A reproduction of a 17th Century map of the Cambodian capital Eauweck (or Longvek)

This article contains Khmer text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Khmer script.

Longvek (Khmer: លង្វែក; meaning "intersection" or "crossroads") was a city in ancient Cambodia, the capital city of the country after the sacking of Angkor by the Siamese in 1431. Little more than a village today in Kampong Chhnang Province, it lies just north of Oudong.

Longvek was chosen by Boromaracha III after the sacking of Angkor by the Siamese as a new capital because of its more readily defensible terrain. As a result there was a time when Cambodia was often referred to as "Lovek" or "Longvek" by foreign travellers.

History[link]

During the 14th and 15th centuries Cambodia was in a state of eclipse. Following the almost total destruction of Angkor, Longvek was chosen as the new capital of the now minor state of Cambodia. Longvek was located halfway between Phnom Penh and the southern end of the Tonle Sap and it was chosen by King Ang Chan (1516–66) as his official capital. King Ang Chan ordered his palace to be built in Longvek in 1553.

Longvek became the nation's capital in the 16th century after the Civil War Between Sdech Kan And Ponhea Chan. After Ponhea Chan's victory, he became the new king of Cambodia.

Spanish and Portuguese adventurers and missionaries, like Blas Ruiz de Hernán González from Ciudad Real, first visited the kingdom during this period. Blas became friends with King Satha of Longvek, who was well-disposed towards foreigners,^[1] and while in the kingdom got to know Portuguese adventurer Diogo Beloso from Amarante. The Iberians referred to present-day Phnom Penh as "Churdumuco" and to Srei Santhor as "Sistor".^[2] Not long thereafter Longvek was invaded by the Siamese ruler of Ayutthaya.^[3]

King Naresuan of Siam conquered Longvek in 1593. This conquest marked a downturn in the kingdom's fortunes. In the historical period that followed Cambodia became a pawn in power struggle between its two increasingly powerful neighbours, Siam and Vietnam.

In 1618, the capital of Cambodia was once again relocated and was moved to Oudong.

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Ben Kiernan, Blood and soil ISBN 978-0-300-10098-3 ISBN 0300100981
• Sanjay Subrahmanyam & Marie-José Capelle, L'Empire portugais d'Asie, 1500–1700; Histoire politique et économique. Maisonneuve & Larose (1999) ISBN 2-7068-1252-4 ISBN 978-2706812521

External links[link]

• Cambodia in the Writings of Diego Aduarte and Gabriel Quiroga de San Antonio
• Le voyage en Indochine de F.Garnier en 1866-68 - part 2

Coordinates: 11°51′53″N 104°45′14″E / 11.86472°N 104.75389°E / 11.86472; 104.75389

This Cambodian location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Sinn Sisamouth
King of Khmer Music
Background information
Born	August 23, 1932 Stung Treng, Cambodia
Died	June 18, 1976 Koh Thom, Kandal Province, Cambodia
Genres	Psychedelic rock Garage rock Traditional Khmer music Romvong Saravan Jazz Bosanova Twist Jerk Latin Blues Cha Cha Cha Madizon Hala Hala Agogo Film Music
Occupations	Singer, Lyric and Music composer, bandleader, producer, Film producer
Instruments	Mandolin Sro lai Pey Pok
Years active	1957–1975
Labels	Independent
Associated acts	Ros Sereysothea, Pan Ron, So Savoeun, Houy Meas, Haim Sovann
Notable instruments
Mandolin

This article contains Khmer text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Khmer script.

Sinn Sisamouth (Khmer: ស៊ីន ស៊ីសាមុត [sɨn siːsaːmut]; 23 August 1932 – 18 June 1976) was a famous and highly prolific Cambodian singer-songwriter in the 1950s to the 1970s.

Widely considered the "King of Khmer music", Sisamouth, along with Ros Sereysothea, Pan Ron, and other artists, was part of a thriving pop music scene in Phnom Penh that blended elements of Khmer traditional music with the sounds of rhythm and blues and rock and roll to make a Westernized sound akin to psychedelic or garage rock. Sisamouth is believed to have been killed under the Khmer Rouge regime.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Sinn Sisamouth was born in August 23, 1932 in Stung Treng Province, the son of Sinn Leang and mother Seb Bunlei who was of Lao-Chinese descent.^[1]

He was the youngest of four siblings, with one brother and two sisters. His father was a prison warden in Battambang Province and was then a soldier during the Colonial Cambodia period. His father died of disease and his mother remarried, and the union resulted in two more children.

Sisamouth attended Central Province of Stung Treng Elementary School when he was five. At the age of six or seven, he started to show interest in the guitar, and he would be asked to perform at school functions. He was also interested in Buddhist scripture and other books, as well as playing soccer and flying kites.

Around 1951, he passed elementary school and intended to study medicine in Phnom Penh, but continued working at becoming a singer and writing songs. Just as he had in elementary school, he became well known in his school for his music, and was asked to sing at school ceremonies.

By the time Cambodia was granted independence from France in 1953, Sisamouth's fine singing voice landed him a spot on national radio as a regular singer. He also continued his studies, working at Preah Ketomealea Hospital.

Music career[link]

After completing medical school, Sisamouth became a nurse and married his cousin, Keo Thorng Gnut in an arranged marriage. The couple had four children. But he was also a very famous singing star in Cambodia, and his life as a celebrity eclipsed his family life.

He possessed a clear crooning voice which, combined with his own compositions about the pleasures and pains of romance, made him an idol. He sang many ballads, as well uptempo rock numbers that featured prominent, distortion-laden guitar, pumping organ and loud, driving drums. Other arrangements were more Latin jazz-sounding, featuring woodwinds, brass, and auxiliary percussion.

In the early 1950s he became a protege of Queen Kossomak Nearyrath. He was selected into the Vong Phleng Preah Reach Troap (classical ensemble of the Royal Treasury) where together with Sos Matt, he performed at royal receptions and state functions. A number of songs he wrote subsequently bore the unmistakable melancholic melodies of traditional Khmer music he performed in those formative years. In the mid-1950s a romantic ballad "Violon Sneha", composed by violinist Hass Salan, catapulted Sisamouth into stardom. In recent years the song has been re-issued by a large number of modern performers, including Song Seng Horn, who comes from Rhode Island, Mol Kamach (a singer and guitarist of the 1960s who escaped the Khmer Rouge rule and is now living in France), Nay Sieng (a Khmer based in France), and Him Sivonn (a female vocalist from Phnom Penh).

Most of Sisamouth's tape recordings from this period did not survive the years of social upheaval however, although now and then some of Sisamouth's 1950s and early 1960s hits are rerecorded successfully. One such hit, "Srey Sros Khmeng", re-emerged from oblivion with Suong Chantha's 2002 faithful rendition. Sisamouth's other hits of the same period include "Anussavry Phnom Kravanh", "(Chett Srey doch) Chong Srol", "Thngay Dob Pee Thnou", "Thngay Muoy Kakkda", "Teuk Keb", "Stung Pursat", and "Prek Eng Oss Sangkhim".

Beginning in around 1963, Sisamouth started recording on the Vat Phnom label. His "Champa Batdambang" won immediate acclaim across the country. In a 1971 Phnom Penh television show, Sisamouth's interviewer recalled that "Champa Batdambang" was the first song sung on the inauguration of the station in 1965.

What captured Sisamouth's audience was the use of a four-piece, rock and roll band instrumentation with guitars and percussion, a departure from a backing band of wind instruments. He also experimented with Latin music, an infatuation that may have started with Prince Norodom Sihanouk's compositions such as "Reatry Del Ban Chuop Pheak" and "Phnom Penh".

Sisamouth's popularity nevertheless did not eclipse the work of other recording artists, notably those who sang at the National Radio such as Eum Song Seurm and Huoy Meas. Meas Hok Seng, a voice artist at the Phnom Penh University of Arts ("Sala Rachna") also achieved celebrity status in 1966 with "Lolok Nhi Chmaul". Hits by these artists often came from the pen of lyricist Ma Lao Pi, a talented poet and broadcaster now living in California, whose masterpieces include "Day Samot Trapaing Roung" and "Lolok Nhi Chmaul". Despite occasional hits such as "Akassyean", Sos Matt on the other hand appeared to have been unfairly sidelined in the commercialisation of music that took place with the arrival of recording productions such as Vat Phnom and Chan Chaya.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Sisamouth sang the soundtrack songs to a number of popular films, such as Orn Euy Srey Orn, Tep Sodachan, and Thavory Meas Bong. In "Peou Chhouk Sar", a 1967 success directed by Tea Lim Kaing, Sisamouth captured the poignant breakup of lead actors Dy Saveth and Chea Yuthan with his "Neavea Chivit". Over his long career, Samuth recorded many duets with female singing partners including, in the early 1960s, Mao Sareth, Keo Settha, Chhunn Vanna, Huoy Meas, Ros Sereysothea, and Penn Ron. Penn Ron began recording with Sisamouth in 1966. Ros Sereysothea started her career in around 1967 with the hit "Stung Khieu". Her high, crisp voice nicely balanced the deeper-toned voice of Sisamouth. Nevertheless the quality of Sisamouth's songs deteriorated rapidly in the 1970s, save for a few notable examples written by lyricist Voy Ho who had been a long standing colleague. Over that same period Samuth adapted a number of Thai songs into his repertoire.

From 1972 to 1973 music publisher Kruorch Bunlyhe issued A Collection of Sentimental Songs, which contained 500 of Sinn Sisamouth's songs. It is estimated that he wrote thousands of songs, possibly at least one for each day he was famous, his son Sinn Chaya has said.

Along with his original works, Sisamouth also introduced many Western pop tunes to Cambodia, simply writing new verses in Khmer language. Examples include "The House of the Rising Sun" as "I'm Still Waiting for You" (a particularly good showcase of his sustained phrasing and baritone voice), "Black Magic Woman" (drawing influence from the Santana version) under the title "I Love Petite Women", "Sugar Sugar" and "Quando My Love".

The Killing Fields[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

In the aftermath of the coup d'état by the Lon Nol government on March 18, 1970, which saw the overthrow of the rule of Prince Norodom Sihanouk, Sisamouth started to sing propaganda songs in support of the fledgling Khmer Republic. One such song that became an enduring classic was "Mae Owy Ao Yoann", telling the story of a mother giving a mantra-covered magic vest to her soldier son on his way to battle. Referring to communist troop movements over Cambodian territory during the Vietnam War, a verse in the same song said that the deposed king had sold out Cambodian land to the Viet Cong. Such criticisms of the royal family were unprecedented, not least given that Sisamouth had been a protege of Queen Kossomak Nirirath, mother of Prince Sihanouk. The Khmer Rouge takeover of Phnom Penh on April 17, 1975 saw Sisamouth forced out of the city, along with millions of other residents.

By this time he had remarried, to a dancer in the royal ballet, who was pregnant at the time with the couple's second child.

The circumstances of his death in the Killing Fields are unknown, but he had connections with the old government, was highly educated, and was an artist – all trappings of a society that Pol Pot sought to eradicate. One apocryphal story is that before he was to be executed, Sisamouth asked that he be allowed to sing a song for the cadre; but the cold-hearted soldiers were unmoved and after he finished singing, killed him anyhow.

Legacy[link]

Because his presence and influence on Cambodian music was so great, he is still a household name and remains popular to this day in Cambodia. Three children from Sisamouth's first marriage survived the Khmer Rouge and one son, Sinn Chanchhaya, became a singer for the Cambodian Radio, though he himself has admitted he could not be compared to his father.

Although all the master tapes of his studio recordings are thought to have been destroyed by the Khmer Rouge, his work lives on in recordings created from cassettes and LPs that have subsequently been transferred to CD, and are often heard on Cambodian radio stations.

Sisamouth, his frequent duet partner Ros Sereysothea. and other Cambodian singers of the era, including Meas Samoun, Chan Chaya, Choun Malai, and Pan Ron, are featured on the soundtrack to Matt Dillon's film City of Ghosts. Tracks by Sisamouth are "Mou Pei Na" and "Ne Te Fache Pas".

See also[link]

• Sinn Sisamouth discography

References[link]

• A Brief Biography of Sinn Sisamouth (retrieved from archive.org on December 22, 2006).

External links[link]

• Camweb: Sinn Sisamouth Songs Some songs of Sisamouth in Real Audio format
• Sinn Sisamouth song downloads at Khmer Rocks
• Don't Think I've Forgotten – A documentary about the Khmer rock and roll scene.
• km:ស៊ីន ស៊ីសាមុត

• Sinn Sisamouth Biography