{"id":7610,"date":"2019-11-21T09:09:16","date_gmt":"2019-11-21T09:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.govietnam.tours\/?p=7610"},"modified":"2024-06-13T16:03:36","modified_gmt":"2024-06-13T09:03:36","slug":"vietnamese-traditional-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.govietnam.tours\/vietnamese-traditional-music\/","title":{"rendered":"Vietnamese Traditional Music | Hundred Years of History & Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vietnamese traditional music or folk music is one major branch of Vietnamese music, truly reflecting the typical characteristics of people, culture, customs, geography, etc. of Vietnam, stretching throughout the history of the nation. Since the 20th century, Vietnamese music has been influenced by the foreign music styles such as China, Korea, the United States, United Kingdom but it still keeps its unique beauty, which is shown in the existence of Vietnamese traditional music as well as playing an important role in the culture in Vietnam.<\/p>\n

An Overview of Vietnamese Traditional Music<\/span><\/h2>\n

Vietnamese traditional music was born very early. Ever since ancient times, Vietnamese people have been very passionate about music and considered music an integral part of their life. Therefore, in the process of historical development, the residents have constantly created many musical instruments and musical genres to express their feelings and emotions, gain more motivation for daily work, and get out of the stress in life. You can listen to the melody of lullabies, children\u2019s songs, types of music in worshiping rituals, funerals, or conversations among members of the community, in entertaining activities, perform in singing contests, epics, the sweet songs of the jongleurs, “Don Ca Tai Tu” \u2013 the traditional music of the Southern people, and the traditional opera, etc.<\/p>\n

\"vietnam<\/p>\n

Vietnamese traditional music is rich by the accumulation of genres not only of different ages but also of numerous ethnic groups. Although having the same genre of music, each ethnic group has a distinctive mode of expression, performance, and cadence. For example, the lullabies of the Kinh are different from those of the Thai, the Muong, the Dao, etc. Moreover, some ethnic groups use lullabies to sing their children to sleep while others play a diversity of traditional musical instruments such as flute, Vietnamese monochord, and so on.<\/p>\n

Vietnam has 54 ethnic groups, which means that there are 54 different traditional musical backgrounds. Therefore, in this article, we would like to mention the traditional music of the Kinh people \u2013 the dominant ethnic group in Vietnam, accounting for 85.7% total of the population.<\/p>\n

There are various ways to classify Vietnamese Traditional Music (here, Kinh\u2019s music). In terms of types of music, they have: Royal family music, Cheo, Tuong, Xam singing, Don Ca Tai Tu, folk songs, Ca Tru, etc. If divided by regions, they have: the traditional music of the South; the Central, the Central Highlands, the North, and so on or smaller by regional culture. For the number of performers, it can be divided into the single, duo, in a group.<\/p>\n

In Vietnamese traditional music, it is extremely common for the artists to use a variety of traditional music instruments: dan bau (Vietnamese monochord), dan co (Vietnamese erhu), dan day, dan nguyet (moon lute), etc. All of these musical instruments contribute to creating unique characteristics of Vietnamese traditional music.<\/p>\n

Types of Vietnamese Traditional Music<\/span><\/h2>\n

Types of Vietnamese Traditional Music in Northern Vietnam<\/span><\/h3>\n

Ca Tr\u00f9 (H\u00e1t \u1ea2 \u0110\u00e0o)<\/span><\/h4>\n

Ca tr\u00f9, also known as h\u00e1t \u1ea3 \u0111\u00e0o, is one type of chamber music that was extremely popular in North and North Central Vietnam since the 15th century. It used to be court music that was loved by the aristocrats and the intellectuals. Besides, it can be said that Ca tr\u00f9 is a perfect combination of poetry and music.<\/p>\n

\"ca<\/p>\n

There are three main characters in a Ca tr\u00f9 performance: a female singer (called \u201c\u0111\u00e0o\u201d or \u201cca n\u01b0\u01a1ng\u201d) who uses the tongs, a male instrumentalist (called \u201ck\u00e9p\u201d) who plays dan day to support the vocalist, a spectator (called \u201cQuan vi\u00ean\u201d, usually being the author of the song) who plays the drum to punctuate the song and express the pleasure by the drum sound. In 2009, Ca tr\u00f9 was recognized as an intangible heritage that requires urgent protection by UNESCO.<\/p>\n

Ch\u1ea7u V\u0103n<\/span><\/h4>\n

H\u00e1t V\u0103n or Ch\u1ea7u V\u0103n is one of the types of Vietnamese traditional music, that originated in the North Delta. It is associated with Mother Goddesses Worship \u2013 the very famous folk belief in Vietnam. By using spiritual music with solemn and elaborate words, Ch\u1ea7u v\u0103n is considered to be a singing form of worshiping the goddesses.<\/p>\n

\"chau<\/p>\n

Ch\u1ea7u V\u0103n plays an extremely important role in a Mother Goddesses Worshiping performance to invite the gods to attend the ceremony. During the performance, the singers can sing and play musical instruments at the same time for 4-8 hours, creating a bustling atmosphere for the ceremony. The music instruments usually consist of dan nguyet (moon lute), small drums, tongs, cymbals, flute, Vietnamese monochord, etc. H\u00e1t v\u0103n is well-known in Hanoi and Nam Dinh, but the performing style in Nam Dinh is more rustic than that in Hanoi.<\/p>\n

Ch\u00e8o<\/span><\/h4>\n

Ch\u00e8o is a form of Vietnamese traditional stage art, strongly developing in North Vietnam, especially in the Red River delta and two sparsely populated mountainous areas in the North and North Central. This type of folk music has a harmonious combination of ethnicity and popularity with narrative and romantic lyrics so it is amazingly preferable for summer festivals.<\/p>\n

\"cheo<\/p>\n

Ch\u00e8o stage art has undergone a long history from the 10th century to the present, having a deep influence on Vietnamese social life. In terms of the meaning, Ch\u00e8o reflects all aspects of the national identity of the Vietnamese people: optimistic, loving, simple, full of national pride, persistent in fighting against the invaders to protect the country. Thanks to these great meanings, Ch\u00e8o is full of literary genres: romantic, epic, poetic, etc. creating a unique attraction for this traditional music.<\/p>\n

Quan Ho Folk Songs<\/span><\/h4>\n

Quan ho is one of the typical folk songs of the Red River delta in the North of Vietnam. It was formed and developed in the ancient cultural area Kinh Bac, especially the area boundary between Bac Giang and Bac Ninh provinces today with the gently flowing Cau river called “the river of Quan ho”.<\/p>\n

\"quan<\/p>\n

Quan ho folk songs are always performed in groups, each of which has five to six members. During the performance, they call each other the intimate names of the family members such as \u201cAnh ca\u201d (first brother), \u201cChi ca\u201d (first sister), \u201canh hai\u201d (second brother), and \u201cchi hai\u201d (second sister), etc. For this type of Vietnamese traditional music, the singers have their own performing costumes: the brothers with turbans, umbrellas, and tunics while the sisters are dressed up with \u201cmo ba mo bay\u201d shirts (a traditional cloth of the Vietnamese women) and large round hats and scarves. Quan ho folk songs impress the audience with an interestingly unique singing procedure. They usually divide into the \u201cbrother\u201d group and \u201csister\u201d group to sing back-and-forth the rustic and traditional loving songs with\/without music accompaniment.<\/p>\n

Tu\u1ed3ng<\/span><\/h4>\n

It is said that Tu\u1ed3ng is derived from the Vietnamese song and dance, but during its development, Tu\u1ed3ng has absorbed many forms of performance and makeup of traditional Chinese Opera. This kind of music usually expresses the majestic atmosphere to honor the national heroes, or to deliver the lessons of human behavior between community and individuals, between family and motherland. In a performance, the righteous forces have to fight for justice in very difficult conditions, becoming the bright mirror for the other people to follow.<\/p>\n

\"tuong<\/p>\n

X\u1ea9m Music\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

X\u1ea9m is one popular type of folk music in North Vietnam, especially in the Red River delta and Northern midland. In the past, X\u1ea9m is considered a form of livelihood for the poor and the dead people, most of whom usually performed in markets, streets, or crowded places, but few performed on big stages so very few people know this traditional music. The music instruments to support X\u1ea9m singing are also very simple, including Erhu and Senh Tien.<\/p>\n

\"xam<\/p>\n

Until February 2013, Mrs. Ha Thi Cau – Ninh Binh province (1928-2013) who is supposed to be the last X\u1ea9m singer of the 20th century went away, raising awareness of protecting this type of Vietnamese traditional music.<\/p>\n

Types of Vietnamese Traditional Music in Central Vietnam<\/span><\/h3>\n

H\u00f2, L\u00fd (Chanty)<\/span><\/h4>\n

H\u00f2 and L\u00fd are a popular musical genre in the Vietnamese people\u2019s life from ancient times, originating from the living habits in the valley, depicting the mood and emotions of the laborers. These two types of Vietnamese traditional music are pretty similar to each other, but H\u00f2 is usually attached to a working movement while L\u00fd is not. In addition, H\u00f2 and L\u00fd have extremely been developing in Central and South Vietnam. Visiting these regions, you will find it easy to bump into the local people droning out the rustic genres of H\u00f2 and L\u00fd.<\/p>\n

\"ho<\/p>\n

Nh\u00e3 Nh\u1ea1c (Hue Royal Court Music)<\/span><\/h4>\n

Nh\u00e3 Nh\u1ea1c or Hue royal court music is the court music under feudal times, performed during festivals or ceremonies (coronation, funerals, and other religious festivals) in the reign of the Nguyen dynasty of Vietnam. Hue royal court music was recognized by UNESCO as a masterpiece of oral and intangible world cultural heritage in 2003.<\/p>\n

\"nha<\/p>\n

Nh\u00e3 Nh\u1ea1c has a diversity of 126 songs full of original lyrics and translations. Besides, there are hundreds of musical instruments supporting the Hue Royal court music performances. As a result, it is obviously to affirm that Nh\u00e3 Nh\u1ea1c is a type of Vietnamese traditional music with a tight structural system, partially contributing to creating: the complete structure of the orchestra, the system of orchestral music without lyrics, the music accompaniments for singing and dancing, the songs in different kinds of dance, and the songs in the ceremonies.<\/p>\n

Types of Vietnamese Traditional Music in Southern Vietnam<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u0110\u1eddn Ca T\u00e0i T\u1eed (Southern Amateur Music)<\/span><\/h4>\n

\u0110\u1eddn ca t\u00e0i t\u1eed is the Vietnamese traditional music that was recognized as a world cultural heritage by UNESCO. It was established in the late 19th century, strongly developing and influencing 21 Northern provinces of Vietnam. This is one type of music combining lyrics and musical instruments, preferred by the Southern people in rural areas in their free time after a hard-working day.<\/p>\n

\"don<\/p>\n

\u0110\u1eddn ca t\u00e0i t\u1eed is over one hundred years old, usually known as the band performance, consisting of five Vietnamese traditional music instruments: dan tranh (zither), dan ty ba (pipa), dan nguyet (moon lute), dan bau (monochord), and dan tam; sometimes supported by the flute. The \u201c\u0111\u1eddn ca t\u00e0i t\u1eed\u201d singers are usually the friends or neighbors in a village; they gather and happily sing with each other so that they do not bother about the rustic costumes.<\/p>\n

C\u1ea3i L\u01b0\u01a1ng<\/span><\/h4>\n

C\u1ea3i l\u01b0\u01a1ng is one kind of opera that originated in South Vietnam and was formed based on \u0110\u1eddn ca t\u00e0i t\u1eed and the folk songs of the Mekong Delta. The content of each C\u1ea3i l\u01b0\u01a1ng performance may come from ancient Vietnamese stories, Nom poems, and literary works about Vietnamese society, and after that, the French scripts, Indian, Egyptian Romans, and Japanese ancient stories. The fusion of various cultures has shaped the special feature of this type of Vietnamese traditional music.<\/p>\n

\"cai<\/p>\n

In addition, the performance of C\u1ea3i l\u01b0\u01a1ng will be not perfect without the musical accompaniment of the orchestra, which helps not only support the vocals but also highlight the psychological depth of the characters, creating more drama for the script, and contributes to the success of the play. Nowadays, C\u1ea3i l\u01b0\u01a1ng is also an extremely popular type of Vietnamese traditional music in the South, strengthening the spiritual life of the local people.<\/p>\n

The above information includes a panorama of Vietnamese traditional music. During your\u00a0Vietnam vacation packages<\/a>, it will be an unforgettable memory to be one of the audience and enjoy some of the Vietnamese traditional music to have insight knowledge about Vietnamese culture.<\/p>\n

If you fall in love with some kind of Vietnam traditional music,\u00a0 the show totally can be in your Vietnam tour packages, or you can click here for a tour package with the show you want:<\/p>\n\n \n

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