SCORES
CROCODILE TRIO
Nicholas Keyworth
ABOUT
This piece draws together instruments and musical colours from different worlds. The universality of the Piano, The western orchestral and chamber tradition of the Cello and the distinct sound from traditional Thai music from the Jakhe.
The Jakhe is traditionally shaped rather like a crocodile – although today the shape is more stylised. The name Jak-hé is also close to the Thai word for crocodile: Ja-rak-hé. Hence the name of the trio.
On one level, this piece has its roots in the classical piano trio, but on another but on another level it explores the similarity and differences of music from different traditions through its three contrasting movements.
WATCH THE TRAILER
BUYING THE MUSIC
The PIANO SCORE, and the parts for CELLO and JAKHE are available to purchase as digital downloads. You can then play these from a tablet or you may print these off and bind them for playing.
Alternatively, the printed PIANO SCORE will shortly be available to purchase directly from Amazon. Inside this score are two QR codes for downloading the parts for the CELLO and JAKHE.
INSTRUMENTATION
DURATION
20′
DATE OF COMPOSITION
2026
PERFORMANCES
4 & 5 April 2026 (World Premiere)
Bangkok Arts & Cultural Centre, Thailand
With support from by Eduprogress Thailand and CUMEX
MOVEMENTS
- Pak Nam: The mouth of the river
- Ko Kret: A sleepy river island
- Bang Kachao: The ‘green lung’ of Bangkok
Piano
Performed by Thanyaluk Huayhongthong
Cello
Performed by Rachmal Jitpirom
Jakhe
Performed by Satayu Ongarj
Presentation to composer Nicholas Keyworth and the three performers by Terence Lam of Trinity College London at the world premiere of Crocodile Trio.
ABOUT THE JAKHE
The Jakhe is a traditional Thai instrument with with three strings tuned to Bb – F – Bb. So it essentially plays in a scale of B flat major but with a flattened 7th – somewhere between an A and an A flat. It is possible to get instruments with movable frets but this loses some of the authenticity and tension which is an integral aspect of the piece.
The music in this score for the Jakhe is presented in traditional western notation, and also in Solfège with B flat as Do.
As the Jakhe it’s not widely known outside of its native Thailand it is possible that this could be replaced by other traditional instruments found in south-east and east Asia. For example, the Guzheng in China, the đàn tranh of Vietnam or the Japanese Koto. Some adaptation might be needed to match the capabilities of these instruments, but the inherent spirit and integrity of the music should be maintained at all times.
Another option might be to play the Jakhe part on a western instrument, but chose one which has a similarly penetrating sounds and can play tremolo. Perhaps the violin, a soprano sax, or an Eb clarinet might be worth a try!