An art performance by artists from Bac Giang province (Source: nhandan.com.vn) Bac Giang (VNA) – Authorities and people of thenorthern province of Bac Giang have made great efforts to preserve and carryforwards the values of the art of Ca tru (ceremonial singing), aiming toremoving the art from UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need ofUrgent Safeguarding.
Bac Giang is one of the 15 cities and provinces nationwide that usedto be the home of Ca tru. However, before the folk music genre was inscribed inthe list in 2009, no one in the locality knew how to perform it.
However, such joint efforts have brought the singing back to life,said Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism TranMinh Ha, adding that currently, the province has eight Ca tru clubs in BacGiang city and nine districts.
The art has gradually established its position in the contemporarysocial life and gradually escaped from the “in need of urgent safeguarding”status, the official stressed.
According to Ha, Ca tru has been performed in many festivals andartistic contests in Bac Giang in recent years, and many artists from theprovince have earned high prizes at national and regional Ca tru singingcontests.
One of the above-said Ca tru clubs has been operating in Yen Dungdistrict since 2009. From only more than 10 members, mostly retirees at thebeginning, the club’s membership now reaches 30, including children.
Ong Thi Thu Hoai, head of the club, said apart from experienceexchange and training at monthly meetings of the club, the members practised athome following teaching on the internet, CD and DVD.
The club has also sent its members to Ca tru teaching classes heldby the province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the members willpass down what they learn at the classes to others.
Over the past ten years, the club members have maintained theirenthusiasm although they have to pay for their performance clothes and musicinstruments by themselves, Hoai said.
To preserve the folk music genre, Bac Giang has invited well-knownartisans from Hanoi to teach Ca tru to local artists, musicians and locals. Thecourse is opened annually, lasting from 10 to 15 days, focusing on three tofive songs.
Besides, the department has supported the clubs with performancedresses and music instruments.
However, more efforts are needed to maintain the stable operationof the clubs as they are self-financed and their members are working indifferent jobs.
At a recent ceremony held in Bac Giang to celebrate ten yearssince Ca tru won the UNSCO’s recognition, delegates proposed the provincedevise a project on Ca tru preservation and promotion, organise more trainingcourses as well as festivals and contests, introduce the singing at localtourist destinations, and provide more financial support for Ca Tru clubs andartisans.
Ca tru is a complex form of sung poetry foundin the north of Vietnam using lyrics written in traditional Vietnamese poeticforms.
Ca tru groups comprise three performers: afemale singer who uses breathing techniques and vibrato to create uniqueornamented sounds, while playing the clappers or striking a wooden box, and twoinstrumentalists who produce the deep tone of a three-stringed lute and thestrong sounds of a praise drum.
Some Ca tru performances also include dance.The varied forms of Ca tru fulfill different social purposes, including worshipsinging, singing for entertainment, singing in royal palaces and competitivesinging.
Ca tru has 56 different musical forms ormelodies, each of which is called “the cach”. Folk artists transmit the musicand poems that comprise Ca tru pieces by oral and technical transmission,formerly, within their family line, but now to any who wish to learn.
The art genre appeared in the North around the15th century and thrived until the early 20th century. Since then, it hasdecreased in popularity due to the spread of modern recreational and culturalactivities.
Today, this kind of singing is practised in 15cities and provinces throughout Vietnam./.
VNA
