How Long Khmer Music Before 1975 can sustain?

Jan 2007

by

Vann Chaom Mony, Pol

This is an issue of concern because during the Sangkum Era (the period during 1950 to 1975), Cambodia has many music professional with a high level of skill including instrumentation, vocal, songwriting and composition. Currently this skill, by comparing with their predecessors, is falling into a very low level. This is due to the lack of music school as well as conservatory institution, even though we got some influence from the Information and Communication Technology or ICT.

Theoretically, the Information Technology or computer technology can give a good advantage in term of recording or reproducing of old music into audio file that can be kept as a long lasting archive while preserving the original sound. But practically, they can also use this technology to alter the original song in order to hide and erase its original identity that makes it very difficult for younger musicologist to search for original archive. The worst things is that we are now difficult to find a 1970s music with the sound of the original instrument which can imply that we cannot know for sure of what orchestration and arranging technique that were unique for Khmer musician by that time. One of the problems is that the music were copied from an old audio cassette or reel or even phonograph record, but the big problem is that some recording companies are not afraid of deleting the sound of old instruments and play a new instrument on top of it without taking care of the original ideas of the song. Even worst, some companies, while copying the original lyric and melody, can modify the original rhythm of the song, for example from slow rock into rap. This is similar to the act of quoting some people expression and then express into another meaning, sometimes a good meaning to make it looks bad, which is a serious violation and a mockery to the original author, let alone the copy right law. Actually, the production of karaoke music using the songs from the Sangkum era is a good idea as long as it carefully preserves the spirit of avant-garde or original authors; otherwise the worst scenario is coming.

Now it seems to be too late to collect and preserve that old music because they were already altered with the original destroyed or hidden. Also, the people who used to live during the Sangkum era, who are the only survivor archives, are getting old. The first priority and immediate task is to transcribe those lyrics and melodies and better yet, to do research to find out the technique of arranging and orchestration of their unique identity. This is not an easy task because we rely on old cassette tape with various stage of analogue duplication, hampered by commercial dub over by new instruments. But we have to try as much as possible because the new and younger generation who are less and less listening to those good old music, are not likely to make archive and take study of those music. That is why I launched a music website called Khmerworld.info just to archive and publish those melodies and lyrics through music notation and mp3 of simulated songs. Even if I have a very low skill in music theory and composition, I try very hard and write carefully using the latest technology possible and produce audio files and mp3 for easily comparison with the original song.

In conclusion, the 1970s Khmer music can be preserved or not depends on our current generation that we need to work hard to preserve those heritage, otherwise it can get lost in the next decade.

I do this work with my own time and own budget and I welcome any constructive idea or suggestion to my e-mail address polmony@gmail.com, and any support if possible and thank you for reading this website.