The purposes of this research were: (1) to study the history of Saen Kham Nueng, the traditional Thai song, and (2) to create a new musical composition, Saen Kham Nueng: Through the Winds of Change, for brass quintet. The study draws on data from relevant documents, treatises, and historical and cultural literature, combined with an analysis of the socio-political context of the period, to inform the new composition. Saen Kham Nueng reflects Luang Pradit Pairoh’s (Sorn Silpabanleng) response to national reforms aimed at modernizing Thailand in line with Western nations. During this time, the state imposed restrictions on Thai music performance and promoted Western cultural activities, tastes, and norms. Yet modernization need not sever ties with cultural roots; instead, it can integrate traditional and global elements in ways that allow both to flourish.

In this work, a traditional Thai melody is reimagined for Western instruments, blending Thai compositional techniques with Western harmonic structures to create a seamless synthesis. This approach conveys the potential for coexistence amid diversity, where Thai and Western musical voices become metaphors for conflict and harmony, the old and the new, resulting in a multidimensional and balanced artistic expression. The work embodies the principle of “Diversity and Unison” by transforming historical tensions into a shared musical space that bridges past and present, conceptualized as a wonderland in which diversity functions not as an impediment but as a generative force for new artistic beauty.