A performance of Xoan singing in Phu Ninh district. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Together with Xoan singing artisans, heads of Xoan guilds have retained, upheld and developed the ancient art form of singing in the community. Xoan singing is an intangible cultural heritage of northern Vietnam.
According to historical records, ancient Xoan melodies are closely linked to the worship of the Hung Kings, the founders of the nation.
Phu Tho is the birthplace of the art, which was then brought to villages alongside the banks of Lo river running through both Phu Tho and Vinh Phuc provinces. Xoan singing has been around for more than 2,000 years and there are four ancient Xoan guilds in Kim Doi, An Thai, Phu Duc and Thet in Kim Duc and Phuong Lau communes of Phu Tho’s Viet Tri city.
Xoan singing in Phu Tho has been championed by artisan Nguyen Thi Lich, who is head of the Xoan guild of An Thai in Phuong Lau commune of Viet Tri. With her continual contributions, the artisan was honoured with an award dedicated to Vietnamese women in 2021.
She was born in 1950 in a family that has practised the art for five generations in An Thai village. Lich began performing at festivals at the age of 13.
She set up a Xoan singing club comprising 15 members of various ages in 1979. The Phu Tho People’s Committee re-established the Xoan An Thai guild in 2006 and Lich was elected as its head.
Meanwhile, Kim Duc commune of Viet Tri city is home to three ancient Xoan guilds. Elder Le Xuan Ngu, 84, is the oldest among the heads.
Given his father was head of Xoan Phu Duc guild, he studied ancient Xoan melodies, memorised the lyrics and dances, and learned how to play the instruments at a young age.
A traditional Xoan performance staged by artisans in Phu Tho(Photo: VNA)
He was elected to be head of the Xoan Phu Duc in 1979 and recognised as the People’s Artisan four decades later. The senior has passed on the tradition by teaching hundreds of people of different ages not only performing skills, but also the history and cultural values of Xoan singing.
Bui Thi Kieu Nga was born in An Thai village of Phuong Lau commune, but she is head of the Xoan guild in Thet. Her father was head of An Thai Xoan guild but it was not until she got married and lived in Kim Duc commune that Nga became an active member of Thet Xoan guild. She became its head in 2015.
Along with other artisans of Thet guild, she has actively taken part in recovery and promotion of the art. Nga arranged classes for music teachers and students of elementary and secondary schools in the province. She has made major contributions to the re-enactment of Xoan singing in the ancient style. Further contributions include donating ancient melodies and related documents during the building of the dossier that sought UNESCO recognition for Xoan singing. The art form is recognized as an intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent protection, and later as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
A traditional Xoan singing performance by artisans in Phu Tho (Photo: VNA) Becoming head of Kim Doi Xoan guild at the age of 25, artisan Nguyen Van Quyet is the youngest head throughout the history of Xoan guilds.
He opened his own class in 2009 which attracted nearly 30 learners, with the youngest one just four years old. Since then, Quyet has trained about 600 people, including the younger generation of Xoan guilds, music teachers, and students.
Nguyen Van Tuan, aged 28, residing in Phuong Lau commune of Viet Tri city, has practised the art for 16 years. He is among the youngest to be recognised as an artisan in Phu Tho province.
Artisans perform the prelude of a Xoan singing performance.(Photo: VNA) Tuan officially participated in Xoan singing performance when he was 12 years old and his passion for Xoan singing has grown over time.
He graduated from a Phu Tho school specialising in culture, arts and tourism with distinction in 2011 and secured a job of teaching Xoan at the school.
Inscribed in 2017 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Xoan singing in the northern province of Phu Tho includes singing, dancing, drumming and clapper beating.
The UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage added the art form to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during its 12th session in December 2017./.
