Preludes & Fugues Opus 2
Episode 1 : C/Cm/C♯/C♯m/D/Dm

A new musical piece is here. This is a light and short Prelude to the Fugue in the same key. This is the first piece of my new project – 24 Preludes & Fugues in all major and minor keys.

Prelude In C Major

The second episode of Preludes and Fugues Opus 2 starts with this prelude. This is my first 'real' prelude in term of style and form which are supposedly fluid and free. Actually, it is mainly a canvas of sound shapes and forms – a musical abstract that has no explicit content on the surface. This is also the first time that I use sustain pedal in a prelude.

Prelude In E-flat Major

A fugue in pentatonic scale. A test of how our Asian melodies and harmonic system could be put into a fugue framework. It is an Asian music with intricacies of melodic and harmonic relations not normally heard in traditional compositions.

Fugue In E-flat Pentatonic

A study of Aeolian mode or 'natural minor key'. This mode lacks the leading tone on the seventh, therefore the rule of harmony has to be different from the usual minor key. Harmonic progressions in modal music tend to 'oscillate' near and around the tonic. This gives modes a unique soundscape which can be felt as archaic and unsophisticated, but when done carefully can be strangely charming.

Prelude In D-sharp Aeolian

My first attempt at an 'epic' fugue. By epic it means the fugue is comparatively grand in length, complexity, and emotional gravity. It is almost 5 minutes long, consists of no less than 5 episodes, one main subject and several secondary subjects, modulating through at least 5 different tonal centres ('keys'). I also notice that my preludes and fugues are gradually more dissonant but still maintain tonality.

Fugue In D-sharp Minor

A continuation of the old man's prelude in E major key. This is a real old man's fugue because I composed this piece during the time when I really felt old and fatigue. Not much of a technical delicacy, let alone perfection. This is a taste of life when it is hard and rough, but one still walk through it.

Fugue In E Major

A double fugue with two expositions and two episodes. Bold and direct, an affirmation of life and its struggle, its hope.

Fugue In E Minor

A triple fugue. Each of the three subjects has only one episode of its own. All three subjects ultimately fuse at the ending of the third episode. This fugue took 23 days to complete. It is very difficult, very intense, and very personal.

Fugue In F-sharp Major

A fugue in its traditional style. I have refrained to compose a fugue like this because I couldn't wait to explore what fugues can be. This is a come back to its root. Evenly paced, heavy emphasis on dominant-tonic relationship, baroque ornamentation. This combination made traditional fugue so satisfying because they reach to the mind at its most fundamental level.

Fugue In F-sharp Minor

A special prelude on  the verse and melody of a traditional Buddhist chant "Homage to the Buddha (องค์ใดพระสัมพุทธ)". The verse was composed by Phraya Sri Sunthorn Vohaan (พระยาศรีสุนทรโวหาร - น้อย อาจารยางกูร) who lived during 1822-1891. The composer of the melody was unknown. Most Thai people around my age had to 'sing' this chant once every week in school. It's about the enlightening character of Lord Buddha and his virtue that he taught the way that we can remove ourselves from suffering. It is a very beautiful chant, both verse and melody. I became more appreciated about this chant once I have begun true practice of Buddhism, so this prelude is a way that I can share this appreciation that I hope could inspire anyone to the Path.

บทพรีลูดจากบทสรรเสริญพระพุทธคุณ ทำนองสรภัญญะ "องค์ใดพระสัมพุทธ" ประพันธ์บทสวดมนต์โดยพระยาศรีสุนทรโวหาร - น้อย อาจารยางกูร ส่วนทำนองไม่ทราบว่าใครเป็นผู้ประพันธ์ คนไทยส่วนใหญ่คงเคยสวดบทสรภัญญะนี้สัปดาห์ละครั้งที่โรงเรียน เมื่อกลับมาพิจารณาดูผมรู้สึกว่าทั้งบทสวดและทำนองนี้มีความงดงามและมีความหมายที่ลึกซึ้งและสร้างแรงบันดาลใจ เสริมศรัทธาบนเส้นทางการปฏิบัติตามหลักพระพุทธศาสนาเป็นอย่างมาก จึงได้หยิบทั้งบทสวดและทำนองมาแต่งเป็นดนตรีเปียโน

สำหรับดนตรีบทนี้ ผมยินดีให้นำไปเปิด หรือเล่นเพื่อประโยชน์ด้านศาสนธรรม โดยไม่แสวงหาผลกำไร ได้โดยไม่ต้องขออนุญาตครับ โดยท่านอาจให้เครดิตผู้ประพันธ์ตามความเหมาะสมก็เพียงพอแล้ว

Preludes & Fugues Opus 2

Prelude in G major "Homage to the Buddha (องค์ใดพระสัมพุทธ)"

A special fugue on the verse of a Buddhist chant: Homage to Dhamma (บทสรรเสริญพระธรรมคุณ). Composing a classical music based on traditional prayer chant melodies is incredibly difficult. Melodies tend to be monotonous and repetitive. There needs to be deviations from the original melodies, not to mention musical development which adds further to the departure. As the piece develops, there is some point that the piece becomes almost unrecognisable, therefore a composer has to bring back the original 'tune' into the developed and departed music.

This piece is a loose interpretation of the original melody. It is however filled with symbolic meanings which are very open to personal interpretation. It is pure music and applied music at the same time. At least this is what I hope has accomplished with this one.

Preludes & Fugues Opus 2 EP3

Fugue in G major "Homage to Dhamma"

A highly abstract, academic fugue. The pattern is very steady and symmetrical, with special focus on imitation of voices, either obvious or hidden. Although it is very stoic in structure, this fugue is at the same time one of the most expressive piece that I have written. It contains so many feelings, many contrasting yet connecting emotion, all presented in a very steady, predicative way. It can be viewed as in pair with Fugue in F# minor No.28 because both share the same steady basic rhythm and stoic nature. You can call No.28 the brother because it is more forceful, more direct; and this Fugue No.32 the sister as it is more 'feminine', more expressive.

Fugue in G minor

A fugue that is barely a fugue. The structure and style are more similar to chamber music of classical period, with some hint of Italian keyboard solo style. Altogether this is one of the more experimental work. The musical content is a continuation of Prelude in A-flat major No.33: A simple, lively theme is now developed to face the harsh reality, leading to a resolution and come back to the purity.

Fugue in A-flat major

A modern and minimal prelude on an unusual key of G-sharp minor. A contemplation on a repetitive, unending nature of being. This is the last prelude of Episode 3.

Prelude in G-sharp minor

The last fugue of Episode 3. A non-traditional fugue because the subject and its musical idea aer based not on a melody but a rhythmic pattern – the same device Beethoven famously used in Symphony No.5. This fugue does not please its listeners. It has a feeling of being unsetling and unfinished. It literally asks for a resolution in Episode 4 which will be the last episode of Preludes & Fugues.

Fugue in G-sharp minor

A lively and refreshing fugue. It is very difficult to play because of the speed and complexity. It is a piece of festive mood. A thoroughly positive outlook. Playful yet thoughtful, with a relentless drive forward.

Preludes & Fugues Opus 2 EP4

Fugue in A major

A three-part fugue in grave, serious tone. It's simple and sparse, yet maintain fugal devices and complexity. There is a feeling of unstoppable gravitation that pulls one into something, whatever it is that would depend on a listener. This fugue is composed straight in one day. In term of structure, there is a small deviation from the strict requirement in the exposition part. In one voice I replace the Counter Subject with a free counterpoint. It is needed for aesthetic reason – to represent the progression and development of the theme more musically. This is the first time that I deviate from the strict requirement of the exposition part.

Fugue in A minor

A fun and a bit raucous fugue. A last exuberant sprint before an inevitable decay.

48 Preludes & Fugues EP4

Fugue in B-flat major

Fugue in B-flat minor continues on a theme of requiem. However, it sits at the very opposite end of the requiem prelude no.43 in term of the strictness of form. While the prelude was constructed on a very rigid passacaglia form, this fugue could rather be a fantasia. It is very fluid, the forms are there, but they are not obvious. There are form inside form, for example, a passacaglia episode inside a fugue, which use fugue subject as melodic variations on the fixed bass pattern.

The fugue is also highly dissonant, and perhaps generally not pleasing especially when listen for the first time. In fact, I intentionally avoid many 'cliche' and opt to use unconventional meter, melodic motive, harmonic progression, and texture. I wanted to push the boundary of fugue further. It's the sound that's above earth, and possible, beyond human.

Fugue in B-flat minor "Requiem Fantasia"

The last fugue in major key, closely related with the prelude. A happy farewell to living things that have grown and blossomed into intricate and beauty beings.

Fugue in B major

The final fugue and the final piece of 48 Preludes & Fugues. This is the music that is truest to my consciousness, worthy of being an ending piece of this year-long effort.

Fugue in B minor is a four-part double fugue with four episodes. Each subject comprises two episodes. At 5:21 minutes, it is the longest piece in the set, containing the highest note and the lowest note. It also features all fugue-specific techniques (that I know of): stretto, false entry, diminution, and double exposition.

Fugue in B minor

This piano work is the first piece of a project to compose music that portrays each and every Jataka tales which are 547 stories of previous births of Lord Buddha. In music, I have been seeking to find a way to incorporate it with a spiritual journey. The Jataka stories exhibit different virtues that a person could have before he was enlighten. This will be a lifelong project that I hope would give both musical pleasure and deeper appreciation of this magnificent canonical literature.

This piece is about Temiya who meant to be a future king, but didn't want to because he realised that being a king would meant he had to do harm to some people, so from age 1 until 16, he acted as if he were a crippled mute. His father was forced to have him ostracised and killed. On the day of the execution, with his grace and wisdom, he survived and managed to convince his father, mother, and many people in the Kingdom to renounce the worldly life and become ascetics like him.

The Complete Jataka Tales

Temiya, the Mute Prince

Number 2 of The Complete Jataka Tales Piano Works. In this story, four sons of a wealthy family wanted to compete to convince a hunter to give them free meat. The fourth son was the wisest and sincerest, so he spoke with the hunter as an equal friend. The hunter was very impressed by his sincerity so he gave all meat to him. The fourth son, in return, invited the hunter and his family to live happily in his wealthy house.

A Hunter's Discourse

Number 19 of The Complete Jataka Tales piano music. A simple story of a drummer who had a son. There was a festival where the father and son showed their drumming skill and collected a lot of money. On the way home, the son was very happy so he hit the drum. The father warned him not to drum like that because it might attract thief. Rather, he should hit the drum constantly like a military so the thief would fear when they heard the sound. The disobedient child kept drumming irregularly. A thief band heard the drumming then understood that they were not a military, so they attacked the father and son and got all of their money.

The Complete Jataka Tales: Part 2

A Drummer And His Son

Number 20 of the Jataka Tales. A story of a merchant and his employees, who travelled with many carts loaded with goods to sell. On the journey they run out of drinking water, so they began to dig the ground for underground water. After several tries, the employees gave up. The merchant persevered until they found the water, so they survived and travelled to the destination city where they sold out all their goods quickly as the merchant didn't set the price too high, and returned with good profit.

Musically, the piece has a very slow and unusually steady tempo as it consists of only whole notes. This represents a long journey that requires perseverance. For me, this is a perfect lullaby for adult. I often fell asleep before the piece is finished.

A Merchant's Perseverance

Number 21 of the Complete Jataka Tales. A story of a Buddha's disciple and a hairdresser who were stranded on an island after a shipwreck. The hairdresser managed to kill a bird for food, so he wanted to share it with the disciple. The disciple declined the food because it was killed. On the sea, a Naga (a very big serpent-like creature who is an angel) saw what happened, so he transformed himself into a ship to take the disciple, but not the hairdresser, back to the land. The disciple asked and convinced the Naga to take the hairdresser also. Finally, out of appreciation of the disciple's kindness (as he is actually a Bodhisattva), the Naga took both and brought them to land safely.

Musically, this is a bright and quickly paced piece, representing the disciple's state of mind which is clean and kind, even during hardship. The ending recapitulation part repeats the same theme, but with a slower tempo, changing the mood to a more serious, solid, and appreciative, to point out how good character of a person can benefit both himself and others.

A Disciple And A Hairdresser

Number 21 of the Complete Jataka. A story of a man named 'Papaka' which translates to 'sin'. Mr Papaka didn't like the meaning of his name, so he consult his teacher, who suggested that he travel to find a new name. During the travel, Mr Papaka met three persons, all of whom had great names. Still, each of them still suffered from problems and maladies that are in contrast to their names. Mr Papaka then understood that it is not names, but actions, that defines one's situation.

Musically, the piece is a bittersweet ballad, representing the tragedy that could fall onto anyone who has not developed their minds, despite how good the names are. This is a natural cyclic pattern, comes and go forever, as the melody that repeats with only minor variations inside.

Mr Papaka

Number 23 of The Complete Jataka Tales music. A story of a crow whose master crow's wife was pregnant and badly needed a kind of food that was in the palace only. The brave crow flew in the palace to steal the food but was caught by King's guard. The King interrogated the crow, seeing that it intended to risk life for other. The King pardoned the crow and let it go with the food.

Musically, as the story involves a direct conversation between human and animal, the background context seems a bit surreal, so I wanted to capture this surreality with unusual rhythmic structure and a bit 'off' harmony. It is a happy piece because the story is indeed a happy one, and show morality on both human and animal sides.

A Crow Who Sacrifices Himself

Number 24 of The Complete Jataka Tales. The final piece of Part 2. A short meditation on the story of a turtle who died because it could not hold its speech. The turtle befriended two birds, who agreed to take the turtle to see their nest. The way to travel to the nest required the turtle to bite on a stick where two birds would bite on each side of the stick and fly, bringing the turtle in the air. Once airborne, children playing below pointed excitingly to the flying turtle. The turtle was upset because it didn't want to attract attention, so it tried to shout to the children not to point at it, causing the turtle to fall from the sky and died on the palace ground. There in the palace, the king who was very talkative saw the dead turtle, so he asked his advisors what happened. The advisors, who had been trying to find a way to let the king know that he was too talkative, saw the opportunity, so they concluded what happened from what they saw and from some interviews to the people who saw the incident, then reported to the king how the turtle died because it could not keep its mouth shut. The king understood how the advisors wanted to let him know of his behaviour problem, so he gradually became more prudent and less talkative.

This is a completely new version replacing the old one.

A Turtle Who Dies From Wrong Speech

Number 25 of The Complete Jataka Tales. The story is of Kappakumara who was an ascetic with many disciples. One day, the king saw Kappakumara ascetic looking graceful and wise, so he invited Kappakumara to reside in the palace, but not any of his disciples. Kappakumara could not deny the king's order, so he stayed in the palace. But in few months of stay, he gradually got sick, until he had to ask for the king's permission for him to leave and join his disciples in the wood. The king had no choice so he allowed. Soon after that, the king sent one of his advisors to follow up how Kappakumara was doing. The advisor travelled to see Kappakumara in the wood and saw that he was in good health. The advisor was intrigued how was that possible, because it was understood that the food in king's court was much superior. Kappakumara explained that although the food was good, he was more familiar with the simple and healthy food of the wood, and the company of his disciples who could tend to all his needs, which were few. The advisor went back to report to the king.

547 Jataka Tales

Kappakumara

Number 26 of The Complete Jataka Tales tells a story of a cunning heron. The heron saw a pond full of fish and crab. The water in the pond was evaporating, so the fish might be going to die. The heron wanted to eat all the fish, so it told the fish that it would be willing to take the fish one by one to other larger pond. The fish were reluctant, fearing that this was a trap, so they nominated one fish to go with the heron to investigate whether there was a larger pond as promised or not. The heron use its mouth to take the fish to see the other pond and came back. Once knowing there really was a larger pond, all fish agreed that they would take heron's help. The heron took the fish one by one to a nearby tree and ate them all. After all fish was gone, there remained a crab, who was wise enough to suspect that there was a foul play. The heron asked the crab if it would be going or not. Fearing that the heron might eat it anyway, the crab agreed to go, but on a condition that it would use its scissor leg to clamp on the heron's mouth en route. The heron agreed, so it took the crab to the tree, hoping to eat the crab. The crab saw many bones of the fish, so he asked the heron to return it to the pond. The heron complied. When the crab reached the pond, it clamped the scissor leg, killing the heron.

A Cunning Heron

Number 27 of 547 Jataka Tales. A simple story of an elephant who was used by a King and abandoned when it got old. The elephant felt sad, so it went to talk to the King's advisor and told how it was treated. The advisor then convinced the King to continue taking care of this loyal elephant on the ground of merit and compassion. The king conceded then took the elephant back to his care.

An Old Loyal Elephant

Number 28 of 547 Jataka Tales piano music. A little romantic story of a widowed female horse who vowed not to remarry. One day she saw a beautiful male royal horse who was being bathed by Kingsmen in a nearby river. She almost fell for him, but stopped short of making flirtatious approach thanks to her daughter who reminded her how she took the vow.

A Pride Horse

I compose classical music to pursue the truth and the beauty. It's a way to discover what is meant to be living, and what is meant to be part of nature.

Chitpong

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