Musique ''Samrê'' des Cardamomes

 

CAMBODGE

Musique ''Samrê'' des Cardamomes recueillie par Jacques Brunet

CAMBODIA

Samrê music from the Cardamom Mountains collected by J. Brunet 

Production ''la boite à musique''- Disques Alvarès, 1973,  LD 112

 I already posted several albums by J. Brunet for the Ocora label but this one is perhaps one of his earliest recordings made between 1964 and 1967 during several projects set up by the Research Centre at the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh. 
This album echoes the one posted on 5 April 2026 by AMP about the same people : the Pör (name given by Cambodian) or Samray as they call themselves. 
The text written by Brunet as usual is very informative but in French only. He could see by himself that the  living conditions of these communities were changing rapidly.These mountain forest were quite difficult to cross on the back of an elephant shorltly before Brunet was there but he says that he had great difficulties finding musicians who knew how to build a mouth organ and play it. The khim (local name for the kaen; phloy in Khmer) is nevertheless ubiquitous on this album with one solo (track A1) and backing one or two singers on the other tracks. 
Three groups are presented here : the Pör of the west, those of the east and at the foot of the mountains those living near rice fields in contact with the Khmer people. 
The presence of the khim gives an impression of monotony and austerity but Brunet insists on the fact that we have to let ourselves be enchanted by this music. 
Track A2 is a song to the spirit of the forest before going to pick cardamom seeds.
Track A3 is the dance of the peacocks and wild cattle
Track A4 is a song alternating male and female singers and sung during weddings.
Track B1 is a funeral song.
Track B2 is a dance called  dance of the banteng bulls’ horns.
Track B3 was recorded during a Sampeah Kru ceremony  (greetings to the spirits of the ancient kings) with two  dancers acting as wild bulls. 
Track B4 is a lullaby 

Brunet concludes by saying : ''Almost all of these recordings were made during ceremonies and under generally difficult conditions, which explains the poor technical quality of some of them.  The musicians usually play and dance at the same time, which causes problems with the balance of the percussion. Furthermore, it is almost impossible to avoid outside noise, especially when the forest is nearby. These recordings, however, remain important documents for the history of world music. It is believed that it was from these regions that the phloy was introduced into China in ancient times and subsequently brought to Europe, eventually evolving into our organs. These are by no means merely ‘interesting’ musical performances but, as we have attempted to show above, in fact represent a highly sophisticated art form and musical works of great artistic value.
In this sense, these recordings should prove a source of discovery for the Western listener.''

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