"Nokor Reach" (also spelt Nokoreach; km, នគររាជ, ; ) is the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

. It is based on a Cambodian folk tune and was written by

Chuon Nath Chuon Nath ( km, ជួន ណាត; 11 March 1883 – 25 September 1969) was a Cambodian monk and the late ''Gana Mahanikaya'' Supreme Patriarch of Cambodia. Amongst his achievements is his effort in conservation of the Khmer language in the ...

History

"Nokor Reach" originated from a folk poetry usually performed with chapei in ancient era for storytelling and to disclose any recent events. The music of "Nokor Reach" was composed between 1938 and 1939 by Prince

Norodom Suramarit Norodom Suramarit ( km, នរោត្តម សុរាម្រិត, ; 6 March 1896 – 3 April 1960) was King of Cambodia from 3 March 1955 until his death in 1960. He was the father of King Norodom Sihanouk and the grandfather of C ...

during the reign of King

Sisowath Monivong Sisowath Monivong ( km, ស៊ីសុវត្ថិ មុនីវង្ស, ;Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-English Dictionary''. Bureau of Special Research in Modern Langua ...

with help of Sir J. Jekyll and Sir François Perruchot, the Royal Palace's musical instructors. The lyrics were not finished until 20 July 1941 by

Choun Nath Chuon Nath ( km, ជួន ណាត; 11 March 1883 – 25 September 1969) was a Cambodian monk and the late ''Gana Mahanikaya'' Supreme Patriarch of Cambodia. Amongst his achievements is his effort in conservation of the Khmer language in the ...

, a few months after King

Norodom Sihanouk Norodom Sihanouk (; km, នរោត្តម សីហនុ, ; 31 October 192215 October 2012) was a Cambodian statesman, Sangkum and FUNCINPEC politician, Norodom Sihanouk filmography, film director, and composer who led Cambodia in vari ...

's coronation. In the same year, it was adopted then reconfirmed in 1947 as a national anthem for the country. In 1970, the monarchy was abolished by the

Khmer Republic The Khmer Republic ( km, សាធារណរដ្ឋខ្មែរ, ; french: République khmère) was a pro-United States military-led republican government of Cambodia that was formally declared on 9 October 1970. The Khmer Republic wa ...

, thereby replacing the state's national anthem as well. After the communists' victory in 1975, former royalist symbols, including "Nokor Reach", were reinstated for a short while. The

Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge (; ; km, ខ្មែរក្រហម, ; ) is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and by extension to the regime through which the CPK ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. ...

then replaced it with "

Dap Prampi Mesa Chokchey "Dap Prampi Mesa Moha Chokchey" ( km, ដប់ប្រាំពីរមេសាមហាជោគជ័យ; meaning "Victorious Seventeenth of April") was the national anthem of Democratic Kampuchea from at least January 1976. Although the a ...

" ("Glorious Seventeenth of April") in January 1976. After the royalist party

FUNCINPEC The National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia,; french: Front uni national pour un Cambodge indépendant, neutre, pacifique et coopératif commonly referred to as FUNCINPEC,, ; is a royalist politic ...

defeated the former communists (

Cambodian People's Party The Cambodian People's Party (CPP), UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; is a Cambodian political party which has ruled Cambodia since 1979. Founded in 1951, it was originally known as the Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party (KPRP)., UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; ...

) in the 1993 elections, the royalist state anthem was restored.

Lyrics

"Nokor Reach" is a poem consisting of three verses and each verse consists of five lines.

Notes

References

External links

Cambodia: "Nokor Reach" - Audio of the national anthem of Cambodia, with information and lyrics

Nokor Reach Instrumental VDO clip
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

Nokor Reach with lyrics VDO clip
on

Cambodian National Anthem
- The page "Cambodian View" includes a page about the anthem, which includes a vocal version of the anthem. {{Authority control Cambodian songs National symbols of Cambodia National anthems Asian anthems National anthem compositions in F major National anthem compositions in G minor

History

Lyrics

See also

Notes

References

External links