Ayai

Ayai (Khmer: អាយ៉ៃខ្មែរ) is one of the four main musical styles of Khmer traditional culture,[1] along with pinpeat, mahori, and phleng khmer.[2] It can be more specifically defined as "repartee singing, usually the theatrical alternation of a man and a woman, accompanied by an ensemble of the same name."[3] Along with smot, while in a very different style, ayai singing has been described as "one of the most fascinating folk music traditions in Cambodia."[4]

  1. ^ Sorpong, Peou; Othman, Zarina (2016-09-01). Regional Community Building in East Asia: Countries in Focus. Taylor & Francis. p. 40. ISBN 978-1-317-26556-6.
  2. ^ Cahiers de musiques traditionnelles (in French). Georg. 1988. p. 233. ISBN 978-2-8257-0537-7.
  3. ^ Miller, Terry; Williams, Sean (2011-03-17). The Garland Handbook of Southeast Asian Music. Routledge. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-135-90155-4.
  4. ^ Ling, Huping; Austin, Allan W. (2015-03-17). "Cambodian Americans". Asian American History and Culture: An Encyclopedia: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. p. 110. ISBN 978-1-317-47645-0.