Last update: December 5, 2023

This page is dedicated to the photographs produced by Émile Gsell in the years 1866-71 on the theme of music at the Khmer royal court. These are the first photographs in the world to represent the musical instruments of Cambodia. They are always staged and not taken on the spot because the subjects had to remain static due to the relatively long exposure time. This publication deciphers the musical part of Émile Gsell's photographic work. Other images, mixed with those of Gsell, are the work of another photographer, not yet officially identified.

Émile Gsell has produced two distinct series of photographs of female musicians from the Royal Palace of Phnom Penh with musical instruments of different models. We present here the First Series as a diptych. The first one contains the images in portrait format, the second in landscape. Each image is numbered. This series could date from 1866.

The photomontage of vertical images includes three female musicians numbered 243, 246, 247 attested by Gsell. The dancers and actresses are presented on the page King Norodom's actresses.

• 243. thong: its decoration is made in relief. At that time, there was a technique consisting in creating relief not by carving, but by bringing materials then covered with lacquer. It remains in Myanmar for the decoration of musical instruments.
• 246. ronmonea : this frame drum is inseparable both from the thong and the mahori ensemble. Here, the two drums are played by two distinct musicians, against only one actor today. 
• 247. tro: this three-stringed fiddle is today known as tro Khmer in order to distinguish it from the two-stringed fiddle tro. But in the 19th century the contemporary tro was called tro chen (lit. Chinese tro), a clear reminder of its origin, which is not denied nowadays by traditional musicians. Its contemporary name, "tro Khmer", was born of rising nationalism; it has made it a specifically Khmer instrument, whereas it originated in the Middle East, brought by Muslims, probably through Malaysia and then Siam. Some Cambodian musicologists even believe they see it among the bas-reliefs of Bayon and Banteay Chhmar, instead of the scraper, adding to the confusion. The trichord fiddle was the solo instrument of the mahori orchestra of the Ayutthaya court where it was called saw sam sai ซอสามสาย. Note that the three pegs are dissimilar, proof that the instrument has lived! Also note the piece of rosin attached to the foot of the instrument, used to coat the wick of the bow.

This second photomontage features landscape images with six female musicians photographed individually (252, 254, 255, 257, 258, 260), an orchestra of five female musicians (259), and three actresses photographed by another photographer. The dancers and actresses are presented on the page King Norodom's actresses.

• 252. roneat thung: this alto xylophone plays in conjunction with the roneat ek. In the background, we can see the three-stringed fiddle tro.
• 254. chapey: since its protection by UNESCO, this lute is officially called Chapei Dang Veng, literally "long-necked lute" in order to distinguish it from its cousin, the now disappeared chapei klei, which had two strings and a short neck. This chapey has four silk strings tuned two by two. It was probably imported from Siam because of its similarity to the instrument in the Musée de la Musique de Paris. For more information, click here.
• 255. roneat dek: keyboard metallophone with 19 iron blades. 
• 256. peat cong: carillon with 18 gongs.
• 257. khloy: blockflute with seven playing holes. The material is not identifiable but this type of instrument is usually made of bamboo thatch. To the right of the musician, a thong drum.
• 258. takhe: zither on a three-stringed case. The term takhe is Thai.
• 259. Minimalized mahori orchestra comprising, from left to right: thong, chapey, peat cong, roneat ek.
• 260. roneat ek: soprano xylophone. It can be distinguished from the roneat thung (alto), at first glance, by the two triangular side posts. It has 22 bars as opposed to the current 21.

Émile Gsell made a Second Series of images of the musicians of the Royal Court of Cambodia in Phnom Penh, perhaps in 1871, at the time of the inauguration of the Royal Palace. It is of better quality than the previous one. There are three types of images that we present below: 

1. Ten instruments of the mahori orchestra grouped in the same image (still life style)

2. The orchestra with the ten musicians

3. Nine musicians individually with their instrument in playing position.

Ten female musicians are lined up in front of one of the buildings of the royal court. Based on our research, we believe that this is the building located to the southeast of the fort, near present-day Phnom Mondap. The original building has been replaced by the Reamker Gallery. The instruments in this image, although similar in nature, are different from those shown above, which proves that there were at least two physical ensembles.

We give in the table below the name of the instruments from left to right, in Khmer of the 19th century and in contemporary Thai, according to the names mentioned by Jean Moura in his book “Le royaume du Cambodge” - 1883).

This photograph shows ten instruments of the orchestra mentioned above. It could therefore also date from 1871.

We now present nine female musicians from the above orchestra photographed individually. Each one is in a playing position with the same instrument as in the orchestra. What differentiates these images from those in the First Series is the absence of the mat and a different stretched backdrop.

tro : il se dégage une certaine noblesse de cet instrument. Les trois chevilles sont identiques. La partie du manche située sous les chevilles est incrustée de nacre. Une pierre (ou verroterie ?) hémisphérique est collée près du chevalet. Il est en tout point comparable au saw sam sai du Prince Paribatra exposé dans la “Maison 1” du Musée du Palais Suan Pakkad à Bangkok. Il pourrait provenir du Siam, voire du même atelier.

tro: there is a certain nobility in this instrument. The three pegs are identical. The part of the neck located under the pegs is inlaid with mother-of-pearl. A hemispherical stone (or glassware?) is glued near the bridge. It is in every way comparable to the saw sam sai of Prince Paribatra exhibited in "House 1" of the Suan Pakkad Palace Museum in Bangkok. It could come from Siam, or even from the same workshop.

We also discover, through the photographic work of Émile Gsell, that men played music in the Royal Palace. We do not know, however, whether this five-piece orchestra was assigned to the palace or whether it was invited. We are certain that this image was taken at the palace because the wall in the background is the same as that of the group of ten female musicians described above.