The Iconography of Music on the Reliefs of Angkor Wat

From the paper: ​‘Many musical instruments and ensembles seen on the reliefs are still in use in Cambodia today. For example, chordophones like the tror and the memm — two string instruments which are to be played upright- can be found on the reliefs of the north gallery as well as on the Bayon temple. 

‘The memm, a monochord instrument without a resonator, is depicted on a stone carving on the Bayon temple and has been in use since the time of ancient Angkor. Today it is not found among the standard instruments of Khmer traditional music, but is still played by the Kroeung and Tumpuan minorities in the Rattanakiri province, as a solo instrument as well as in ensembles. Eight types of the tror can be found in Cambodia today. They differ in size, tuning, and number of strings.’ 

Noting the widespread occurence of music bands, the author stresses the ​‘martial dimension’ of music in Angkor, adding: ​‘Wind instruments similar to trumpets or horns were also played in ensembles during the battles. In his organology of Cambodian traditional instruments ‑the first of its kind- Sam Ang-Sam does not mention any instrument that could be identified with these horns, neither in respect to their construction nor their playing technique. In Musique du Cambodge, a brochure published before the civil war, this instrument is referred to as a sling, which has been replaced in modern times by reed instruments” pour manifester a l’ occasion quelques vieux instincts belliqueux”.’