His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej is a world renowned musician, composer, arranger, and performer. He also excels in other art forms as is evident in his photography, painting, and sculpture.

The King took his first music lesson at the age of 13 when he was in Switzerland. Mr. Weybrecht, a native of Alsace was his teacher. He taught His Majesty to play the saxophone together with musical theory in the traditions of classical music. However, it was jazz and contemporary music that caught His Majesty's fancy. So he began playing the alto and soprano saxophone along to the recordings of jazz musicians such as Johny Hodges and Sydney Bechet. When he became proficient enough, he bean jamming with these musicians in their records. Among the jazz that he played, Dixieland jazz became his favorite.

Apart form the alto and soprano saxophones, His Majesty also plays the tenor and baritone saxophones. He often plays the clarinet and the trumpet as well. In later years, His Majesty added the piano and the guitar to his repertoire of musical instruments to assist him in composing and in his own musical band.

His Majesty the King began composing when he was 18. His first work was “Saeng Tien” in the style of the blues and hence the name “Candlelight Blues”. To date he has written 48 songs. The melodies and lyrics to his compositions with their “singable” tunes and meaningful words weave into the hearts of the Thai people.

His Majesty's songs became a part of every Thai's repertoire of songs. They are played and sung everywhere….at grand concerts, in dance halls, and in the homes. It is indeed “From Heart to Heart the King and His People”.

Whether it was good times or bad times, His Majesty always had music for his people. There came a time in the 70's when the country was vulnerable to outside disturbances, His Majesty gave his people songs of “encouragement”. The music and the words to these songs encouraged his subjects, be it soldiers or civilians, to be conscientious of one's role and duty in the upholding of Thai values. His musical gifts to his people did not stop at writing songs, he also set up a radio station, “Aw Saw”, to broadcast music, news, and relevant matters.

His Majesty used music to communicate with people and young subjects, especially students. He used music to overcome international barriers and strengthen diplomatic ties. His musical prowess was world acclaimed such that in 1964, The Academy for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna made him an Honorary Member of the Academy, ranking 23rd among Bruno Walter, Paul Hindermith, Pablo Casals, and Yehudi Menuhin. To commemorate the occasion, His Majesty was presented with a citation certificate and his name was engraved on the Academy's marble plaque. The King was lauded for the quality of his musical compositions and especially for “having helped to build a bridge of musical tradition between East and West”. He was the youngest and the first Asian musician to have been bestowed the honor.

His Majesty is a natural teacher. He once related a teaching experience to his daughter, H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, that he was teaching a blind person to play music with great difficulty. It was because the blind person could not see how a sound was produced from an instrument. After some efforts at explanation, his pupil grasped the principles and his face beamed with pleasure and pride when he could produce the first note. He also taught H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn to blow the trumpet. Her Royal Highness became his student No.1. The number of students consisting of members of his entourage grew to such a size that a band called “Sahai Pattana” was established.

The innate desire by this King of the Chakri Dynasty to share and to give “happiness” to his people flows through all of his activities, music notwithstanding.

Though his musical skills lie in western music, his love for Thai classical music is not less.

He wants to preserve Thailand's musical heritage and to prevent its disappearance or distortion. He has great concern for the preservation of the traditional sound levels of classical Thai music and has encouraged research on traditional Thai musical scales of different instruments, using scientific methods. With his initiation along with personal funds, “Thai Classical Music Book I” was published as a reference book for traditional Thai songs.

His Majesty has also graciously made official, two highly significant ceremonies in Thai classical dance and music tradition. The first is the initiation rite, authorizing a few revered dancers to act as masters of annual ceremonies of homage to dance and music patrons (human or divine). The second is an official passing on of a highly revered Thai dance format called “Dance of Ong Phra Pirap” from the only (male) dance master left, to a few dancers who will ensure the preservation of this dance format.

Indeed His Majesty is not only a performer, a composer, a teacher, he is in all a gracious patron of the arts befitting the title “Supreme Artist”.