Pinpeat
| Pinpeat | |
|---|---|
| Khmer name | ពិណពាទ្យ |
| Also known as | Pin Peat; phleng pin peat; pinpheat; pinphat; piphat |
| Practice type | Performing art |
| Usual occasion | Ceremonies, funerals, festivals |
| Subjects | Music & Sound; Dance & Theatre |
| Creator pages | Patrick Kersalé |
Pinpeat is a performing-art tradition practised in Cambodia and Khmer communities. (Wikipedia)
Practice
Pinpeat is a Khmer ceremonial orchestra built mainly from wind and percussion instruments, including gong chimes, xylophones, metallophones, drums, cymbals, and the sralai oboe. Ensembles range from a reduced five-instrument group to an extended group of roughly ten or eleven musicians. The music accompanies court dance, Khmer classical dance, lakhon khol masked theater, Sbek Thom and other shadow theater, Buddhist ceremonies, funerals, festivals, and offerings to deities. Musicians generally learn the repertoire orally from masters, memorizing melodic frameworks and instrument-specific parts while allowing variation and improvisation. (Wikipedia; Sounds of Angkor)
History
The supplied texts describe Pinpeat as a Cambodian ensemble associated with royal courts and temples since ancient times. Its origins are debated: some accounts connect its instruments and terminology with India, while the Sounds of Angkor account notes competing Siamese and Mon origin theories and identifies early depictions at Angkor Wat. The harp-like pin, formerly associated with the ensemble, disappeared for centuries and was revived in 2013 by Patrick Kersalé and Sonankavei, according to the supplied text. (Wikipedia; Sounds of Angkor)
Variations
The ensemble has reduced and extended forms, adapting to the available instruments, musicians, and performance setting. Instrumentation and tuning vary between ensembles, while the small and large forms use different combinations of gong chimes, xylophones, drums, oboes, metallophones, and cymbals. Related Lao pinphat and Thai piphat ensembles are described as analogous or adopted forms. (Wikipedia; Sounds of Angkor)
Communities and practitioners
Pinpeat is maintained by Cambodian village, monastery, court, temple, theater, and Royal Ballet musicians. Musicians often learn from master teachers and may combine performance with farming or another profession; some ensembles are financed by village communities or wealthy Cambodians. (Wikipedia; Sounds of Angkor)