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Thanpuying Puangroi Apaiwong (December 28, 1914 – August 17, 2000; Thai: ท่านผู้หญิงพวงร้อย อภัยวงศ์) was a Thai composer, thought to be the first woman composer in Thailand. Her song "Bua Kao" ("White Lotus") is a widely recognized classic in Thailand.
Thanpuying Puangroi Apaiwong was born Mom Luang Puangroi Sanitwong in Bangkok in 1914.[1][2] As a young girl, she learned to play guitar and piano.[1] After graduating from the Wattana Wittaya Academy in 1934,[2] she attended Trinity College London, where she studied music.[1]
Apaiwong is considered the first Thai woman composer,[3] gaining prominence for her work in the Phleng Thai sakon genre, which combined Western notation and instruments with traditional Thai musical styles.[1] She composed more than 100 pieces over the course of her career.[1] She is best known for the song "Bua Kao" ("White Lotus"), which she wrote in the late 1930s for the soundtrack of the film The Old Flame.[1][2][4] The song went on to become a widely recognized classic in Thailand, and UNESCO honored it as a "Song of Asia" in 1979.[1][5][6]
As a composer, Apaiwong wrote songs for plays and later film soundtracks.[1][2][3] She also was commissioned to produce compositions for the Thai royal family and would receive five royal decorations.[1][2] She was named a National Artist of Thailand for musical performance by the Board of National Culture in 1986[1][7] In addition to her composing, she taught Western classical music.[8][9] Also, On 28 December 2019, Google doodle celebrated Thanpuying Puangroi Apaiwong's 105th Birthday.[10]
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