Cambodia: Traditional Music, Vol. 1: Instrumental and Vocal Pieces

Mahori (Thai: มโหรี; comparable to Khmer mohaori) is a courtly Thai classical ensemble for secular entertainment that blends the bright, percussive xylophones and gong-chime circles of the piphat (and its Khmer counterpart, pinpeat) with the supple strings and flute of the khrueang sai ensemble. In practice, a mahori set features heterophonic interplay: ranat (xylophones), khong wong (gong-circles), and time-marking hand cymbals (ching) interlock with the lyrical saw duang and saw u fiddles, the plucked zither (jakhe), and the khlui bamboo flute. Traditionally lighter and more intimate than a full piphat, mahori was favored in palatial salons and aristocratic settings. Three broad ensemble sizes are recognized: Mahori Khrueang Lek (small), Mahori Khrueang Khu (medium, or “paired”), and Mahori Khrueang Yai (large). Each tier adjusts instrumentation density while preserving the signature blend of piphat/Pinpeat percussion with khrueang sai strings.