The post-Angkorian harp

Last update: December 1st, 2023

Some Buddhist monasteries built before 1975 preserve paintings in which the harp is sometimes featured, in the majority of cases, instead of the lute, and in particular the chapei. Thanks to the long research of Danielle Guéret who tirelessly traveled the roads and paths of Cambodia, we have access, for the first time, to an initial overview of these harps which we call here post-Angkorian.

Faced with the evidence of the persistence of the harp in the Khmer collective unconscious, a question remains: “has the Khmer harp benefited from a representative permanence in Buddhist iconography since the 14th century or has the artists of the 20th century century were they inspired by the bas-reliefs of Angkorian temples emerging from their sylvan matrix, notably the Bayon and Banteay Samre, both of which represent harps? What appears is that most of the instruments represented in Buddhist monasteries have a handle ending in a bird's head, sometimes with floral decoration or a nāga (नाग skt.). However, the bas-reliefs of Angkorian temples show nothing of the sort, except a head of Garuda. We therefore believe that there existed a representative permanence in Buddhist iconography. The Angkorian harp, associated with the bird then with the Garuda, like the harps of the Karen of Myanmar and Thailand, continued to convey this image with artistic adaptations, but also misunderstandings such as the bird replaced by the nāga . Indeed, the instrument representing the nāga (aquatic animal) in the instrumentarium of ancient and modern Khmers is the monochord (kinnara in the Angkorian period then kse diev ខ្សែដៀវ or kse muoy nowadays). The harp represents air, symbolized by the bird or Garuda. A nāga head at its top arises from a loss of meaning.

To date, we have nine representations of harps in the iconography of monasteries, including two in the same vihāra.

At the distant time when the Bodhisattva followed the teachings of different masters, five ascetics joined him. Together, they practice various forms of asceticism, but all of them plunge the future Buddha into great physical weakness. So, one day, Indra, with a stringed musical instrument in his hands, decides to teach him “The lesson of the three strings”, a metaphor for “The Middle Way”. He told him this: “A string that is too tight breaks, a string that is too loose does not vibrate, while a string that is properly stretched makes a harmonious sound.”

It is following this intervention that the Bodhisattva decides to leave the “Paroxysm of asceticism” to follow the said “Middle Path” which will lead him to Awakening. It was also at this time that his five disciples left him. In monasteries, painters represented this scene, sometimes with a touch of humor, by adapting the musical instrument. This is particularly the case here with this representation of a harp with three strings and three tuning pegs located at the top and to the right of the neck. The top part is decorated with a bird's head turned towards the musician.

Prasat Andaet. Comm. San Kor, Dist. Kompong Svay, Prov. Kompong Thom. Painting made between 1961 and 1963 in the vihāra. Photo © Danielle Guéret 2010.

Le vihāra du Wat Moha Montrey de Phnom Penh présente, fait unique à notre connaissance, deux représentations de harpes dans deux scènes juxtaposées  : le “Paroxysme de l’ascèse” et une scène énigmatique où deux dieux-musiciens se tiennent de part et d'autre du Bodhisattva. Les deux harpes et leur tenue sont très semblables hormis leur partie sommitale. Ces deux peintures, réalisées entre 1967 et 1969, sont signées Maen Bun. 

Wat Saravoan Techo in Phnom Penh is one of the oldest monasteries in Cambodia. Above the main entrance gate of the vihāra located to the east, one can see the Buddha descending from Tāvatimsa, the sky of the Thirty-Three Gods, by a triple staircase. He is welcomed with music by an orchestra composed of Khmer instruments played at the time the paintings were made, particularly during weddings. This ensemble is today called phleng kar boran, literally “ancient wedding orchestra”. It consists of a kse diev monochord zither, a chapei lute, a tro Khmer fiddle, a pei ar oboe and two skor daey drums. But among these instruments slipped an intruder: a harp. We will note two inconsistencies in his representation. The first concerns the length of the neck, more like that of a short-necked lute. The second concerns the ropes arranged in a fanciful way to say the least! On the other hand, the position of the right hand characterizes harp playing more than that of the lute. We will notice the presence of a bird's head at the top of the handle, proving once again that the instrument has never ceased to be associated with this animal even if the Angkorian iconography is not really explicit.