ne myo aung
myanmar
“Moha” was composed in 2020 for the 32 Bright Clouds project and will be premiered on November 5th 2020 at Adelphi University, New York.
It is connected to Beethoven’s Sonata no. 21 in C Major Op.53, “Waldstein” .
“May all people learn to overcome “Moha” (delusion in mind and soul) and work together to pursue our collective wisdom and well being”
Composer’s Note:
The name of the piece, “Moha”, derives from Pali and means “ignorance, bewilderment, misconception, stupidity, delusion in mind and soul”. Moha is one of the three Akutho (meaning “demerit”, or “unrighteousness” in Pali), or three poisonous minds. Moha in people creates confusion and the inability to distinguish ignorance from truth and wisdom. Ethnic conflict, social unrest and civil war have been mainstays of Myanmar’s history. Moha is the source of all these problems. Moha prevents people with diverse political or social backgrounds from pursuing a collective good will.
Born in a small town on the Indian border in Northwestern Myanmar, I came from a middle-class family and as a young adult moved to Yangon, the capital city of Myanmar. I have always observed how Moha plays with human beings in various situations. In this new composition, I explore Myanmar’s musical techniques and piano styles. Western piano arrived in Myanmar during the Konbaung Dynasty (1752–1885) with musicians integrating the piano into Myanmar music’s aural traditions. The instrument metamorphosed from the western piano to the Sandaya piano through the process of adaptation and hybridization. Sandaya is now considered one of the most popular traditional Myanmar instruments.
My composition is a musical representation of how “Moha” leads people through life events in illusion, without realizing reality. There will be some brief moments in the piece where we take a break and think about ourselves. Those moments are important as to whether we will keep holding Moha or not. Depending on that moment, our trajectory might be different.
At the same time, I try to revisit the process of hybridization by incorporating a completely different culture into Myanmar’s traditions, the Waldstein Piano Sonata and the Peace Motif from his Missa Solemnis by Beethoven. I wish to shed light on the long journey of the piano from the western culture to its current life as Myanmar’s “Sandaya”. - Ne Myo Aung
Ne Myo Aung was born in Tamu but continued his studies in Yangon, where he gained a diploma in Computer Art. His interest in Sandaya studies (playing western piano in Myanamar Traditional music) led him to study piano, composition and other music fields at the Gitameit Music Center, with artists such as U Moe Naing and Kit Young; Sandaya U Khin Hla and Sandaya U Thet Oo.
He has performed as pianist, composer and singer locally and internationally. His interests turned towards the archiving and preservation of traditional music in Myanmar in various ways, including the transfer with Chris Miller of almost 3000 Myanmar 78 rpm records into digital format, and as interviewer, cameraman and editor of the music and dance of over 40 elderly musicians in Yangon and across the Burmese countryside.
While teaching at the Gitameit Music Centre, he received the Fulbright award for study in the United States - the first prize of its kind to a Burmese musician. He completed an MA degree in Ethnomusicology in 2014 at the University of Washington.
Ne Myo Aung was selected as a musical advisor of Myanmar traditional music for C ASEAN Consonant, a traditional orchestra which founded by 10 ASEAN musicians. He currently serves as Dean of the Gitameit Music Center, where he coordinates the Teaching Artist Program (TAP), a joint program offered by Gitameit Music Center and University of Washington.