The book and tour I mentioned previously also has a wonderful website: http://www.cambodianrefugeepoetry.org
Included on the site are four beautiful video performances of smot and traditional instrumental music featuring the great Phoeun Srey Peou and Nhok Sinat: http://www.cambodianrefugeepoetry.org/press_smot.html
I have been reading from the book and am impressed by the depth and art of Ven. Ly Van's words as well as Samkhann Khoeun's lucid English translations. The book is available from the website. I hope that Mr. Khoeun's labor of love will lead a greater appreciation for this powerful form of performance.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
"O! Maha Mount Dangrek" US Tour
A wonderful poetry and smot project involving my friends from Cambodian Living Arts, Samkhann Khoeun, Srey Peov Phoeun and Sinat Nhok:
http://ki-media.blogspot.com/2010/02/cambodian-refugee-poetry-chanting-smot.html
See also the tour dates below:
http://ki-media.blogspot.com/2010/02/cambodian-refugee-poetry-chanting-smot.html
See also the tour dates below:
Article on Film about Smot
My friend Neang Kavich has produced a short film on smot that has already shown in Cambodia. Here's a link to an article about it in the Phnom Penh Post:
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2010022432594/Lifestyle/filmmaker-overcomes-childhood-fear-to-document-eerie-khmer-funerary-chanting.html
While he was making the film, Kavich asked me two questions: What is smot and why it is important? I responded in brief:
Smot is a style of sung recitation of poetry and prose in Khmer and Pali with complex and expressive melodies. Smot is closely associated with Buddhist rituals, including funerals, but may be used in a wide variety of sacred and secular settings.
Smot is important because it is a uniquely Cambodian vocal style with a long cultural history, tremendous emotional force and rich musical complexity. The tradition may lose its relevance in the coming decades if the next generation does not take interest in it and make it their own.
I would add that smot also often serves as a colloquial name to refer to the Dharma song genre; i.e. not merely a vocal style but also a textual genre.
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2010022432594/Lifestyle/filmmaker-overcomes-childhood-fear-to-document-eerie-khmer-funerary-chanting.html
While he was making the film, Kavich asked me two questions: What is smot and why it is important? I responded in brief:
Smot is a style of sung recitation of poetry and prose in Khmer and Pali with complex and expressive melodies. Smot is closely associated with Buddhist rituals, including funerals, but may be used in a wide variety of sacred and secular settings.
Smot is important because it is a uniquely Cambodian vocal style with a long cultural history, tremendous emotional force and rich musical complexity. The tradition may lose its relevance in the coming decades if the next generation does not take interest in it and make it their own.
I would add that smot also often serves as a colloquial name to refer to the Dharma song genre; i.e. not merely a vocal style but also a textual genre.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Radio Program on Smot and Dharma Songs
On May 26th, 2008, a radio program on smot I produced, called "Healing Sounds," aired on KZSU 90.1 FM. (Stanford, CA).
Here's the twenty-minute program on smot:
Click here for the whole show, called "Epiphony," three programs on "the life-changing, transformative power of sound." My program starts about a third of the way through.
(Note: I believe I have cleared up the earlier glitch that prevented sound files from playing on my blog)
Here's the twenty-minute program on smot:
Click here for the whole show, called "Epiphony," three programs on "the life-changing, transformative power of sound." My program starts about a third of the way through.
(Note: I believe I have cleared up the earlier glitch that prevented sound files from playing on my blog)
The Last Testament of the Buddha
My translation (in non-rhyming "brahmagiti" meter) and smot performance in English of the Cambodian Dharma Song, "The Last Testament of the Buddha" (បច្ឆិមពុទ្ធវចនៈ).
YO VO ANANDA,
Come here now. Don't delay!
The Realized One will
Die—you'll be left behind.
Please, friend, be happy.
Don't suffer needlessly.
I now must leave you.
Don't you grieve, Ananda!
This old body will
Be dissolved in all ways.
Stay, stay, Ananda!
Contemplate your body.
These days your body
Is like a fragile dish
Not lasting for long,
It will soon break in pieces.
So you, Ananda,
Must practice—think deeply.
When I pass away,
You must bear my teaching.
Truly this teaching
Will remain with the one
Whose faith shines clear and
Practices as I teach.
Now the Realized One
Will end in nirvana.
Old age violently
Crushes life breath by breath.
Original Text, Author unknown:
យោវោអានន្ទអើយ
នែបារើយមកអាយរ៉ា
តថាគតនឹងមរណា
ចាកចោលបាមិនខានឡើយ ។
ចូរបានៅឲ្យសុខ
កុំជាទុក្ខណាបារើយ
តថាគតលាបាហើយ
កុំសោកឡើយណាអានន្ទ ។
អង្គអញតថាគត
នឹងរំលត់អស់បញ្ចក្ខន្ធ
នៅចុះណាអានន្ទ
ខំគ្នេគ្នាន់ក្នុងអង្គប្រាណ ។
ខ្លួនអ្នកនៅសព្វថ្ងៃ
មាឧបមេយ្យដូចជាចាន
មិនស្ថិតស្ថេរបុ៉ន្មាន
គង់នឹងបានវិនាសទៅ ។
ហេតុនេះបានអានន្ទ
ចូរគ្នេគ្នាន់គិតឲ្យជ្រៅ
ឥតពីតថាគតទៅ
អ្នកឯងនៅថែសាសនា ។
សាសនាតថាគត
ស្ថិតប្រាកដនឹងអ្នកណា
ដែលមានចិត្តជ្រះថ្លា
ប្រព្រឹត្តត្រូវតាមលំអាន ។
គ្រានេះតថាគត
នឹងរំលត់ខន្ធនិព្វាន
ដោយជរាចូលរុករាន
ទន្ទ្រានមកផ្តាច់សង្ខារ ។
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Funereal "Victory Drum Music"
One of the most evocative forms of Khmer funeral music is known as "victory drum music," or ភ្លេងស្គរជ័យ. It is equally know in Cambodian by its Thai name, กลองแขก, meaning "Indian (or Malay) drum."
Here is an old public domain recording of "victory drum music" as would be played in a funeral. The oboe (ស្រឡៃ) player must use circular breathing in order to produce the unbroken long phrases characteristic of Khmer music.
The poor quality of the audio actually takes on a mysterious, even spooky, effect here, as one could easily imagine this song being broadcast on inexpensive loudspeakers at a funeral in Cambodia. Indeed, given the rarity of live performances of this genre of music, it is more common to here such recordings as this being played at a funeral than hearing a version by live musicians.
This recording comes from an old cassette of Dharma songs, likely a copy of an earlier vinyl recording from the 1960's. This funeral music is literally sandwiched in between two Dharma songs on the cassette, showing how closely woven together "victory drum music" and Dharma songs are at some Cambodian funerals.
Palat Un, "Lotus Flower Offering"
First in a series of old Dharma song recordings in the public domain I am uploading here to share.
A young novice monk, no older than 15, mischievously began to climb up the sacred cetiya at Vatt Unnalom, Phnom Penh, home of a relic of the Buddha’s eyebrow. He had, in fact, already been kicked out of the temple the night before for misbehavior, but he climbed up the sacred monument in one last act of defiance. Standing still for a moment, he gazed out on to the monastery compound and began to chant a sacred text in the smot style. His magnificent voice — shrill, yet full of rich vibrato and ornamentation — rang out over the whole temple in the early morning air.
My teacher, Prum Ut, who told, me this story, recalled that after that fateful morning climb, the young novice (named Palat Un បាឡាត់ អ៊ុន) was asked to stay in the monastery, so beautiful was his voice and so astonishing his talent for smot chanting. The mischievous boy grew up to be the most famous Dharma song master of the 20th century, and despite his early transgressions of the monastic discipline, remains celebrated in Cambodian Buddhist circles to this day.
Although few people survive today that remember hearing his voice live, Palat Un's reputation lives on through the cassette tapes that proliferated after his death in the mid-20th century. He was not known to have written any texts himself, but his powerful tenor voice and creative re-interpretation of Dharma songs exerted a significant influence on those who came after him. Certain Dharma songs, including the one embedded in this post, “Lotus Flower Offering”(បទុមថ្វាយផ្កា ហៅ បូទុំថ្វាយផ្កា), were popularized by his beautiful interpretations of their melodies. In the 1990's, Palat Un's reputation began to grow again as audio cassettes of his recitations began to surface in the markets of Phnom Penh and in networks of Dharma song teachers and students. The recordings were apparently copied from old French vinyl records, and their quality is correspondingly poor. But for most Dharma song teachers and students today, such cassettes are the only access they have to Palat Un's vocal technique and artistry.
A young novice monk, no older than 15, mischievously began to climb up the sacred cetiya at Vatt Unnalom, Phnom Penh, home of a relic of the Buddha’s eyebrow. He had, in fact, already been kicked out of the temple the night before for misbehavior, but he climbed up the sacred monument in one last act of defiance. Standing still for a moment, he gazed out on to the monastery compound and began to chant a sacred text in the smot style. His magnificent voice — shrill, yet full of rich vibrato and ornamentation — rang out over the whole temple in the early morning air.
My teacher, Prum Ut, who told, me this story, recalled that after that fateful morning climb, the young novice (named Palat Un បាឡាត់ អ៊ុន) was asked to stay in the monastery, so beautiful was his voice and so astonishing his talent for smot chanting. The mischievous boy grew up to be the most famous Dharma song master of the 20th century, and despite his early transgressions of the monastic discipline, remains celebrated in Cambodian Buddhist circles to this day.
Although few people survive today that remember hearing his voice live, Palat Un's reputation lives on through the cassette tapes that proliferated after his death in the mid-20th century. He was not known to have written any texts himself, but his powerful tenor voice and creative re-interpretation of Dharma songs exerted a significant influence on those who came after him. Certain Dharma songs, including the one embedded in this post, “Lotus Flower Offering”(បទុមថ្វាយផ្កា ហៅ បូទុំថ្វាយផ្កា), were popularized by his beautiful interpretations of their melodies. In the 1990's, Palat Un's reputation began to grow again as audio cassettes of his recitations began to surface in the markets of Phnom Penh and in networks of Dharma song teachers and students. The recordings were apparently copied from old French vinyl records, and their quality is correspondingly poor. But for most Dharma song teachers and students today, such cassettes are the only access they have to Palat Un's vocal technique and artistry.
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