Cambodia is located in Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos.
During the Khmer Rouge genocide in the late 1970s, an estimated ninety percent of Cambodian artists perished.
Musical Genres
Chapei (also spelled chapey) – Originally, the chapei tradition was transmitted by itinerant minstrel musicians, who wandered around towns, composing and performing poetic tales to entertain and morally instruct young and old alike. The most notable of these performers, Phirum Ngoy, wrote poems to be sung accompanied by chapei that are still studied in Cambodian schools today.
Named after the Chapei Dong Veng, a long-necked, two-string guitar that accompanies the singing style, Chapei is not bound by the restrictions of other traditional forms and lends itself to a fusing with modern styles.
The chapei tradition reached its height in 1960s and early 1970s as a result of the spread of radio and audio recordings carrying the voices of famous musicians across Cambodia.
Kong Nay often called “The Ray Charles of Cambodia,” is one of best-known and celebrated artists in the chapei tradition.
Musical Instruments
Cambodian musical instruments include the khse diev lute, phlom slek (blow leaf), pai–ar (flute), chhing (hand cymbals), skor arak (drum), tro khmer fiddle, and the sadev (monochord).
Cambodian Musicians
