Pinpeat

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The pinpeat orchestra or musical ensemble performs the ceremonial music of the former courts and temples of Cambodia. The orchestra consists of approximately nine or ten instruments, mainly wind and percussion (including several varieties of xylophone and drums), and accompanies court dances, masked plays, shadow plays, and religious ceremonies.

It is one of the most ancient Cambodian musical ensembles and is closely associated with the Angkor period. In fact, its history is carved into the walls of Angkor Wat in the shapes of the instruments held by celestial dancers, such as the gong called korng and the small cymbals called chhing, both of which have been essential to the pinpeat ensemble for centuries.

See also: Music of Cambodia.