Khmer music attained its bloom during the Angkorskaya period. No religious, temple celebration or a wedding is complete without it. The walls of the ancient temples of Angkor showcase the beautifully carved celestial dancers and the different musical instruments used in those times, standing as witness to the centuries old past of the music.

Originally Khmer music was not meant for entertaining, but the combined sound that emanates from the instruments was used as a means of communication with God and the spirits.

Khmer music is five-tone or pentatonic with a rhythm determining the structure. This is the reason the shock instruments, such as the drums, double kettle-drums and gongs hold the main place in an orchestra. To the westerner, it may seem to lack harmony, as the music from one musician may give a different tune from that of the others.

Classical Khmer music is divided into three categories: Pinpeat, Phleng kar and Mahori. Pinpeat, which consists of both stringed and percussion instruments, is associated to all classical performances, prayers and other ceremonies. This ensemble dates back to more than a thousand years ago, to the Angkor era. The beginnings of this ensemble are traced back to the courts during that era. It holds the pride of place in Khmer music and is the strongest ensemble of all. There are said to be more than 250 theme melodies in this ensemble. Each and every piece is associated with relevant actions performed on the stage. The sound from these instruments is one of the most enchanting, with the capacity to make people happy.

The Pinpeat ensemble is said to be the basis of other ensembles, such as the phlaeng mahaori, phlaeng knong schoor and khlang chnak. Mahory uses only stringed instruments. Today’s music ensembles are found everywhere in Cambodian villages, like the pinn, skor yol, chhing, which are similar to those of the old.

Since Khmer music did not have any notation and was handed down from teacher to student just through memory, there has been a lot of improvisation with major influences of the American music; especially rap. The modern Mahori or Mahori Samai uses the organ, flute, guitar and other western musical instruments.

Most Khmer musicians become highly proficient on one instrument, but learn to play several other instruments. This multi-instrumentalism depicts musicianship. In the absence of a single person conducting the orchestra, every musician has to understand the other musician’s music.

For Cambodia, coming to terms with the violent past is not easy, but the hypnotic Khmer music, which has survived those tragic years; brings the glory of the past to the present and fills the hearts with joy. Khmer music is the soul of Khmer; it soothes the mind and heals the heart of every Cambodian.

This ensemble has been recorded to date back to the Angkor era, more than a thousand years ago, with its beginnings in the Angkorian courts.  The instruments carved on the Angkor Wat temple walls stand as testimony to its long and glorious past.

Pinpeat is considered to be one of the strongest ensembles of all Khmer music ensembles with approximately 9 to 10 wind and percussion instruments.  Pinpeat sounds beautiful and is sweet on the ears, with a rich and strong rhythm that has the power to make people feel cheerful. This music is used in many of the Cambodian daily rituals.  It is played as an accompaniment to masked play, court dance, shadow play and at religious ceremonies.

This ensemble has a vast number of theme melodies, more than 250 of them. It has earned the name of being the dance music (phleng laim) or the drum music (phleng skor.)  All the pieces are associated with some action or the other, with relevant patterns of drums that are used as a support to the action performed on stage. We can take the example of “Reamker,” where the Pinpeat music is played in coordination with the different nuances of the story.

The instruments which are part of the Pinpeat ensemble are: high bamboo xylophone (roneat ek), low bamboo xylophone (roneat thung), quadruple-reed instruments (sralai tuch and sralai thom), high-pitched metallophone (roneat dek), low-pitched circular frame gongs (kong thomm), high-pitched circular frame gongs (kong tauch), Two huge double-headed barrel drums (skor thomm), small finger cymbals (chhing), small double-headed barrel drum (sampho) and vocals (chamrieng.)

Pinpeat was the basis of many other Khmer ensembles, including the phlaeng mahaori orchestra related to temple ceremonies; phlaeng knong schoor and khlang chnak orchestras, which as both related to funeral rites.

The hypnotic beats of the Pinpeat ensemble with waves of beautiful sound driven by a strong pulse, gives the listener a feeling of inner joy.

No religious temple celebration or traditional ceremony like a wedding is considered complete without Khmer music.  Even the ancient temples of Angkor, which are an archeological treasure, reveal this aspect of Cambodian culture through the numerous musical instruments depicted on the walls.

During the Angkor period, when the Khmer civilization was at its peak, the walls of the great temples were carved with beautiful celestial dancers complete with their musical instruments.  The music ensembles are similar to the ensembles performing today, such as the pinn – an angular harp; skor yol – suspended barrel drums; and chhing – small cymbals.  As a testimony to the ancient tradition, these Khmer musical ensembles are found in every Cambodian village today.

Khmer music is predominantly based on the five-tone or pentatonic scale. When compared to the Western music, it may seem to lack harmony.  One musician’s xylophone will most likely give out a different tune from the others. Each musician imposes their very own tune in the ensemble. All musicians in the ensemble have a single melody in their minds that is not actually played by any single musician.  It is like they just have the road map leading to a common destination.  The drummer usually regulates the ensemble’s pace.

Now there is a modern music ensemble that uses Western instruments to play traditional Khmer music, called modern mohori or mohori samai, which uses the flute, guitar, organ, mandolin, violin, accordion, banjo and violoncello.  With this ensemble, the only traditional musical instrument that is continued to be used is the thaunrumanea drums.

In Cambodian tradition, music has always been passed on to the student from the teacher from memory.  Notation of the musical pieces is a fairly recent phenomenon. Khmer music has a mythical feeling about it, just like the Khmer people.

The first two days consists of a ritual of ceremonies at the bride’s family home.  There is giving of this and taking of that.  The community brings bowls of fresh fruit in the morning and all throughout the day.  The entire time Khmer wedding music, or Phleng Kar as they call it, is playing beautifully in the background.

When I say, “playing beautifully in the background,” I do not mean off of cassettes or the radio.  For wedding ceremonies a seven person ensemble is present making the beautiful music with seven of their traditional instruments.  The wedding ensemble is performed by the oldest and talented of musicians due to the seriousness and importance of a wedding.

The wedding starts late, around 6 or 7, on the third day.  Everyone in the community comes and the best of Cambodian food is served throughout a ten course meal.  The women all look their best, wearing silk dresses, make up, and their hair done up nicely.  The aroma of the room is amazing.  It is full of pure happiness.  Everyone is full of smiles, dancing, and full of politeness.  The music is amazing and adds to it all, and in some say it fuels the Khmer culture and happiness.

There are many different rituals going on within the ceremony, and there is a specific Phleng Kar song for each one of them.  Rituals include: the leading of the bride’s groom to the bride’s house, asking for the breaking of the fence to get into the house, and the beginning of the ceremony.  Within the ceremony there are many traditions such as the hair cut, the cutting of betel flowers into pieces and scattering them on heads of the couple, the drawing of a sword, the binding of thread around the wrist, the kowtowing of the sun god, the entering into the wedding room, the sweeping of the wedding mat, and the greeting of parents and relatives.

The Khmer wedding music is played obnoxiously loud, to a level that most people would not enjoy, but the Khmer people absolutely love it and enjoy it.  It is a way to show off their happiness and celebrate the beginning of their new life with everyone.  The music to them is completely peaceful and magical, but to others who are not accustomed to it, it may sound a little obnoxious due to the high pitched sounds of the traditional instruments.

While the music may sound chaotic, the people are not.  The Khmer people are extremely polite and a marriage ceremony is a very somber, emotional event.  Marriage to the Khmer is more than about the bride and groom’s life together, it is about their lives, how they were raised, reflect upon their parent’s good deeds, and of course, the journey they are going to have together.

The Phleng Kar is played extremely from the early morning of the wedding day to the conclusion of the ceremony (the thread-tying and the blessing) early next day.

Learn more about Khmer karaoke and music a KhmerPortal.com.