Musicians seek UNESCO nod

by Van Dat

Sticking with it: A singer performs with an amateur band at a "music of the talented" festival in the southern city of Can Tho. The art is considered a glue that binds the Vietnamese community, especially those in the south. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vu

HCM CITY — The don ca tai tu (music of the talented) is considered a glue that binds the Vietnamese community, especially those in the south where the art has been popular for more than a hundred years. However, the traditional music has not received sufficient public attention to formally preserve it even though it has been taught abroad, according to experts who spoke during the three-day conference to discus ways to revive don ca tai tu that opened yesterday in HCM City.

The event aims to earn the traditional music the status of a world intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. Proponents of this cause believe that don ca tai tu should have been recognised before some other types of Vietnamese music.

Pham Sanh Chau, general secretary of UNESCO Committee Viet Nam, said the music has astonishing power and should certainly be regconised by UNESCO.

"If the task is not completed, the cultural life of Vietnamese people cannot be shown comprehensively to the world," Chau said.

"Viet Nam has five kinds of music regconised as world intangible heritages, but they are in the north, central and Central Highlands. No traditonal music from the southern region has been regconised so far."

Chau recalled Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung saying he felt ashamed that he had not pushed harder for regconition for don ca tai tu when other forms of music had done so well.

Viet Nam has three world intangible cultural heritages in the north and two in the Central Highlands. The shortage in the south does not make sense given their rich cultural history.

Prof Tran Van Khe, a master of Vietnamese traditional music, said, "don ca tai tu is not just for entertainment but is a communal cultural activity."

He said don ca tai tu is not ceremonial music but rather music for the poor by a small number of artists.

"Most do not understand don ca tai tu the same way. Some only see it as amateur. Tu means talented people, so don ca tai tu is performed by talented people. But the talented people don't perform the music to earn money; they perform for their own pleasure or for audiences' pleasure."

In recent years, don ca tai tu has been performed on stage and broadcast on television. Many performances have included electric musical instruments, which, according to Khe, enriched rather than replaced the art—the concern of his son, music professor Tran Quang Hai.

The conference drew more than 120 local and foreign experts, including representatives from 21 provinces and cities in the south.

Researchers, educators, cultural administrators and musicians from seven countries, including Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea, discussed the characteristic features of the music and the ways in which it could be developed and preserved.

Five main issues related to don ca tai tu have been raised, including its history, creation and development, value, conceptual aspects, and suggestions for preservation.

There are 2,019 don ca tai tu clubs in the country and more than 22,643 members total. Prof Khe believes that number will increase once an application for UNESCO recognition is drafted.

The southern Vietnamese Music of the talented derives, like other kinds of music, from certain parts of Vietnamese ceremonial music, and is thus related to the development of certain instrumental ensembles and specific playing techniques.

Hue Royal Court Music, Gong culture, Quan Ho (Love duets), Ca Tru (Ceremonial singing) and Viet Nam's Saint Giong Festival have already been regconised as world intangible cultural heritages. —VNS

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Some musical attractions of "Don ca tai tu"

Don ca tai tu has won international admiration, especially among connoisseurs of traditional music. South Korean expert Sheen Dae-Cheol is one of them with his report on the charm and special characteristics of the genre.

He is one of dozens of experts who will take part in an international conference on don ca tai tu to be held in Ho Chi Minh City from January 9-11 ahead of its presentation for UNESCO recognition as a world heritage.

Tuoitrenews makes some excerpts of his report prepared for the meeting.

Since the influx of western and foreign music, Vietnamese traditional music genre of don ca tai tu has survived and not lost its unique musical flavor or aesthetics.

Don ca tai tu is comparatively young Vietnamese music, appearing in the 19th century. However it is loved by many southern Vietnamese people and openly holds a very good position in the nation’s music.

Lyrics of don ca tai tu can be accompanied by several musical instruments as dan tranh (16-stringed zither), dan bau (one-stringed gourd zither), dan nguyet (moon shaped two stringed lute), dan nhi (two-stringed fiddle), song lang (two pieces of bamboo struck against each other to keep rhythm, guitar phim lom (concave-fret guitar) and also likely with western violin, flute of Chinese origin.

Vietnamese musicians accepted the Western guitar for don ca tai tu but they transformed and Vietnamized it to be a suitable one for playing their don ca tai tu.

They improved the guitar by making the frets deeper, turning them into deep fret guitar and changing the way to attune the instrument.

The instrumentation to accompany the song is very peculiar and unique. Upper mentioned musical instruments are used to accompany the songs of don ca tai tu as ensemble, however, the instrumentation is very flexible as only two or three of them can form up an ensemble.

Vietnamese doctor Tran Van Khe said, “Of the instruments for the ensemble, the dan nguyet plays the most important role. The dan tranh embellishes center tones of music and dan nhi ornaments other tones. Off all musical instruments of the ensemble, the role of these three is more important than any other.”

The monochord dan bau is a very peculiar and charming musical instrument. It is one of real Vietnamese traditional musical instruments and its sound is amazingly beautiful. Vietnamese musicians widened the range of it and dan tranh to play higher and lower tones respectively.

Originally the musicians of don ca tai tu did not perform for their livelihoods, just to entertain themselves or others and that is a reason why it is called amateurs’ music. But it doesn’t mean to be a musician of don ca tai tu is easy. Its musicians have to practise very hard for a long time so that don ca tai tu musicians can be called as professional musicians even if they don’t perform it for materialism.

As an amateur, it needs not any special prepared stage as professional art music. Accordingly it can easily and deeply goes into every corner of usual Vietnamese life so that it can be played at festivals, various parties, after harvests, under shade of trees, on boats, temples and romantically under a bright moon night.

It can be said it possesses a musical and magical power of charming Vietnamese people. Especially it is said that the emotion and the soul of southern Vietnamese people are melted in it.

Don ca tai tu has some extemporaneous nature when musicians perform it, but maintaining the integrity of music is very important. Don ca tai tu has to learn it by heart the basic tune of each repertoire from which they can improvise, yet still maintain the integrity.

Don ca tai tu players are free to create their own musical style as the spirit if impromptu is highly respected in don ca tai tu as such.

Accordingly it can be concluded that don ca tai tu, from the point of musical and cultural view, is very valuable traditional music to be preserved, disseminated and enjoyed. Naturally, don ca tai tu is qualified to be the center of public attention from Asia and the world. In addition, it is qualified to be designated as a masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity as well.

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“Don ca tai tu” – the southern spiritual creature

Coming to life no more than two centuries ago and becoming much loved by southerners of Vietnam, “đờn ca tài tử” is deeply rooted in the culture and spirits of locals and considered a traditional music of the nation.

Origin

Two professional forms of arts, “Tuồng” and “Nhạc lễ”, have taken roots among the southern community in Vietnam since the 19th century. “Tuồng” is a kind of theater in which drums and oboes are the main instruments and “Nhạc lễ” is the other genre serving ritual customs and mainly uses string and percussion instruments.

Starting from playing for relaxation during periods between crops or during free time, musicians started to create “don cay” movement (playing musical instruments without percussion). This movement quickly expanded its influence all over the region.

In the late 19th and the early 20th century, many musical mandarins and musicians of the Nguyen Dynasty moved to the south during a revolutionary movement and they combined their Hue music and that of the south to compose new “tài tử” songs and open classes to locals.

Successful learners of “tài tử” can be listed as Nguyen Quang Dai (Ba Doi) (1880) in Long An Province, Tran Quang Diem (1853 – 1927) in My Tho, Le Binh An (1862 – 1924) in Bac Lieu, together with masters like Tam, Dzung, Phan Hien Dao and Ton Tho Truong who studied music in Hue.

They contributed to composing songs and transmitting them to the south. Thanks to the “don cay" movement, musical teachers of Hue – the old capital – created physical changes to make “don cay” music the new kind of traditional music: “đờn ca tài tử”.

The art

It often takes people from 2 to 3 years to play fluently some of the most famous pieces and to be able to well deploy the techniques of “điệu” and “hơi” (tune and air).

Now there are hundreds of pieces in “tài tử” repertoire, in which 20 typical songs include Luu Thuy truong, Phu Luc Chan, Binh Ban chan, Co ban truong, Xuan tinh chan, Tay Thi truong, Xang xe, Ngu doi thuong, Ngu doi ha, Long dang, Long ngam, Van gia, Tieu khuc, Nam Xuan, Nam Ai, Dao ngu cung, Tu dai oan, Phung hoang, Giang nam – cuu khuc, Phung cau.

While playing these 20 oriental pieces as well as others, musicians are allowed to improvise new sub-melodies based on “long ban”, which is the basic theme.

Each musical sentence has a fixed number of measures. There are usually two types of sentence: sentence with 4 measures of 4/4, sentence with 8 measures of 4/4. The basic tunes was created on Bac tune (Bac air, Ha air), Nam tune (Xuan air, Ai air, Dao air) and Oan tune (Oan air).

All “tài tử” musicians have to learn by heart the basic tune of each repertoire from which they can improvise, yet maintain the integrity.

A traditional “tài tử” orchestra comprises such instruments as don kim (Vietnamese two-chord guitar), don tranh (Vietnamese 16-chord zither), don ty ba (Chinese four-chord lute), don co (Vietnamese two-chord fiddle), don bau (monochord) and ong tieu (flute).

Since the late middle of 20th century, guitar and violin have been added into the “tài tử” orchestra.

But the guitars’ frets are carved so as to leave a concave surface. With such a deep fret, the guitar, now called “guitar phim lom” or concave-fret guitar, offers a unique sound that goes along well with other acoustical sounds produced by traditional instruments in the “tài tử” orchestra.

Based on “tài tử” music, lyrics are composed for singers. Lyrics soon became a very effective tool to promote the art values and educational functions of “đờn ca tài tử” to the public.

Soon after that, “tài tử” singers changed the way of performance which does not only include singing but also acting called “Ca ra bo”, which was the first step for forming “cải lương”.

In 1917, the play “Luc Van Tien” by Truong Duy Toan was opened in Sa Dec and it was considered the first “cải lương”, the third Vietnamese stage art after “tuồng” and “chèo”.

Thanks to great artists and improving repertoire from “tai tu” music, “cải lương” has been developing fast and became one of the most attractive on-stage performances in the south during the 20th century.

In its turn, cai luong plays an active role in helping “tài tử” expand.

People who play “đờn ca tài tử”

Most “tài tử” performers are also composers. They don’t earn their life as singers, just act alone or sometimes together for relaxation in their free time. Usually, they are close friends and neighbors joining together to perform the music, as a way of expressing own emotions.

That is the reason why they perform with their whole hearts.

And when “đờn ca tài tử” became popular, public demand for it increased and that has urged greatest artists to build the “tai tu" band for greater performances in larger places.

Four criteria to list “đờn ca tài tử” as traditional

“Đờn ca tài tử” is the youngest in comparison with other kinds of Vietnamese traditional music such as “Hát xoan”, “Ca trù”, “Hát văn”, “Ca Huế”, “Hát xẩm” because its age is less than 200 years old. However, the music is considered traditional for the following criteria:

Firstly, it retains the Vietnamese traditional structure with “long ban” structure.

Secondly, it employs the musical scales and the ranges of scale of Vietnamese traditional music.

Thirdly, performers use Vietnamese traditional musical instruments. The instruments are promoted with new techniques by their composers.

Fourthly, professors keep their traditional teaching by direct instruction with traditional songs.

Nowadays, although the Vietnamese culture is greatly impacted by integration, information technology and globalization, the southern people still hold dear “đờn ca tài tử” and perform them in their daily life.

“Đờn ca tài tử” is thus worthy of being regarded as the Vietnamese spiritual creature.

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HCM City to host music, song show

HCM CITY — A traditional music and song show will usher in the New Year at HCM City's Dam Sen Park tonight.

The show Mua Xuan va Nguoi Linh (The Spring and Soldiers) features dozens of excerpts from popular cai luong (reformed opera) plays in praise of the country, its history and culture.

The songs highlighting the work of soldiers are composed by veteran artists, including Phan Huynh Dieu, Doan Nho and Hoang Hiep.

The show expects an audience of 2,000.

Residents in remote areas will also have access to the show, which will be broadcast live on the HCM City Television's HTV9 channel.

"By listening to traditional music, young generations can improve their love and knowledge about the country and its history and culture," said Vo Minh Lam, one of the city's young cai luong stars.

Lam will perform in excerpts from cai luong plays such as Rang Ro Viet Nam (Brilliant Viet Nam) and Nu Tuong Co Dao (A Female General), which feature Viet Nam's historical events and national heroes.

Lam is one of the evening show's five young performers who will perform with the older generation on stage, including veteran cai luong stars Bao Quoc, Bach Tuyet and Kim Tu Long.

The show begins at 8pm tonight at Dam Sen Park in District 11. Admission is free. — VNS

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Culture Vulture

Tai tu music inherits thousands of years of Vietnamese traditional music

Prof Dr Nguyen Thuyet Phong is an ethnomusicologist who was honoured by the US government as a National Heritage Fellow in 2007 and one of two Vietnamese listed in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians alongside Prof Dr Tran Van Khe. Phong talked about the possibility of tai tu music being recognised as an Intangible World Cultural Heritage by the UN.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has tasked the Vietnamese Institute of Music and its departments in HCM City and other southern provinces to develop a thorough profile for tai tu music. This would be submitted to the United Nations' Education, Science and Culture Organisation (UNESCO) which would consider the music as an Intangible World Cultural Heritage status. What role do you have in the project?

It was my pleasure to be invited by Culture Minister Hoang Tuan Anh to work on the project. What part I will play depends on the assignments of the Vietnamese Institute of Music and the HCM City's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

In my opinion, the road ahead is still very challenging. The art form has lost most of its luster to cai luong (reformed theatre), while its performances are much influenced by tan co giao duyen (a mixture of elements of traditional and pop music).

Tai tu music is traditionally performed in visiting rooms. Its standard orchestra includes a dan tranh (16-string zither), a dan kim (two-chord guitar), a dan co (two-chord fiddle), a ty ba (pear-shaped four-chord guitar), a doc huyen (monochord zither) and a flute.

Performing tai tu music on a big stage as pop and rock music groups do, or like performances during tourism festivals, is not true to its nature.

We should take into account its chamber concert nature when we are striving to restore the art form to its original form in terms of instrumentalists, singers, repertoire, style of singing and instruments, among others.

The most noteworthy surviving tai tu music figures in HCM City include musicians Vinh Bao and Ba Tu who are quite old now and some other musicians. Also, there are artists we don't know about, but we still are trying to find out who they are.

Even though tai tu music today has a much bigger audience, we still need to restore its chamber space that can accommodate small audiences.

Compared to other kinds of traditional Vietnamese music, tai tu music has a much shorter history. Will it pose any hurdle for UNESCO's recognition?

In my opinion, UNESCO recognition is not based on the history of the art form, but on its quality and musical system. In this respect, we can see tai tu music as unique in that it synthesises traditional music of the north, centre and south of the country over thousands of years.

So it has an extraordinary power. Its performance adheres to strict specific rules. Its theory, which has been handed down by generations through word of mouth, draws on many traditions of the past.

Once the art form is restored, we should commit to conserving it.

What do you have to say about the get-together of ethno-musicologists from over the world during a recent conference of the International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM) in Ha Noi city and Quang Ninh Province?

It was a good opportunity for us to advertise our traditional music and learn from international experts in studying and conserving traditional music. It's noteworthy that the ICTM is also advising UNESCO on appraising intangible heritage profiles.

With 54 ethnic groups, Viet Nam is of great interest and inspiration to the world's ethnomusicologists. Some presentations at the conference deal with subject matter like ethnic groups' music and youth, ethnomusicological applications in education, sociology and the mass media. — VNS

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Traditional music of capital to be released

A DVD set featuring the traditional music of Hanoi will be released later this month in honour of the capital's millennium in October.

The set, which is the first of its kind, includes four DVDs featuring the history of Hanoi 's traditional music, including songs and music works in different styles performed by veteran and young singers and musicians. Most of them work for the city's traditional theatres.

The DVD-producer Music Publishing House invested a great deal of money and human resources to record and film the artists on stage and in daily life.

The film's directors, People's Artist Tran Van Thuy and Nguyen Si Chung, perfected the film with beautiful scenes and music.

Veteran artists Thanh Ngoan, Xuan Hach, Minh Anh and The Dan, four of the region's leading traditional singers and music players, perform at their best in the film.

"Our artists' performances and talks provide audiences with the knowledge and beauty of traditional music and instruments," said Chung, the film's director.

He also added that through the DVD audiences could improve their knowledge of the different forms of music and could sing traditional tunes.

The film will be available in bookstores to celebrate 1,000 years of Hanoi . The film highlights Ca Tru, Hat Xam and Canh Hong Tu, three popular genres of music in the royal citadel of Thang Long (former name of Hanoi ).

Ca Tru (also known as Hat A Dao or ceremonial singing), an ancient genre of chamber music, features female vocalists who sing while playing music on bamboo tablets.

This was associated with a geisha-like form of entertainment.

The music was inscribed on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of Urgent Safeguarding in 2009 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Hat Xam (blind buskers music) is a type of folk music dating from the Tran Dynasty in the 14th century.

It was generally performed by blind buskers who travelled around the citadel to earn their living by singing in common places like markets.

Xam artists often play Dan Bau (monochord) or Dan Nhi (two-chord fiddle) to accompany the song themselves. The most famous surviving artisan of the art form is Ha Thi Cau, a Hanoi resident.

Canh Hong Tu is the kind of music used in religious ceremonies which dates back thousands of years ago in Thang Long.
 

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