Thai Elephant Orchestra
Encyclopedia
The Thai Elephant Orchestra is a musical ensemble consisting of as many as sixteen elephant
s near Lampang
in Northern Thailand
. The elephants play music
(essentially as conducted improvisations) on enormous specially designed musical instrument
s. The orchestra was created and is conducted by elephant conservationist Richard Lair of the Thai Elephant Conservation Center
and the American composer/performer Dave Soldier
. They have three CDs released on the Mulatta Records
label with an orchestra ranging in size from 6 in the initial CD (2001) to fourteen elephants in the last, Water Music (2011).
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s near Lampang
Lampang
Lampang, also called Nakhon Lampang to differentiate from Lampang Province, is the third largest town in northern Thailand and capital of Lampang Province and the Lampang district. Traditional names for Lampang include Wiang Lakon and Khelang Nakhon. The city is still growing rapidly as trading...
in Northern Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. The elephants play music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
(essentially as conducted improvisations) on enormous specially designed musical instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
s. The orchestra was created and is conducted by elephant conservationist Richard Lair of the Thai Elephant Conservation Center
National Elephant Institute
The National Elephant Institute was founded as the Thai Elephant Conservation Center . Subsequently in January 2002, in order to enlarge the scope of conservation efforts and address the issues facing Thailand's elephants, it was proposed that the TECC be renamed the National Elephant Institute...
and the American composer/performer Dave Soldier
Dave Soldier
Dave Soldier is an American composer and performer residing in New York.- Musical works :Some of his work is based on unusual collaborations. In the Thai Elephant Orchestra he built giant musical instruments on which he trained a group of elephants to improvise...
. They have three CDs released on the Mulatta Records
Mulatta Records
Mulatta Records is a record label established in 2000 by the Nigerian record producer and DJ Ayo Osinibi and the American composer/performer Dave Soldier...
label with an orchestra ranging in size from 6 in the initial CD (2001) to fourteen elephants in the last, Water Music (2011).
External links
- The Thai Elephant Orchestra at Mulatta Records (includes sound samples)
- Eine Kleine Naughtmusik: How Nefarious Nonartists Cleverly Imitate Music article by David Soldier
- extensive article on the Thai Elephant Orchestra by Dave Soldier
- Video documentary on the Thai Elephant Orchestra by Paul Spurrier
- article in National Geographic
- http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/16/arts/think-tank-a-band-with-a-lot-more-to-offer-than-talented-trumpeters.html New York Times article on the Thai Elephant Orchestra