Sinn
Sisamouth & Pen Ron - Rom Prolom Lok Ta
'Krom merg ber kmean oun'
NB: From what I have read about the late Sinn Sisamouth,
he came from the province of Stung Treng and, characteristic of many in that
beautiful region of the country, he was of ethnic Laotian-Khmer extraction. The
young Sisamouth is said to have secretly spent hours on end each day in his
native village honing his singing ability and refining his vocal, suggesting that
although he might have realised early on that he had been blessed with this
natural gift that could be exploited as a means of forging a professional career
as a singer for himself, this raw natural talent alone was perhaps not quite
enough for him were he to realise his ambition in that particular career path
with so many established singers already ahead and above him in reputation and fame.
Hence, perhaps, the determination he put into training his voice until it
became what we [or most of his fans] now recognise as unique and exceptional.
Most of his fans also use the term ‘teuk dorm’ [or nectar] quality to
describe his vocal - it is that soothing and at the same time captivating
[especially to women!] vocal charm and seduction that speaks directly to the
listener’s soul and entrances the senses, suspending these in a dream-like
reality. This is all the more remarkable given that during this early pre-fame
part of his life he had only, perhaps, the cows and the buffalos as his
audience and the instrumental accompaniments provided by the birds perching on
the windblown rice stalks!
I met a professional male singer once who gave me a
treat by singing a song in an impromptu fashion, and that nectar quality in his
voice –without any instrumental accompaniments - was overwhelming for me even
then as a young [very young, indeed!]
listener. It was a stunning experience and a privilege for me. Today we listen
to these ‘oldies’ and hear only the recorded voice of these singers; sounds
that had been reproduced several times over and, for many, sadly, tampered with
unnecessarily through ‘mixing’ that deforms or degrades their original feel and
harmony, in my view. Cambodia in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s also had not had
the hi-tec studios and recording facilities that are taken for granted by
artists today. This makes their achievements all the more remarkable.
In this sense, Mr Sinn Sisamouth is, was and will
always be a one-off, just as is the case with his preferred duet partner, Ms
Ros Sereisothea: in short, they were and are ‘peerless’ for what they
possessed. However, this does not - and should not imply - that other stars or
talents will always be second best and be forever judged by their standards. I
think successive generations should thrive for their own originality and
expressions, just as Mr Sinn Sisamouth and Ms Ros Sreisothea had done before
them. Otherwise, these generations would always be held back in innovation and
creativity through fear of failure and be condemned to mimic the works of their
forebears - School of Vice
Preap Sovath & Sokun Nisa
Dear reader @10:14 AM,
Thank you for your very charming comments!
First of all, surely you meant the fans of those
famous singers you mentioned, rather than School of Vice’s, who can’t sing, can’t cook, can’t
dance, can’t swear [in any known language!], and more importantly, can’t even
use the Khmer Unicode to write his/her own name in Khmer without the assistance of Google Translate?!!
As for my thought concerning the issue you raised as
to who comes closest to the great, iconic and beloved Mr Sinn Sisamouth, well, this is an awkward terrain... I mean how can
I answer that question honestly without pleasing some and upsetting others?! It
is said that three topics of conversation are destined to divide opinion, create
divisions, arouse passion and fuel argument, namely, politics, religion and
race. To this list one may add a fourth: music! Privately, I have my own
preference and view as far as this issue is concerned, and privately, I would not hesitate to answer your question!
I have been posting and selecting a wide and eclectic
variety of songs from different eras in Cambodia’s music tradition [well, not all eras at any rate], including those of the present day. There is no doubt
[as your analogy fittingly reminds us that ‘most of us like foods that taste
good and are also good’] that the country’s overall artistic life has suffered
like everything else, and despite ordinary people’s effort to revive this
impaired aspect of human culture, the wholesale annihilation of those great pioneers and
poets during the 1970s has created a haunting gap in Khmer life today and
since.
Imagine how many more great tracks and novels these artists would have gone
on to produce; how many young talents they would have nurtured and trained who
in turn would have done likewise with the next generation that followed so as
to pass on their skills and legacies and to ensure this aspect of life go on
improving and flourishing? Fortunately, this general haemorrhage resulting from
that cruel, inhumane past has not completely denied the Cambodian people their
enjoyment of ancient classical music, folk songs and theatres of many kinds
that are undergoing revival today. Wedding music, religious songs etc are
constantly heard, and although these sounds may not appeal to foreign ears,
they nevertheless have therapeutic and soothing effect on the Khmer people at a
time of change, of mental, emotional stress and bewilderment, and this is in a
country without developed health facilities or services for its
general population. Of course, we still have songs from the pre-war times, and these
are like dews or oasis in today’s virtual cultural desert, in context of artistic creativity, at least.
Life is still a struggle for many artists and entertainers in Cambodia today. Like most Khmers they have to earn a living as best they can in a cynical and precarious industry; and most have family members to feed. Young female artists, in particular, put themselves in a state of risk through such exposure and publicity in a society where the power of the gun and money buys one almost everything. To those who only see them ‘singing and dancing’, please remember that there may be more than meets the eye. This is partly why I have included those video clips, even if in terms of appreciation and quality, they may not match up to my personal taste!
Sorry, I have gone off the subject matter - yet again!
And while I try my best to evade your question, I will have this little comfort
and peace of conscience knowing and suspecting that as a discerning listener
and keen fan of music you probably already know my answer to that question!! Thanks
again for your lovely comments and for giving me food for thought. Kindest
*******
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