Smote class in Kompong Speu

I wrote a brief report about the smote class where I will studying in Kompong Speu, so I thought I would post it here to give a more-detailed picture of the art form and how it is taught.

Kompong Speu, one of poorest and least developed provinces in Cambodia, subject to both devastating drought and periodic flooding, is also the home of a remarkable class sponsored by Silapak Khmer Amatak (Cambodian Living Arts). I hesistate to call to the class of fifteen students a music class, because smote, a hauntingly beautiful form of funeral chant steeped in Buddhist teachings, is not often referred to as music by the Khmer people. An integral part of funeral rites in Cambodia, smote is performed by both monks and laypeople at a variety of religious functions, and thus is generally seen as outside the realm of secular music. Nevertheless, the smote chants are expressive, highly melodic and filled with emotional and spiritual significance, managing to transcend boundaries set by conventional definitions attributed to the sacred and secular realms alike.

Proum Uth, the master teacher for the class, brings a captivating voice, a depth of knowledge and a gentle prescence to the way he passes down the tradition of smote chants to his students. He is assisted by Kaut Ran, a smote teacher blind since the Pol Pot era, whose lively, strict and respectful approach adds further depth to the education of the students. As Master Proum Uth spends half his time as an achar, or lay Buddhist ritual specialist, at a wat outside of Phnom Penh, Master Kaut Ran also has considerable opportunity to instruct the students on her own.

The classroom for the smote class is situated in small village alongside the national road that passes through Kompong Speu Province. The village is home to two small wats, one at the summit of a small hill and the other at its base, and bright green rice fields, dotted with occassional palm and coconut trees, stretch out for miles in all directions, extending as far out as the forested mountains in neighboring provinces. The classroom itself is on the second level of a small, but well-kept wooden house at the edge of the village, and the students arrive from neighboring villages or from the local school by bike.

Every afternoon when the students assemble in the classroom, they begin with Pali and Khmer sacred chants that remind them to pay attention to the sacred nature of the smote tradition. These chants are not melodic like smote, but instead follow the traditional style of recitation of Buddhist scriptures in Cambodian wats. They then show respect to their masters and the teaching of the smote chants begins. Although the words to many of the smote chants are written down, the students, following ancient traditions of oral transmission both within Theravada Buddhism and traditional Khmer music, learn primarliy by ear, directly from the mouth and heart of the masters.

Smote holds a power to bring tears to the eyes of almost every Cambodian, as both its soulful, ethereal melodies and poetic lyrics, which speak to the bare reality of the suffering of human life, the impermanence of the body, and the mystery of death and transmigration to other realms, are heard at nearly every funeral ceremony across the country. Rarely, however, do Khmer people have a chance hear smote performed live, and most make do with an old, scratchy cassette recording. But in its live form smote is not only melancholy and somewhat frightening, but also terrifyingly beautiful, rich in poetic imagery and Buddhist philosophy.

Of all the forms of traditional Khmer music, smote seems to be the most distant from the popular trends in music today, especially for young Cambodians. But it is also very close to the heart of Khmer people everywhere, and when it is performed, its captivating and enchanting power ensures that it is not easily ignored. And the children who attend the class, ranging from about ten to seventeen years of age, with their bright smiles and playful manner, may seem like unlikely candidates to pass down this deep and mysterious art form. Yet every student, however talented she may be, brings an attitude of respect and seriousness to the class that is highly impressive, and points to both the importance of the art form and the ability of the masters to impress this importance upon their students. After listening to the students perform by themselves, it is hard not to imagine these chants not being passed down for many generations to come.