Roneat dek

Female musician playing roneat dek (រនាតដែក) or roneat thong (រនាតថោង) metallophone at the Cambodian court, c. 1860s or 1870s. Image from French photographer Émile Gsel (1838-1879).

The roneat dek (Khmer: រនាតដែក) is a Cambodian metallophone, comparable to the Roneat ek.[1] It is an ancient instrument made of 21 blackened-iron bars.[1] It may be used in the Pinpeat ensemble and Mahaori orchestra.[1] It is believed to have originated from the Royal Courts before the Angkor period. This instrument is rarely covered with ornamentation on either the bars or the sound box. The roneat dek is analogous to the ranat ek lek of Thailand.

  1. ^ a b c Khean, Yun; Dorivan, Keo; Lina, Y; Lenna, Mao. Traditional Musical Instruments of Cambodia (PDF). Kingdom of Cambodia: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. p. 163.