African-American communities of the Southern United States at the end of the 1800s. This music was meant to express mourning and grief in ways that made performers and listeners rediscover their strength and resilience. The blues can be about the death of a loved one, or other great sadness, expressed with beauty and giving courage and inspiration to listeners. Blues was a way to find beauty even on sad and tragic occasions. The music drew on such works as spirituals or religious melodies, work songs, shouts, chants, and ballads telling a story. Blues became an essential influence on later kinds of music, including jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll. Among listeners who were impressed by the blues was the British poet W. H. Auden, whose poem Funeral Blues was featured in the English movie Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994). Funeral Blues is available in a collection of poems by W. H. Auden shelved in the Pridi Banomyong Library. The poem’s themes include grief, love, death, mourning and unhappiness. Experiencing the loss of a loved one is expressed, with results that make readers and listeners feel comforted. In this way, HM King Rama IX’s masterful blues compositions also expressed these themes and emotions, as we are reminded by a useful online tribute to his musical creativity. Quoted on the site is Professor Dr. Prasert Na Nagara, a lyricist to His Majesty, who mentioned that H.H. Prince Chakrabandh Pensiri wrote lyrics to Candlelight Blues:

His Majesty felt the end wording of ‘Candlelight Blues’ was somewhat melancholy, to which Prince Chakrabandh answered that it was inevitable as the African-American blues was essentially slow and sad. His Majesty countered that, sad as it might sound, a blues should end with a positive philosophy, a message of encouragement and hope.

This shows that His Majesty understood that although it may be about tragic events, a blues song should inspire bravery to continue facing life’s challenges. When it was first recorded in 1947, Candlelight Blues was performed by Khun Euah Sunthornsanan, (1910-1981), a singer, composer, and leader of the Suntaraporn band. Khun Euah helped introduced Western music into Thai culture. In 2007, he was nominated as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Culture Organization (UNESCO) Personality of the Year on his centenary, and this honor was granted. The Thai Postal Service also issued a special centennial stamp to commemorate Knun Euah. He founded the Suntaraporn Band in the 1940s as the first Thai ensemble in the tradition of Western dance bands of the era. Today, his memory is preserved by the Suntaraporn Foundation, directed by the musician’s daughter Atiporn Suntornsanan Senavong.

HM King Rama IX wrote other blues songs that are well known to all Thais. The graceful and charming H.M. Blues (Chata Chiwit) was written, with English lyrics by H.H. Prince Chakrabandh Pensiri added before a Thai-language version was created. The title is an abbreviation for Hungry Men’s Blues:

His Majesty told the story about how he and the band members, in playing at private dinner functions he hosted for Thai expatriates in Switzerland, often got so carried away with the playing that they did not get to sit down for their dinner until halfway through the night, after everyone else had already finished theirs. That’s how the title “Hungry Men’s Blues” came to be. Nevertheless, the Thai lyrics for the song, written by Prof. Dr. Prasert Na Nagara, picked a theme totally different from that of the English version because the academic did not have the English lyrics with him at the time of composition. The Thai version, whose title means “Fate,” spoke of the wandering of a lonely bird under the unlucky stars, waiting for the new dawn to break through. Still, the two versions had philosophical endings, in keeping with His Majesty’s intention.

His Majesty composed a follow-up to this song, Never Mind the Hungry Men’s Blues (Duang Chai Kap Khwam Rak). H.H. Prince Chakrabandh wrote English and Thai lyrics to the melody of a Thai song already composed by His Majesty, Duang Chai Kap Khwam Rak.

Professor Ted Pease, an expert in jazz composition who has taught at Berklee College of Music, Boston, since 1964, has written:

Never Mind the Hungry Men’s Blues is a wonderful swing composition in the style of such Duke Ellington classics as ‘Don’t Get Around Much Anymore’ and ‘I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart.’ Arranging this composition was fun for me because His Majesty so correctly understands this jazz style. The arrangement just flowed out in a very natural way.

Yet another melody influenced by the blues tradition is Blue Day (Athit Ap Saeng), written in 1949 with Thai and English lyrics contributed by H.H. Prince Chakrabandh Pensiri. In 1950, Blue Day and other music by His Majesty was included in an American musical revue on Broadway produced by Michael Todd, the influential producer who would later marry the film star Elizabeth Taylor. Still another example is Blues for Uthit, composed in 1979 as a memorial to Mr. Uthit Tinakorn Na Ayudhya. Khun Uthit was one of the musicians whom His Majesty appreciated. In 1951, he had formed a musical ensemble, Wong Lay Kram (The Vintage Band). This group eventually developed into what was renamed the Au Saw Friday Band, to which Khun Uthit belonged. In Blues for Uthit, the blues message is blended with a big band approach, for a more festive or celebratory feeling, appreciating a talented friend. His Majesty advocated this combination of mourning and celebration as a fitting way to appreciate those who have brought much to our lives. Generations of Thais of all ages have been inspired to perform these works, following the example of trying to understand different styles of culture from other lands. Looking outward to the rest of the world can be challenging, but other kinds of music may ultimately provide ideas that improve artistry at home. Music also provides a way be express elegance and emotions. Jazz especially is a form of liberation, allowing people of all backgrounds to express themselves. When HM King Rama IX wrote blues compositions, he recognized that life and music may at times require us to get through challenges, a major theme of the blues. As a nation sincerely mourns HM King Rama IX, we think of the example he set, the wise advice that he offered his subjects for so many years, and the musical beauty he created.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)