Saturday, January 29, 2011

ROS SEREYSOTHEA - រស់ សេរីសុទ្ធា, CAMBODIA GOLDEN VOICE “PREAH REACH THEANY SAMLENG MEAS”


ROS SEREYSOTHEA

ROS Sereysothea was the most famous female Singer in Cambodia before Pol Pot Regime. She was born on November 06, 1947 in Damnak Luong Village, Wat Kor Commune, Sangker District (Battambang District now), Battambang Province. Her birth name is ROS Sothea with several nicknames: Rey, Serey, and Serey Suor. Sothea’s father, ROS Sabun, was born in Changva Real Village, Roleang Neak Commune, Kompong Tralach District, Kompong Chhnang Province; he was a former soldier in French Colonial and the traditional music teacher. Sothea’s mother, NATH Samean, was born in Kompong Luong Village, Wat Kor Commune, Sangker District, Battambang Province and was a housewife. According to the video interview with her both older sisters, Sothea has 5 siblings (4 sisters and a brother) including ROS Saboeurn (born in 1942), ROS Saboeurth (born in 1944), ROS Sokunthea (born in 1946, brother), and ROS Sorphorn (born in 1958). Both of her older sisters and her father survived after Pol Pot Regime because they stayed in Battambang during the fall of Phnom Penh; ROS Saboeurn has been living in Battambang after Pol Pot Regime with her orphan grand children.

In her childhood, Sothea was a good child and could sing since she was 2 or 3 years old. Her father also taught her very well how to sing with traditional instruments for wedding and other ceremonies. Then she always went with her father to sing in nearby villages to earn money for her family support. In the early age as a child, in her free time she usually sang the songs for her family. She likes singing the songs of MAO Sareth and other singers’ songs. Therefore, her voice was blended in the good manner for singing the sweet long voice. Talking about her favorite snack, she likes to eat green mango, banana, and other fruits with prahok chili sauces. According to KEO Chanbor, Sothea would love to go visiting her teacher, BUN Thorng, who was Chanbor’s father and close friend of Sothea’s father. Chanbor’s family loved Sothea very much and usually asked Sothea to sing during green fruit picnic at Chanbor’s house. Not only singing, Sothea also did well at marathon, study at school, and housework. She was smart, friendly, and hard-working, but reserved. Her voice was simple and soft during speaking, but was loudly sweet and long during singing. According to Kung Bunchhoeurn, Sothea expressed her excited and sad feeling during her singing on “Bopha Bakprea” in 1974 because she had memories at young age over there. Sothea attended the Takaksen Sala Primary School (Wat Kampheng Primary School) in mid 1950s. Later, she continued studying at Neth Yorng Women High School in 1962. However, Sothea got more famous quickly along with two seniors of her school, HUY Meas and PEN Rorn, since she was so friendly and successful as she was a provincial representative to attend the national marathon competition. She won the national marathon contest many times during the competition in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Kompong Cham, etc. During extra hours with Prof. BUN Thorng, ROS Sereysothea was well-known for sadness singer; HUY Meas was admired for smotr, storytelling, and descriptive singing; PEN Rorn was good at funny singing. IM Song Seum and three younger sisters of PEN Rorn (PEN Rorm and PEN Chantha) were also studying in these extra hours. In 1963, Sothea applied for Khmer New Year provincial singing contest and got 1st rank with the best voice for femal singers. She sang three songs: Chet Mday (Original KEO Montha), Sambot Krom Kneuy and Ktom Chorea (Original MAO Sareth).

Since then in 1963, Sothea had the opportunity to sing for Lom Hae You Thea Phirum Group and Steung Khiev Bar near Phsar Nat of Battambang Town. Her earning from singing could support her family to live in a better condition. Being so famous in the province, Sothea usually had the opportunity to sing with Phnom Penh artists during their travel to Battambang. In 1964, Sothea joined the Kanha Thleak Tek event and sang that made Heng Hourveng and Pov Sipho to consider her for his singing team at the Khosnakar Radio Program; they contacted Mr. Im Songseum for her information and let him ask her to join the team. She  came to Phnom Penh then for a chance to sing for Ministry of Broadcasting (Krosuong Khosana Kar). Her mother also came with Sothea to look after her; they lived near HUY Meas’s house and Pov Om School in Tuol Kok area. Sothea started to earn more money by singing in different places (restaurant, bar, and so on) with IM Song Seum, a senior student of Prof. BUN Thorng at Eap Khut Men High School in Battambang. IM Song Seum usually supported Sothea and initiated to help her and sometimes gave Sothea a drive to work in Krosuong Khosana Kar. In fact, Sothea usually rented a cyclo for travelling. Over there, she also got support from other singers from the same province like HUY Meas, PEN Rorn, etc. Also, she started to know other Cambodian famous singers such as TOCH Teng, SOS Math, MEAS Hokseng, MAO Sareth, CHHUN Vanna, CHHUON Malai, KEO Montha, etc. At last, she met SIN Sisamut who later introduced her to many lyricists and musician like HAS Salorn, POV Sipho, VOY Ho, MA Laopi, SVAY Som Oeur, KONG Bunchheourn, HENG Huor Veng, and MAEL Bun.

For just the early life in Phnom Penh since 1964 with the first song of Stung Khiev, she started her career step by step and learnt from other famous singers. In 1967 she decided to marry SOS Math even though her family convinced her not to do so because SOS Math already had several wives. Living with SOS Math, ROS Sereysothea’s life became harder with the bad intervention from his wife and she struggled more than the poor livelihood in Battambang. More than that one evening while she was singing in the night club, the drunken man stood up and replied to the song she sang making SOS Mat angry and slapped her face causing her mouth bleeding. This case brought the big issue for ROS Sereysothea’s 6-month marriage. The information spread to ROS Sereysothea’s family in Battambang and her sister who returned hometown came to blame SOS Mat for that domestic violence. Then ROS Sereysothea decided to  separate life from SOS Mat. ROS Sereysothea returned sadly to her beloved hometown, Battambang. She was disappeared for a period of time in Phnom Penh and was thought never to be heard again.

The situation changed with the action from SIN Sisamut who supported ROS Sereysothea and put his belief on ROS Sereysothea to be a good partner for him to continue the singing art. Then SIN Sisamut went to Battambang to talk with ROS Sereysothea and encouraged her to come back to Phnom Penh. This worked well; ROS Sereysothea gave up her sadness and stood bravely to continue her beloved career. Her mother also came with her again to take care of her; they moved to live near Kampuchea Krom Blvd. One day, while SIN Sisamut took ROS Sereysothea to sing the song “Kort Bros Muk Kmol”. SOS Math came with his guards to bother ROS Sereysothea. Sin Sisamut, who had the same position as SOS Math, stood to protect ROS Sereysothea by talking to SOS Math that he was the one to take her back there, and he must be responsible for her safety. SOS Mat returned and never disturbed her again. At the same time, she joined the group of National Radio and the fame of ROS Sereysothea became more glorious from year to year. After that, Sothea had a secret relationship with a single men for transportation service and separated later in the short period of time. In 1968, HUY Siphan, the son of Preah Chan Penh Vong (La Lune Restaurant) fell in love with her. She was granted the title of “Preah Reach Theany Samleng Meas” by Young Prince NORODOM Shihanouk in 1969. They stayed together as husband and wife without marriage and gave birth to a son, Huy Siphanara (Being alive after Pol Pot Regime for some source that later died in 1990s leaving a poor grand daughter of Ros Sereysothea in Kampong Speu Province). They lived happily for only a short period of time and then separated by  Commander Srey Ya who took Ros Sereysothea as his lover in 1972.  ROS Sereysothea usually visited her family and her professor in Battambang. According to KEO Chanbo, she was still the same as before being famous. She was so friendly, polite, helpful, and grateful.

In 1972, she became the first woman parachutist in Cambodia broadcasted on national television channel. She brought ROS Sokunthea and ROS Sereysorphorn to join the military and let them became military parachutists. Then she started new relationship with the married Military General Srey Ya. For her singing career, she still kept singing and sang many songs mostly with SIN Sisamut and other singers. Memory of her singing in studio for the song “Proat Sner Nov Pichenda”, her tears came out of her eyes as the sadness through the meaning of the song in her hometown, Battambang. The peak of her fame was in 1973. She sang in a variety of situation like traditional wedding, emotional, jerk, rock and roll, New Year, and other foreign style (Japanese, Chinese, English, etc). In early April 1975, Sothea, Rorn, and other singers went to sing for Khmer New Year in Pailin. Before April 17, 1975, Sothea took the helicopter back from Pailin to Battambang and then to Phnom Penh while the news about the coming fall of Lon Nol military was informed. Later, Srey Ya disappeared in the war field and Sothea stayed with her family members in Tuol Kok area including Sereysorphorn, Sokunthea, her mother, her  children, a child of ROS Saboeurth, and three children of ROS Saboeurn.

On April 17, 1975, she was separated from other artists as simple person to leave Phnom Penh for Phnom Sroch District, Kompong Speu with her family members and a son. For her early arrival, she kept the secret about herself and lived as simple people from Phnom Penh working in the rice field long hours and got only porridge. Since more and more people from Phnom Penh went to that area, the name of her fame was released. Then she go married to the Khmer Rouge official who gave up position to marry her. However, her fame of the life in Phnom Penh made her life harder because Khmer Rouge military did not like Phnom Penh people. One day in mid-April 1978 there was the crowd of people talking and surrounding Ros Sereysothea as they rarely had seen her in person even though, her family members such as her new husband, her mother, Ros Sereysorphorn and Pen Chantha tried to beg them to stop surrounding and talking about Ros Sereysothea. They asked her to sing the Khmer Rouge Songs from one to one that cause the Khmer rouge meeting less people to participate; Khmer rouge accused Ros Sereysothea for causing chaos. One week later (around 27 or 28 April 1978), Ros Sereysothea  were taken out and killed; her younger sister committed a suicide by hanging her head. Her son was left behind with the village head to raise and grew up marrying a local poor woman. Her son gave birth to a daughter (Ros Sereysothea's grand daughter) in the poor condition.  Through three years eight months twenty days, not only her life, but also thousands of her songs were seriously destroyed; some were lost and some remain in the bad condition. Only fewer amounts of her songs left in good manner in 1980s. Many of her co-singers were put to death, and the condition of their songs was similar to her. Everything was damaged; millions of Khmer people were killed include her and other famous singers. Her life story was also known to the world through the international movie about her, titled “Golden Voice”. Some Khmer researchers also try to get more information of her as possible as they can to put her life as the memory and heritage to next generation. Gradually from 1979, her songs have been bringing and releasing back to Cambodia from Khmer Communities in former Cambodia’s provinces in Thailand and Vietnam, foreign countries. Until then, her voice has been being heard everywhere throughout Cambodia for many years with the everlasting fame towards the future. “Golden voice will go on forever!” “Heart of a daughter is deeply cold to support her family and relatives!”


(Source: ROS Sereysothea and Other Sources)
                                                                                                                 
By: POK Panhavuth


Thursday, January 27, 2011

HAIRSTYLE OF APSARA IN THE ANGKOR ERA AS THE PEAK OF KHMER HAIR ART


Apsara is the spirit of Khmer Empire, especially Angkor City. Even though Cambodia used to go through the unstable political situation, Apsara is still the real evidence for glorious Khmer Art to stand for thousand of years for next generation Khmer artists to follow. Remarkably, all Khmer temples through out the mainland Southeast Asia include Thailand, South of Vietnam, Laos, & Cambodia consists of many Apsara dancing on the wall with much jewelry in the excellent manner of Khmer Art. However, only Apsara in Angkor City shows the special talent of Khmer Artists in Angkor Era to sculpt the Apsara on the wall of the temples with special manners. Among those special manners, the hairstyle is the most noticeable thing on Apsara Sculpture. Only Angkor Wat Temple’s Apsara Sculpture has shown many different hairstyles of Apsara in which were designed by Khmer Artist in Angkor Era. Most Apsara appears with three-top side of hairstyle. Besides that, Apsara are sculpted with five-top side, two-top side, one-top side, and only tied hair. Significantly, there is also the different design for each kind of hairstyle. For other temples through out the Khmer Kingdom as Angkor Empire, Apsara’s hairstyle, Apsara has more than three or five-top side of hairstyle. Also, the art of sculpture sometimes is different from Apsara on the wall of Angkor Wat. It is sure that Cambodia has its own identity in hairstyle since Angkor Era or before that. Therefore, there is the recommendation for Khmer Artist today to take for showing Khmer Art in modern movie or show with the innovative ideas to adapt these hairstyles to the modern influence into new manners. For example, Khmer modern artists could take the techniques of Apsara hairstyles to follow in the modern art just without wearing jewelry as Apsara. All Apsara hairstyle is so good for modernized hairstyle. It is believed to be the best way to reduce foreign influence and to show the real style of Khmer Art to the world. The picture below shows the different hairstyle of Apsara:





























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