Music of Cambodia
Encyclopedia
The music of Cambodia is derived both from traditions dating back to the ancient Khmer Empire
and from the rapid Westernization
of the popular music scene in modern times.
is highly influenced by ancient forms as well as Hindu
forms. Religious dancing
, many of which depict stories and ancient myths, are common. Some dances are accompanied by a pinpeat
orchestra, which includes a ching (cymbal
), roneat (bamboo
xylophone
), pai au (flute
), sralai
(oboe
), chapey (bass banjo
), gong
(bronze
gong
), tro
(fiddle
), and various kinds of drums. Each movement the dancer makes refers to a specific idea, including abstract concepts like today (pointing a finger upwards). The 1950s saw a revival in classical dance, led by queen sisowath Kosmak Monyrat
, or modern music
, is divided into two categories: ramvong
and ramkbach
. Ramvong is slow dance music
, while ramkbach is closely related to Thai folk music
. In the province Siem Reap
, a form of music called Kantrum
has become popular; originating among the Khmer Surin in Thailand, kantrum is famous for Thai
and Cambodian
stars like Darkie.
Modern music is usually presented in Cambodian Karaoke VCDs
, usually of an actor, actress or both making the actions, usually by mimicking the lyrics to the background song by moving their mouth as if they were actually singing the song. Noy Vannet
and Lour Sarith are some of the modern singers who sing the songs for use with the Karaokes usually of the songs composed by Sin Sisamouth or others, in addition to the songs sung and composed by Sin Sisamouth himself.
n singers include: the very famous composer/singer Sinn Sisamouth
, Ros Sereysothea
, Pan Ron
(both of them being Sin Sisamouth's main singing partners) and present day singers: Noy Vannet, Meng Keo Pichenda
and Lour Sarith.
Other Cambodian singers include Chhet Sovan Panha
and Preap Sovath
.
Khmer Empire
The Khmer Empire was one of the most powerful empires in Southeast Asia. The empire, which grew out of the former kingdom of Chenla, at times ruled over and/or vassalized parts of modern-day Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, and Malaysia. Its greatest legacy is Angkor, the site of the capital city...
and from the rapid Westernization
Westernization
Westernization or Westernisation , also occidentalization or occidentalisation , is a process whereby societies come under or adopt Western culture in such matters as industry, technology, law, politics, economics, lifestyle, diet, language, alphabet,...
of the popular music scene in modern times.
Folk and classical music
Cambodian Art musicArt music
Art music is an umbrella term used to refer to musical traditions implying advanced structural and theoretical considerations and a written musical tradition...
is highly influenced by ancient forms as well as Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
forms. Religious dancing
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, many of which depict stories and ancient myths, are common. Some dances are accompanied by a pinpeat
Pinpeat
The pinpeat orchestra or musical ensemble performs the ceremonial music of the royal cours and temples of Cambodia. The orchestra consists of approximately nine or ten instruments, mainly wind and percussion . It accompanies court dances, masked plays, shadow plays, and religious ceremonies...
orchestra, which includes a ching (cymbal
Cymbal
Cymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
), roneat (bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
xylophone
Xylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
), pai au (flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
), sralai
Sralai
The sralai is a wind instrument used in the pinpeat of Cambodia. Its quadruple reed is made of palm leaf, and its body has a slightly conical bore. Its cousin, the Western oboe, has a double reed and a conical bore. The pinpeat instruments tune to the sralai's pitch, and the player must learn...
(oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
), chapey (bass banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
), gong
Gong
A gong is an East and South East Asian musical percussion instrument that takes the form of a flat metal disc which is hit with a mallet....
(bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
gong
Gong
A gong is an East and South East Asian musical percussion instrument that takes the form of a flat metal disc which is hit with a mallet....
), tro
Tro (instrument)
Tro is the generic name for traditional bowed string instruments in Cambodia.Instruments in this family include the two-stringed tro u, tro sau toch, tro sau thom, and tro che, as well as the three-stringed tro Khmer spike fiddle....
(fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
), and various kinds of drums. Each movement the dancer makes refers to a specific idea, including abstract concepts like today (pointing a finger upwards). The 1950s saw a revival in classical dance, led by queen sisowath Kosmak Monyrat
Popular music
Cambodian pop musicPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, or modern music
Jamrieng samai
Jamrieng Samai is a genre of pop music from Cambodia. The slower dance music, ramvong and ramkbach are the two separate types of Jamrieng samai....
, is divided into two categories: ramvong
Ramvong
Romvong or Lamvong is a popular folk-dance in Cambodia and Laos, and more marginally in Thailand. It is a slow circle dance continuously moving in a circle, and incorporates graceful hand movements and simple footwork. Both men and women participate in the same circle...
and ramkbach
Ramkbach
Rom kbach is a genre of Cambodian popular music and a popular Khmer dance style. Rom kbach has a slower emotional melody similar to Thai music, whereas the Chamrieng Samai music category of romvong has a faster tune. The two main cultural dance styles of Cambodia are the romvong and rom kbach,...
. Ramvong is slow dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
, while ramkbach is closely related to Thai folk music
Music of Thailand
The music of Thailand reflects its geographic position at the intersection of China and India, and reflects trade routes that have historically included Persia, Africa, Greece and Rome...
. In the province Siem Reap
Siem Reap
Siem Reap is the capital city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia, and is the gateway to Angkor region.Siem Reap has colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter, and around the Old Market...
, a form of music called Kantrum
Kantrum
Kantrum is a type of folk music played by the Khmer in Isan, Thailand, living near the border with Cambodia. It is a fast, traditional dance music. In its purest form, cho-kantrum, singers, percussion and fiddles dominate the sound. A more modern form using electric instrumentation arose in the...
has become popular; originating among the Khmer Surin in Thailand, kantrum is famous for Thai
Thai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
and Cambodian
Khmer people
Khmer people are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for approximately 90% of the 14.8 million people in the country. They speak the Khmer language, which is part of the larger Mon–Khmer language family found throughout Southeast Asia...
stars like Darkie.
Modern music is usually presented in Cambodian Karaoke VCDs
Video CD
Before the advent of DVD and Blu-ray, the Video CD became the first format for distributing films on standard 120 mm optical discs. The format is a standard digital format for storing video on a Compact Disc...
, usually of an actor, actress or both making the actions, usually by mimicking the lyrics to the background song by moving their mouth as if they were actually singing the song. Noy Vannet
Noy Vannet
Noy Vanneth is a Cambodian singer who has been performing for more than twenty years. He sings for Rasmey Hang Meas and other productions. His genres are pop, ram vong, cha cha, lam lao, in particular the songs of Sin Sisamouth.-Noy Vanneth Songs:...
and Lour Sarith are some of the modern singers who sing the songs for use with the Karaokes usually of the songs composed by Sin Sisamouth or others, in addition to the songs sung and composed by Sin Sisamouth himself.
Popular music singers
Famous CambodiaCambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
n singers include: the very famous composer/singer Sinn Sisamouth
Sinn Sisamouth
Sinn Sisamouth was a famous and highly prolific Cambodian singer-songwriter in the 1950s to the 1970s.Widely considered the "King of Khmer music", Sisamouth, along with Ros Sereysothea, Pan Ron, and other artists, was part of a thriving pop music scene in Phnom Penh that blended elements of Khmer...
, Ros Sereysothea
Ros Sereysothea
Ros Sereysothea was a famous Cambodian singer during the nation's thriving cultural renaissance. She sang from a variety of genres but romantic ballads emerged as her most popular works. Despite a rather short career she is credited with producing hundreds of songs and even starring in a few movies...
, Pan Ron
Pan Ron
Pan Ron was a Cambodian singer and songwriter who was at the height of popularity in the 1960s and early 1970s. She had some success in the early 60s after her hit "Pka Kabass" in 1963, but her career really took off when she began recording with Sinn Sisamouth in 1966.In the late 1960s, Pan...
(both of them being Sin Sisamouth's main singing partners) and present day singers: Noy Vannet, Meng Keo Pichenda
Meng Keo Pichenda
Meng Keo Pichenda is a popular singer in Cambodia, and has been contracted to many companies for her services. She is the youngest of three sisters, all of them are vocal musicians....
and Lour Sarith.
Other Cambodian singers include Chhet Sovan Panha
Chhet Sovan Panha
Chhet Sovan Panya is a Cambodian singer. She is the only singer to reach the top rankings in Cambodia's competitive music industry with almost no self-promotion.-Early life:...
and Preap Sovath
Preap Sovath
Preap Sovath is a singer in Cambodia. He records for Cambodian production company Rasmey Hang Meas....
.
External links
Audio clips: Traditional music of Cambodia. Musée d'Ethnographie de Genève. Accessed November 25, 2010.- Cambodian court music & court dance (Sam-Ang Sam)
- The traditional music and instruments of Cambodia
- Cambodia Cultural Profile (Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts/Visiting Arts)
- Conduct a Cambodian Ensemble
- Khmer Traditional Music
See also
- Traditional Cambodian musical instrumentsTraditional Cambodian musical instrumentsTraditional Cambodian musical instruments are the musical instruments used in the traditional and classical musics of Cambodia. They comprise a wide range of wind, string, and percussion instruments, used by both the Khmer majority as well as the nation's ethnic minorities.-Flutes:*Khloy -...