Saung

Saung
	Saùng-Gauk, 19th century
String instrument
Classification	String instrument (plucked)
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	322 322.1 Open harps – The harp has no pillar. 322.11 Arched harps.; (The plane of the strings lies perpendicular to the resonator's surface, the neck curves away from the resonator.); ;
Related instruments
	Persian chang; Cambodian pin; Arched Harp; T'na or na den;

The saung (Burmese: စောင်း, MLCTS caung: IPA: [sáʊɰ̃ɡaʊʔ]; also known as the saung-gauk (စောင်းကောက်), Burmese harp, Burma harp, or Myanmar harp), is an arched harp used in traditional Burmese music. The saung is regarded as a national musical instrument of Burma.^[3] The saung is unique in that it is a very ancient harp tradition and is said to be the only surviving harp in Asia.^[4]^[5]

Lee

Double Lee

In film

In 1956, the Japanese film director Kon Ichikawa made an Oscar nominated anti-war film called The Burmese Harp (Biruma no tategoto), set in Burma during World War II. The main character was a Japanese soldier who becomes a Buddhist monk due to the horrors of war. He plays the saung. However, the sound of the saung is removed from the soundtrack and replaced with an overdub of a Western classical pedal harp.^{[citation needed]} Ichikawa also directed a remake of the film in 1985, which was also a major commercial and critical success.

Notes

^ Sadie Stanley, ed. (1984). "T'na". The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. Vol. 3. Macmillan. p. 601
^ Sadie Stanley, ed. (1984). "Na den". The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. Vol. 2. Macmillan. p. 736
^ "Myanmar - Burmese harp (saung-gauk)". Royal Collection Trust. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
^ Miller, Terry E. and Sean Williams. The Garland handbook of Southeast Asian music. Routledge, 2008. ISBN 0-415-96075-4
^ However the site Harp History site mentions that a similar instrument, called (according to the site) the pin nam tao, whose picture is shown on the site, is played in Thailand today, the main difference being (according to the site) that the Burmese arched harp has 13 strings while the Thai arched harp has 15 strings. (In fact the picture purported to be that of the Burmese arched harp on the site shows an instrument with 16 strings and that of the purported Thai arched harp an instrument with 14 strings )

References

Muriel C. Williamson (2000). The Burmese Harp: Its Classical Music, Tunings, and Modes. Northern Illinois University Center for Southeast Asian Studies.

External links

Audio

The Burmese Saung Sample – Sample song clip of Burmese saung

General

The Burmese Saung Gauk – includes a picture, information, and a sample song
A Brief History of Saung – Saung History by Myanmar-Image
Harp History site
Burmese Harp – the post-1960s saùng-gauk at the University of Michigan Museum of Art

[1] Sadie Stanley, ed. (1984). "T'na". The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. Vol. 3. Macmillan. p. 601

[2] Sadie Stanley, ed. (1984). "Na den". The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. Vol. 2. Macmillan. p. 736

[3] "Myanmar - Burmese harp (saung-gauk)". Royal Collection Trust. Retrieved 8 March 2023.

[4] Miller, Terry E. and Sean Williams. The Garland handbook of Southeast Asian music. Routledge, 2008. ISBN 0-415-96075-4

[5] However the site Harp History site mentions that a similar instrument, called (according to the site) the pin nam tao, whose picture is shown on the site, is played in Thailand today, the main difference being (according to the site) that the Burmese arched harp has 13 strings while the Thai arched harp has 15 strings. (In fact the picture purported to be that of the Burmese arched harp on the site shows an instrument with 16 strings and that of the purported Thai arched harp an instrument with 14 strings )

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