In the past, any funeral of note necessarily included many performance
activities. Today, wealthy Bangkok families may or may not arrange for
music and dance at their relatives’ funerals, and when they do, it is a much
pared-down version of the exuberant performances that once surrounded
the passage from life to death. Still, musicians remember how it used to be,
because it was not that long ago that funerals meant music all day and late
into the night for several days. Not surprisingly, musicians,funerals today
are still filled with music and dance, and they maintain customs that were
once common practice.