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Roneat ( km, រនាត) is the generic Khmer word for referring to several types of xylophones used in traditional Cambodian music; the pinpeat and
mohaori Mohaori ( Khmer: មហោរី) is one of the traditional musical ensembles of Cambodia. This traditional ensemble is known in full name as Vung Phleng Mohaori (វង់ភ្លេងមហោរី), literally means ''Mohaori Musical Ensemb ...
. Roneat may refers to several Cambodian xylophone types such as roneat thmor, roneat ek,
roneat thung The ''roneat thung'' or ''roneat thum'' ( km, រនាតធុង) is a low-pitched xylophone used in the Khmer classical music of Cambodia. It is built in the shape of a curved, rectangular shaped boat. This instrument plays an important part i ...
,
roneat dek Roneat ( km, រនាត) is the generic Khmer word for referring to several types of xylophones used in traditional Cambodian music; the pinpeat and mohaori. Roneat may refers to several Cambodian xylophone types such as roneat thmor, roneat ...
, and roneat thaong.


Etymology

The word "roneat" is a Khmer word for the bamboo xylophone, which is an ancient musical instrument of Cambodia. According to the Khmer national dictionary, roneat means xylophone and is described as "the percussive musical instrument that has a long body where its bars are made from bamboo or other good quality woods or metal bars striking with a pair of two roneat sticks played in the pinpeat and
mohaori Mohaori ( Khmer: មហោរី) is one of the traditional musical ensembles of Cambodia. This traditional ensemble is known in full name as Vung Phleng Mohaori (វង់ភ្លេងមហោរី), literally means ''Mohaori Musical Ensemb ...
orchestras. ''The Garland Handbook of Southest Asian Music'' edited by Terry E. Miller and Sean Williams, argued that the word ''roneat'' is a Khmer generic term that refers to xylophones or metallophones — idiophones, with bars of bamboo, wood, or metal. The word roneat derives from the word "roneap" which means bamboo strips or bamboo bars. It's quite possible in Khmer language and word derivations as the note bars of this instrument are made mostly from bamboo bars or strips. Moreover, a research compiled by Cambodian professor Hun Sarnin indicated that the Khmer word ''roneat'', which probably derived from the
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...
word ''raghunâ tha-vinâ'', appeared since the early Cambodian history during the
Funan Funan (; km, ហ៊្វូណន, ; vi, Phù Nam, Chữ Hán: ) was the name given by Chinese cartographers, geographers and writers to an ancient Indianized state—or, rather a loose network of states ''(Mandala)''—located in mainla ...
kingdom.


History

Music has been part of Khmer daily life since at least the first Khmer kingdom (
Funan Funan (; km, ហ៊្វូណន, ; vi, Phù Nam, Chữ Hán: ) was the name given by Chinese cartographers, geographers and writers to an ancient Indianized state—or, rather a loose network of states ''(Mandala)''—located in mainla ...
), as music along with dancing were frequently performed in religious temples, local festivities, and royal ceremony. Therefore, the roneat is thought to have originated from before the
Angkor Angkor ( km, អង្គរ , 'Capital city'), also known as Yasodharapura ( km, យសោធរបុរៈ; sa, यशोधरपुर),Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-Engl ...
empire. As the sister musical instrument of the roneat ek, the
roneat thung The ''roneat thung'' or ''roneat thum'' ( km, រនាតធុង) is a low-pitched xylophone used in the Khmer classical music of Cambodia. It is built in the shape of a curved, rectangular shaped boat. This instrument plays an important part i ...
was already a member of the pinpeat orchestra before Angkor period. One of the oldest xylophones in mainland Southeast Asia can be found in
Lam Dong Province Lam or LAM may refer to: Organizations * Laguna Art Museum, California, US * Lam Eng Rubber, a Malaysian manufacturer * Lam Research, American semiconductor equipment company * LAM Mozambique Airlines, flag carrier airline of Mozambique * Librarie ...
, Central Highlands,
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...
. This early instrument was known in native language as the ''goonglu''. Researchers have found many stone xylophones in Vietnam's Central Highland where the 
Mon-Khmer The Austroasiatic languages , , are a large language family in Mainland Southeast Asia and South Asia. These languages are scattered throughout parts of Thailand, Laos, India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Nepal, and southern China and are th ...
indigenous minority, the K'ho lives. The Koho people knew how to use the stone xylophone long ago; some stone xylophones found there were dated as being about 2500 years old. In Cambodia, this type of
prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The us ...
stone xylophone , known as roneat thmor in Khmer, was also found in a site known as Along Tra Reach in Kampong Chhnang province, Central Cambodia. However, the age is unknown, but is probably as old as those found in Vietnam's Central Highland eastward of Cambodia. Although, no carving has been found yet, but this does not prelude the possibility that roneat may have been used by the ancient
Khmers The Khmer people ( km, ជនជាតិខ្មែរ, ) are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Cambodia. They comprise over 90% of Cambodia's population of 17 million.
as it was considered to be common or folk instruments and the musical instruments portrayed at Angkor are composed primarily of stringed and woodwind instruments with rhythmic percussion, usually accompanying dancing. Fortunately, recently, more than 200 hidden paintings were revealed on the wall of
Angkor Wat Angkor Wat (; km, អង្គរវត្ត, "City/Capital of Temples") is a temple complex in Cambodia and is the largest religious monument in the world, on a site measuring . Originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the g ...
with the help of new technology. Among them, there is a clear depiction of a Khmer traditional orchestra in which the musical instruments are clearly visible through the computer-enhancement. This orchestra includes two hanging
gong A gongFrom Indonesian and ms, gong; jv, ꦒꦺꦴꦁ ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ja, , dora; km, គង ; th, ฆ้อง ; vi, cồng chiêng; as, কাঁহ is a percussion instrument originating in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Gongs ...
s, a 
drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...
, kong vong thom, roneat, and
trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
. This new discovery is probably the oldest depiction of roneat genres in Cambodia. According to another source, Cambodian roneat genres were derived from the Javanese
gamelan Gamelan () ( jv, ꦒꦩꦼꦭꦤ꧀, su, ᮌᮙᮨᮜᮔ᮪, ban, ᬕᬫᭂᬮᬦ᭄) is the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments. T ...
musical instruments which influenced the Khmer musical instrument in the early Angkorian period, and which spread from Kampuchea further northwest to
Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
. The last monarch of Khmer Kingdom of
Chenla Chenla or Zhenla (; km, ចេនឡា, ; vi, Chân Lạp) is the Chinese designation for the successor polity of the kingdom of Funan preceding the Khmer Empire that existed from around the late sixth to the early ninth century in Indoc ...
King
Jayavarman II Jayavarman II ( km, ជ័យវរ្ម័នទី២; c. 770 – 850) (reigned c. 802–850) was a Khmer prince who founded and became the ruler of the Khmer Empire (Cambodia) after unifying the Khmer civilization. The Khmer Empire was the ...
, who returned from the Javanese Court in 802 a.d., began the grandiose consecration ritual (the concept of
Devaraja "Devarāja" was the religious order of the "god-king," or deified monarch in medieval Southeast Asia. The devarāja order grew out of both Hinduism and separate local traditions depending on the area. It taught that the king was a divine u ...
or God-King on sacred Mount
Mahendraparvata Mahendraparvata ( km, មហេន្ទ្របវ៌ត) is an ancient city of the Khmer Empire era in Cambodia. The existence of the city has been known for decades, but much of it lay concealed by forest and earth. The city was uncovered ...
), now known as
Phnom Kulen Phnom Kulen (or Kulen Mountain; km, ភ្នំគូលែន, ; ) is a mountain range and a part of Phnom Kulen National Park in Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. Geography Rather than a hill range, Phnom Kulen is an isolated chain of small m ...
, to celebrate the independence of Kambuja (Cambodia) from
Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...
nese dominion. He became the first emperor of the Khmer Empire, as verified by the Sdok Kak Thom inscription. Throughout the history of
Cambodian music The music of Cambodia is derived from a mesh of cultural traditions dating back to the ancient Khmer Empire, India, China and the original indigenous tribes living in the area before the arrival of Indian and Chinese travelers. With the rapid W ...
, especially in the post-Angkorian period, Roneat genres such as roneat ek and roneat thung usually appears in various mural paintings and always represent in the pinpeat or mahori orchestra.


Types of roneat


Roneat thmor

The ''roneat thmor'' ( km, រនាតថ្ម) or literally stone xylophone is thought to be the earliest form of xylophone. These stone musical instruments can be found in various locations. Many were found in Vietnam's ''Tay Nguyen'' or Central Highlands, eastward of Cambodia, played by the Koho people. They are aged to some 2500 years old. In Cambodia, two roneat thmor tone-bars were also found in Kampong Chhnang, in Central Cambodia. Each of these stone xylophone bars are more than 1,5 meter long which is a whole body of roneat thmor, unlike those separating pieces of stone xylophone bars found in Vietnam. These stone xylophone bars generate the same sound as gongs and other roneat genre, but their sound is quite louder. By observing its physical appearance, we can identify their head and end as the end khaols of other roneat genres. By this, researcher can easily identify the sound notes. These stone xylophone bars were likely made from the same stone because the sound note variance of both stone xylophone bars from the head to their ends share similar sound notes. The age of these stone xylophone bars are unknown but probably as old as those found in the region or probably much older.


Roneat ek

The ''roneat Ek'' or roneat aek is a
xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in ...
used in the Khmer classical music of
Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...
. It is built in the shape of a curved, rectangular shaped boat. It has twenty-one thick bamboo or hard wood bars that are suspended from strings attached to the two walls. They are cut into pieces of the same width, but of different lengths and thickness. Originally these instruments were highly decorated with inlay and carvings on the sides of the sound box. Now they are simpler. The Roneat is played in the '' pinpeat''ensemble. In that ensemble, sits on the right of the ''
roneat thung The ''roneat thung'' or ''roneat thum'' ( km, រនាតធុង) is a low-pitched xylophone used in the Khmer classical music of Cambodia. It is built in the shape of a curved, rectangular shaped boat. This instrument plays an important part i ...
'', a lower-pitched xylophone. The ''roneat ek'' is the analogous equivalent to the Thai xylophone called '' ranat ek'', and the Burmese bamboo xylophone called "
pattala The pattala ( my, ပတ္တလား ''patta.la:'', ; mnw, ဗာတ် ကလာ) is a Burmese xylophone, consisting of 24 bamboo slats called ''ywet'' () or ''asan'' () suspended over a boat-shaped resonating chamber. It is played with two ...
". Roneat ek play significant role in both pinpeat and mahori orchestra. Throughout the history of
Cambodian music The music of Cambodia is derived from a mesh of cultural traditions dating back to the ancient Khmer Empire, India, China and the original indigenous tribes living in the area before the arrival of Indian and Chinese travelers. With the rapid W ...
, especially in the post-Angkorian period, roneat ek usually appears in various mural paintings and always represent in both traditional orchestras due to its significant function and musical contribution.


Roneat Thung

The ''roneat thung'' is a low-pitched
xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in ...
used in the Khmer classical music of
Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...
. It is built in the shape of a curved, rectangular shaped boat. This instrument plays an important part in the '' pinpeat'' ensemble. The ''roneat thung'' is placed on the left of the '' roneat ek'', a higher-pitched xylophone. The
roneat thung The ''roneat thung'' or ''roneat thum'' ( km, រនាតធុង) is a low-pitched xylophone used in the Khmer classical music of Cambodia. It is built in the shape of a curved, rectangular shaped boat. This instrument plays an important part i ...
, sister musical instrument to the  roneat ek, was part of the pinpeat orchestra before the Angkor period.


Roneat Dek

The ''roneat dek'' is a
Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...
n
metallophone A metallophone is any musical instrument in which the sound-producing body is a piece of metal (other than a metal string), consisting of tuned metal bars, tubes, rods, bowls, or plates. Most frequently the metal body is struck to produce sound, ...
, comparable to the roneat ek. It is an ancient instrument made of 21 blackened-iron bars. It may be used in the '' pinpeat'' ensemble and mahaori orchestra. It is believed to have originated from the Royal Courts before the
Angkor Angkor ( km, អង្គរ , 'Capital city'), also known as Yasodharapura ( km, យសោធរបុរៈ; sa, यशोधरपुर),Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-Engl ...
period.Khean, Yun; Dorivan, Keo; Lina, Y; Lenna, Mao. ''Traditional Musical Instruments of Cambodia''(PDF). Kingdom of Cambodia: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. p. 163.


Roneat Thaong

''See'' Variation of roneat dek


Importance in Khmer Orchestras


References


External links


Page with photo of early form of Roneat Thmor (stone xylophone & its discovery note) found in Kampong Chhnang, Central Cambodia.Video, ethnomusicologist and music archaeologist Patrick Kersalé plays and tests the sound of Roneat Thmor or Stone Xylophone in Phnom Penh National Museum.Goonglu, an early type of Roneat: Stone Xylophone of Mon-Khmer indigenous minority K'ho, rearranged in the same shape as today Roneat, exhibits in Lam Dong Museum, Vietnam.Stone xylophones of the Tay Nguyen highland quarries.Page with image of Roneat depicted in Traditional Khmer Pinpeat Orchestra, seen in a hidden painting revealed at Angkor Wat. Roneat is fifth from the left.
{{Cambodian musical instruments Cambodian musical instruments Asian percussion instruments