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 (including several varieties of xylophone and drums). It accompanies court dances, masked plays, shadow plays, and religious ceremonies. This ensemble is originated in Cambodia since before Angkorian era.
The pinpeat is analogous to the pinphat adopted from the Khmer court by the Lao people and the piphat ensemble of Thailand.
Etymology
According to Chuon Nath's Khmer dictionary, the 'Pinpeat' is composed of the Sanskrit terms vina/ pin () referring to the pin (harp), which was formerly used as the premiere instrument in this ensemble, and vadya/ padya/ peat () referring to an ensemble of instruments.
According to Sonankavei, the professor from the Department of Music of the Cambodian Royal University of Fine Art, the word pinpeat is derived from the combination of two musical instruments including pin (harp) and vadya/ peat, referring to a genre of kong called kongpeat.
The Laotian adoption of Khmer pinpeat is called pinphat. 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, however, Pinpeat in fact originated from Cambodia.
History
The history of the pinpeat can be traced back to the origins Khmer music. The orchestra and its lead instrument of that era, the pin (harp), were introduced to early Khmer kingdoms from India, where the pin was depicted far back as the Gupta period (3rd century a.d. – 543 a.d.). An example from that era can be seen in a relief at the Pawaya site in modern Madya Pradesh, India. The pin may have been introduced to Cambodia in its first kingdom, Funan; however, few structures and evidence remain from this period.
The earliest surviving depiction of the pin in Cambodia is dated to the 7th century on the temple at Sambor Prey Kuk, part of another Khmer kingdom known in Chinese record as Chenla, the successor of Funan. This instrument appeared in Hindu religious art in temples from the 7th to 13th centuries A.D. The instrument was frequently seen being depicted on the walls of Sambor Prey Kuk, Banteay Chhmar, Bayon, and other Khmer temples. During the Angkor era (9th — 15th centuries a.d.), it was played in the royal Khmer ensemble and disappeared at the end of 12th century Although the pin disappeared from pinpeat ensemble for some 800 years, the Khmer still called this kind of ensemble what it had been called since the ancient time. In 2013, the pin was revived by Patrick Kersalé, a French ethnomusicologist and Sonankavei, a Cambodian musical craftsman and professor. Modern musicians have begun experimenting, reincorporating the pin into the pinpeat, its place in the Angkorian court 800 years ago.
In 2014, more than 200 paintings were revealed at Angkor. The pinpeat ensemble was depicted in two hidden images discovered on the magnificent temple's wall. One of two images that depicted the pinpeat ensemble can be seen clearly through computer-enhancement and it is identical to today's pinpeat orchestra, including the absent pin. Pipeat was also regarded as the royal ensemble and accompanied in Khmer traditional and royal festivities in the post-Angkorian periods until today.
The pinpeat, in its form originating in India, consisted of four musical instruments, the pin (harp), (Khloy) flute, (samphor) drum, and chhing (small cymbals), based on an Indian epic. The narration said that "One day, Shiva [who] resides in the gods assembly on the summit of Kailasa, intended to perform a dance. So he ordered Uma to reside on the golden throne, Sarasvati to play pin (vina), Indra to play the flute, Brahma to play chhing (cymbals), Laksmi to sing, and so that other devas and asuras would watch the performance..." Later on, more musical instruments were added or replaced by others and developed to form a unique Khmer musical ensemble.
Today, the pinpeat incorporates kong gong chimes, such as the kong von thom, as lead instruments. This dates back as far as the Angkorian period, when there was a group of musicians called the . Organized music in this period was centered around religious and royal organizations. On one side, two groups of musician served the Khmer brahmins and the buddhists, while on the other side, the pinpheat reflected the power of the Angkorian monarch.