Khmer music refers to the traditional and courtly musical practices of Cambodia, spanning ritual, theatrical, and social repertoires. Its sound is defined by layered heterophony, cyclic rhythms marked by small finger cymbals (chhing), and modal melodies carried by oboes, xylophones, gongs, and fiddles.
Core ensembles include the Pinpeat (ceremonial/court and temple music with roneat xylophones, sralai oboe, kong vong gong-circles, skor drums, and chhing), the Mohori (entertainment ensemble with bowed fiddles, dulcimer, flute, plucked lute, and light percussion), and Arak/Phleng Kar (healing and wedding music, respectively, with voice-forward textures and flexible instrumentation). Vocal styles are melismatic and highly ornamented, closely aligned to Khmer poetic prosody, ritual texts, and dance theatre.
The music employs pentatonic and heptatonic modes with characteristic intonation, cyclical time organization, and a leader–chorus texture where a lead instrument or voice guides the ensemble. While deeply rooted in indigenous practice from the Angkor era, Khmer music also reflects centuries of exchange with Indic, Siamese/Thai, Lao, and Chinese traditions.
