Traditional Cambodian musical instruments

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Cambodian musical instruments in the mid 19th century Cambodian Musical Instruments.jpg
Cambodian musical instruments in the mid 19th century

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 instruments, used by both the Khmer majority as well as the nation's ethnic minorities.

Contents

Woodwind

Various Cambodian woodwind and string musical instruments at the "Sounds of Angkor" exhibition in Theam's Gallery, Siem Reap, Cambodia. Sounds of Angkor (2).jpg
Various Cambodian woodwind and string musical instruments at the "Sounds of Angkor" exhibition in Тheam's Gallery, Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Flute

Free-reed

A Cambodian musical instrument called a Sneng snaeng, made from a cow's horn, sits in front of a water buffalo horn. The reed where the instrument is played is visible on the side of the horn. Sneng snaeng in front of water buffalo horn.jpg
A Cambodian musical instrument called a Sneng ស្នែង, made from a cow's horn, sits in front of a water buffalo horn. The reed where the instrument is played is visible on the side of the horn.

Quadruple Reed

Horns

Other

String

Various Cambodian string musical instruments at the "Sounds of Angkor" exhibition in Theam's Gallery, Siem Reap, Cambodia. Sounds of Angkor (4).jpg
Various Cambodian string musical instruments at the "Sounds of Angkor" exhibition in Тheam's Gallery, Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Bowed

Plucked

Struck

Percussion

Drums

Various Cambodian drums at the "Sounds of Angkor" exhibition in Theam's Gallery, Siem Reap, Cambodia. Sounds of Angkor (3).jpg
Various Cambodian drums at the "Sounds of Angkor" exhibition in Тheam's Gallery, Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Gong chimes

Instruments are (clockwise from front) gong chimes kong von thom and kong toch, roneat ek xylophone, samphor drum, skor thom drum, sralai toch and thom oboes in glass case, ching or chap small cymbals (also in glass case), roneat dek metal xylophone, and roneat thung bamboo xylophone (half in edge of photo). Khmer style gong.JPG
Instruments are (clockwise from front) gong chimes kong von thom and kong toch, roneat ek xylophone, samphor drum, skor thom drum, sralai toch and thom oboes in glass case, ching or chap small cymbals (also in glass case), roneat dek metal xylophone, and roneat thung bamboo xylophone (half in edge of photo).

Xylophone

Roneat (រនាត)- trough-resonated keyboard percussion instrument; generally played with two mallets and used in Khmer classical and theater music

Gongs

Clappers

Cymbals

Woodblocks

Occasions

King's dancers accompanied by musicians before 1900 Phnom-Penh-Danseuses du Roi se preparant a la danse..jpg
King's dancers accompanied by musicians before 1900

Traditional Cambodian musical instruments play a significant role in the Cambodian culture. [3] These instruments are typically used during royal events, weddings, and festivals. For weddings and royal events, the musicians playing the instruments would wear traditional Cambodian attire. Just like the Chinese, with regard to playing context, there is no conductor in traditional Cambodian music because musicians generally learned and memorized how to play the instruments aurally. These instruments provide a sense of identity for the Cambodian people.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of Cambodia</span>

The music of Cambodia is derived from a mesh of cultural traditions dating back to the ancient Khmer Empire, India, China and the original indigenous tribes living in the area before the arrival of Indian and Chinese travelers. With the rapid Westernization of popular music, Cambodian music has incorporated elements from music around the world through globalization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of Thailand</span>

The music of Thailand reflects its geographic position at the intersection of China and India, as well as historical trade routes including with Africa, Greece and Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kong von thom</span> Musical instrument

The kong von thom or kong thom plays a melodic line in the Cambodian pinpeat ensemble almost identical to that of the roneat thung. The kong thom dwells more steadily on the pulse without pulling or delaying the beat (melody). The player uses soft mallets for indoor performance, hard ones for outdoors. The kong von thom is analogous to the khong wong yai used in Thailand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kong toch</span> Musical instrument

The kong vong toch is a number of gongs that are attached to a circle-shaped rack, closely resembling its larger relative, the kong thom. Both instruments belong to the percussion family of traditional Khmer instruments, along with the roneat ek, roneat dek, and roneat thung. These instruments are all performed in the pinpeat and mahaori orchestras. The kong toch is made of three parts; the frame of the gong circle, the gongs themselves, and the gong mallets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samphor</span>

The samphor is a small, 2-headed barrel drum indigenous to Cambodia, approximately .35 meter wide by .5 meter long. It has two heads, with one drumhead being larger than the other and is played with both hands. Depending on the ability of the musician, the samphor can make as many as 8 different pitches. The player of the sampho leads the pinpeat, setting the tempo and beat. It is also played at freestyle boxing evens, accompanying the sralai. The samphor is analogous to the taphon used in Thailand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sralai</span> Cambodian musical instrument

The sralai is a Cambodian wind instrument that uses a quadruple reed to produce sound. The instrument is used in the pinpeat orchestra, where it is the only wind instrument. The set of quadruple reeds are made of palm leaf. The bore of the instrument is not evenly bored, but "slightly conical." 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 circular breathing to play continuously without stopping for breath. The sralai is very similar in construction and playing technique to the Thai pi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinpeat</span> Khmer traditional musical ensemble

The Pinpeat is the largest Khmer traditional musical ensemble. It has performed the ceremonial music of the royal courts and temples of Cambodia since ancient times. The orchestra consists of approximately nine or ten instruments, mainly wind and percussion. It accompanies court dances, masked plays, shadow plays, and religious ceremonies. This ensemble is originated in Cambodia since before Angkorian era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khloy</span> Musical instrument

The khloy is a traditional bamboo vertical duct flute from Cambodia and more specifically the Khmer people. The khloy and other similar bamboo flutes can be found throughout Asia, due to bamboo’s abundance in the region. The khloy is a duct flute and has two sizes: smaller, higher-pitched and larger, lower-pitched. It has six finger holes and a thumb hole, or seven finger holes and no thumb hole. A hole above the highest finger hole may be covered with a membrane made of rice paper or bamboo inner skin, similar to di mo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tro (instrument)</span> Traditional bowed string instruments from Cambodia

The tro is Cambodia's traditional spike fiddle, a bowed string instrument that is held and played vertically. Spike fiddles have a handle that passes through the resonator, often forming a spike, on the bottom side where it emerges. The family is similar or distantly related to the Chinese erhu or huqin. The instruments have a soundbox at the bottom of the stick, covered with leather or snake skin. Strings run from pegs at the top of the stick and secured at the bottom, running across the soundbox. The larger the soundbox, the lower the pitch range. Instruments in this family include the two-stringed tro outro sau thomtro sau toch and tro che, as well as the three-stringed tro Khmer spike fiddle. The two-stringed tros are tuned in a fifth, while the three-stringed tro Khmer is tuned in fourths. The tros, with the exception of the tro Khmer, are strung so that the bowstring is permanently placed between the two stings. When the musician plays, the placement of the bow causes the strings to be played at once, one from below and one from above. In contrast, western fiddles are played with the bow pushing on each string from the outside, as is also the case with the tro khmer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traditional Korean musical instruments</span>

Traditional Korean musical instruments comprise a wide range of string, wind, and percussion instruments. Many traditional Korean musical instruments derive from Chinese musical instruments.

Traditional Vietnamese musical instruments are the musical instruments used in the traditional and classical musics of Vietnam. They comprise a wide range of string, wind, and percussion instruments, used by both the Viet majority as well as the nation's ethnic minorities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ching (instrument)</span> Cambodian and Thai finger cymbals

Ching are finger cymbals played in Cambodian and Thai theater and dance ensembles.

Traditional Thai musical instruments are the musical instruments used in the traditional and classical music of Thailand. They comprise a wide range of wind, string, and percussion instruments played by both the Thai majority as well as the nation's ethnic minorities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roneat ek</span> Musical instrument

The Roneat Ek or Roneat Aek is a xylophone used in the Khmer classical music of Cambodia. It is built in the shape of a curved, rectangular shaped boat. It has twenty-one thick bamboo or hard wood bars that are suspended from strings attached to the two walls. They are cut into pieces of the same width, but of different lengths and thickness. Originally these instruments were highly decorated with inlay and carvings on the sides of the sound box. Now they are simpler. The Roneat is played in the Pinpeat ensemble. In that ensemble, sits on the right of the Roneat Thung, a lower-pitched xylophone. The roneat ek is the analogous equivalent to the Thai xylophone called ranat ek, and the Burmese bamboo xylophone called "pattala".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bamboo musical instruments</span> Musical instruments, commonly flutes, made of bamboo

Bamboo's natural hollow form makes it an obvious choice for many musical instruments. In South and South East Asia, traditional uses of bamboo the instrument include various types of woodwind instruments, such as flutes, and devices like xylophones and organs, which require resonating sections. In some traditional instruments bamboo is the primary material, while others combine bamboo with other materials such as wood and leather.

<i>Roneat</i>

Roneat is the generic Khmer word for referring to several types of xylophones used in traditional Cambodian music; the pinpeat and mohaori.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kong ring</span> Musical instrument

The kong ring or gung treng is a Cambodian tube zither, in which a tube of bamboo is used as a resonator for stings that run along the outside of the tube, lengthwise. It has the same musical purpose as the "bossed gongs" and may substitute for them and accompany singing. Although it is a traditional instrument with a long history, it has been improved on in modern times. The kong ring is represented by similar instruments in other countries of South Asia and the Pacific.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pin (harp)</span> Cambodian harp

The pin is a Cambodian arched harp, one of the most historically important instruments in Cambodian music. The instrument went extinct c. 16th century, and is now being restored in modern times. Its historical importance is emphasized by the very name for Cambodian classical music, pinpeat. After the pin was no longer being used, Cambodians continued to use the instrument's name for classical music into the present era. When the pin was no longer being used, the tonal range of other instruments was expanded, possibly to compensate. Burmese saung gauk and roneats had more keys for the chromatic scale and the number of gongs in the kong von thom and kong toch "more than doubled in number since the musician depicted on the Angkorian carvings."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tube zither</span> Musical instrument

The tube zither is a stringed musical instrument in which a tube functions both as an instrument's neck and its soundbox. As the neck, it holds strings taut and allows them to vibrate. As a soundbox, it modifies the sound and transfers it to the open air. The instruments are among the oldest of chordophones, being "a very early stage" in the development of chordophones, and predate some of the oldest chordophones, such as the Chinese Se, zithers built on a tube split in half. Most tube zithers are made of bamboo, played today in Madagascar, India, Southeast Asia and Taiwan. Tube zithers made from other materials have been found in Europe and the United States, made from materials such as cornstalks and cactus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohaori</span> Traditional musical ensemble of Cambodia

Mohaori is one of the traditional musical ensembles of Cambodia. This traditional ensemble is known in full name as Vung Phleng Mohaori (វង់ភ្លេងមហោរី), literally means Mohaori Musical Ensemble. It composed of many kinds of musical instruments, but today it is more specifically applied to a small ensemble of wind, stringed, and percussion musical instruments.

References

  1. Sovichet. "ប៉ីអ និង ប៉ីពក [Poetry and Songs]". sovichetlifelwordpress.com. ប៉ីពក (the name of the instrument in Khmer).
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  2. Ung, Chinary (1979). Cambodia Traditional Music (PDF) (Media notes). Tribe Music, Folk Music, and Popular Dances, Ethnic Folkways Records FE 4082. New York: Ethnic Folkways Records. p. 2. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  3. May M. Ebihara, Carol Anne Mortland, Judy Ledgerwood. "Cambodian Culture Since 1975: Homeland and Exile". Cornell University Press, 1994