Music of cambodia
- 2. Cambodia, also known as Kampuchea, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by South Vietnam to the east, the Gulf of Siam to the southwest, Thailand to he northwest, and Laos to the north. Cambodia has been subject t the intense pressures of its two neighbors, Thailand and Vietnam. Both have established protectorates over Cambodia at various times. Cambodia’s ancient name is “Kambuja”. The music of Cambodia is derived both from traditions of the ancient Khmer Empire and from the Western popular scene.
- 3. Traditional music is highly influenced by ancient and Hindu forms. It can be heard at a number of occasions---spiritual rites, weddings, Buddhist festivals, and performances of shadow theater. It is the heart and soul of the people. They have choruses with orchestras. Cambodian music has the people’s expression emphasized on gong, drum ensembles, and free-reed mouth organs. It has Thai influence and has undergone heavy Westernization.
- 4. Cambodian music has the following elements and characteristics: Musical Elements Characteristics Rhythm Uses mostly duple meter Melody Uses pentatonic scale or the seven- tone scale Timbre Vocal-nasal Form Vocal-Strophic Instrumental-Three-part form Harmony and Texture Heterophony (simultaneous variation of a single melodic line)
- 5. Musical Ensembles There are three Classical Khmer ensembles namely: 1. Pinpeat – plays ceremonial music of the former royal courts 2. Phleng kar – plays the songs of wedding ceremonies 3. Mahori – involves secular entertainment music, also originated from the royal courts, that is played by a string-based ensemble. The term mahori is shared with Thai music and the instrumentation is often identical, although the songs are not.
- 6. Musical Instruments Traditional Cambodian musical instruments are the musical instruments used in the traditional and classical music of Cambodia. They comprise a wide range of wind, string, and percussion instrument, used by both the Khmer majority as well as the nation’s ethnic minorities. Basically Thailand and Cambodia have the same musical instruments though they vary in names and size. The Pinpeat ensemble accompanies the court music of Cambodia. It is closely similar to Thailand. This ensemble is also used in masked plays, dances, religious ceremonies, and shadow plays.
- 7. The Pinpeat ensemble includes the following instruments: Roneat Dek – a xylophone that is a metallophone with 21 plares Roneat Thung – a xylophone that consists of 16 hanging bamboo plates
- 8. Roneat Ek – a hanging xylophone consisting of 21 bamboo plates Sralay – a double – or quadruple- reed oboe with seven holes tuned in heptatonic scale
- 9. Samphor – a barrel drum, beaten with hands or sticks Skor Thom – barrel drums tuned in fourths and fifths
- 10. Khim – a hammered dulcimer from Thailand and Cambodia. It is made of wood and its trapezoidal in shape, with brass strings that are laid across the instrument. Kong Thom – a gong ensemble of 17 gongs arranged in half circle, also found in Laos and Thailand.
- 11. Khloy – a bamboo-length flute with seven playing holes Takhe – a two – stringed harp/zither with twelve frets Two Khmer – a two – stringed fiddle which can be found with diverse names and forms all over Southeast Asia