Pinpeat
Encyclopedia
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
(including several varieties of xylophone
and drums
). It accompanies court dances, masked plays
, shadow play
s, and religious
ceremonies. The pinpeat is analogous to the piphat
ensemble of Thailand.
which was formerly used as the premiere instrument in this ensemble and vadya referring to an ensemble of instruments. Chuon Nath mentions, the term piphat was also used among Cambodians familiar with the Thai language; this can be attributed to the former annexation of the northern provinces of Cambodia.
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
or musical ensemble
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
performs the ceremonial music of the royal cours and temples of Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
. The orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
consists of approximately nine or ten instruments, mainly wind
Wind instrument
A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator , in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into a mouthpiece set at the end of the resonator. The pitch of the vibration is determined by the length of the tube and by manual modifications of...
and percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
(including several varieties of xylophone
Xylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
and drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
). It accompanies court dances, masked plays
Lakhon khol
Lakhon khol is a masked dance theatre that features enactment of the Reamker. It was once part of the performing arts of the Cambodian Court of Oudong and is analogous to the more refined version of the drama, the Royal Khon of Thailand...
, shadow play
Khmer shadow theatre
Khmer shadow theatre are forms of shadow play in which leather shadow puppets are used. The two main genres include Sbek Thom, which features the Reamker, the other being Sbek Toch uses smaller puppets and a wide range of stories...
s, and religious
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
ceremonies. The pinpeat is analogous to the piphat
Piphat
A piphat is a kind of ensemble in the classical music of Thailand, which features wind and percussion instruments. It is considered the primary form of ensemble for the interpretation of the most sacred and "high-class" compositions of the Thai classical repertoire, including the Buddhist...
ensemble of Thailand.
Etymology
According to Chuon Nath's renowned Khmer dictionary, the 'pinpeat' is composed of the Sanskrit terms vina referring to a chapeyChapey
The chapey is a plucked string instrument from Cambodia. It has two double courses of nylon strings....
which was formerly used as the premiere instrument in this ensemble and vadya referring to an ensemble of instruments. Chuon Nath mentions, the term piphat was also used among Cambodians familiar with the Thai language; this can be attributed to the former annexation of the northern provinces of Cambodia.
Instruments used in pinpeat ensembles
This list presents instruments which are or have been used in various pinpeat ensembles.- roneat - xylophones
- roneat ekRoneat ekThe roneat ek 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...
- the lead high-pitched bamboo xylophone - roneat thungRoneat thungThe roneat thung is a low-pitched xylophone used in the Khmer classical music of Cambodia. It is built in the shape of a curved, rectangular shaped boat. This instrument plays an important part in the pinpeat ensemble. The roneat thung is placed on the left of the roneat ek, a higher-pitched...
- a low-pitched xylophone - roneat dekRoneat dekThe roneat dek is a Cambodian metallophone. It is an ancient instrument made of metal and is used in the pinpeat ensemble. It is believed to have originated from the Royal Courts before the Angkor period. This instrument is rarely covered with ornamentation on either the bars or the sound box...
- a metal xylophone or metallophoneMetallophoneA metallophone is any musical instrument consisting of tuned metal bars which are struck to make sound, usually with a mallet.Metallophones have been used in music for hundreds of years. There are several different types used in Balinese and Javanese gamelan ensembles, including the gendér, gangsa... - roneat thong - a metallophone
- roneat ek
- kong vong (or "gong vong" in some romanisations)- gong circles
- kong vong thom - a 'large circle of gongs'
- kong vong toch - a 'small circle of gongs'
- drums
- skor thom - two big drums (similar to taikoTaikomeans "drum" in Japanese . Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming...
drums) played with drumsticks - samphorSamphoThe samphor is a small barrel drum indigenous to Cambodia. It has two heads and is played with both hands. The player of the sampho leads the pinpeat , setting the tempo and beat...
- a double-headed drum played with hands
- skor thom - two big drums (similar to taiko
- sralaiSralaiThe 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...
- a quadruple-reed- sralai thom - a large quadruple-reed flute
- sralai toch - a small quadruple-reed flute
- khloyKhloyA khloy is an ancient traditional bamboo 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, about 15 inches long and 1 inch in diameter, with 8 or 9...
- a type of bamboo flute (was used in place of the sralai in the past) - chhing (chhap) - finger cymbals
- krap - wooden clappers (presently rarely used)
External links
- A photo gallery of various pinpeat ensembles
- L'orchestre "Pin Peat" (French)
- Pin Peat played by boys (Japanese)
- Khmer PinPeat (In English)