Download Traditional musical instruments

Traditional Vietnamese music is highly diverse and syncretistic, combining native and
foreign influences. Throughout its history, Vietnam has been most heavily impacted by
the Chinese musical tradition, as an integral part, along with Korea, Mongolia and Japan.
The ancient Indochinese kingdom of Champa also had a very significant historical effect
upon this music, because the Vietnamese court found it intriguing.
Traditional Vietnamese Music includes 2 main types: Imperial court
Music and Folk music
Imperial court Music: Nhã nhạc is the most popular form of imperial court music,
specifically referring to the court music played from the Trần Dynasty to the very last
Nguyễn Dynasty of Vietnam, being synthesized and most highly developed by the
Nguyễn emperors. It is based on earlier Vietnamese imperial court music, its primary
influences coming from Ming Dynasty's imperial court and later the music of Champa.
Along with nhã nhạc, the imperial court of Vietnam in the 19th century also had many
royal dances which still exist to this day. The theme of most of these dances is to wish the
kings longevity and the country wealth.
(thêm hình ảnh minh họa giữa các dòng chữ)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omNSAjA6Pn4 (download về và chuyển sang dạng
avi, cắt bớt một số đoạn, cân chỉnh thời lượng khoảng 1 phút)
Folk Music: Vietnamese folk music is extremely diverse and includes dân ca, quan họ,
hát chầu văn, ca trù, hò, and hát xẩm, among other forms.
Chầu văn singing:
Chau van (or frequently called trau van) is a religious form of art which combines
singing and dancing and used for extolling the merits of beneficent deities or national
heroes. Its music and poetry are mingled with a variety of rhythms, pauses, tempos,
stresses and pitches.
The instrumental music in Chau van plays a very important role either in emphasizing
important passages or creating contrastive effects.
The dress worn by Chau van singers is based on the cult of the "four palaces" - a red robe
symbolizing for the "heavenly palace", a yellow robe - the "underground palace", a green
robe - the "musical palace" and a white robe - the “aquatic palace". The headgear and the
style of the robe are closely related to the supernatural being honored in the act of
worship.
The lyrics in chau van singing were strongly emphasized. The psychic not only has a
good voice and knows how to play musical instruments but he also knows how to give
compliments at the right time and in the proper situation.
(Thêm hình ảnh, nếu được thêm video)
Ca trù
Perhaps, the most important catalyst in the development of contemporary Vietnamese
folkloric performance was the appearance of the call-and-response dialogue song. These
kinds of songs have created a significant role in forming the Vietnamese culture values.
Witnessing a ca tru play means hearing the beautiful voice of lady singers and at the
same time, enjoying the poem written for this style of singing!
Scholars trace its origins back to a type of female singing known as hat a dao, which was
widely performed as an expression of worship during the Ly dynasty (1010-1225). As
time goes by, it gradually became popular and eventually changed to alternative name, ca
tru (singing for reward).
Until 20th century, ca tru had become a common form of entertainment in the north with
Kham Thien Street in Ha Noi as its main urban focus.
In 2005, ca tru was submitted to UNESCO for recognition as a Masterpiece of Oral and
Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The performing art of ca tru itself is quite complicated requiring the singer to be lofty and
elegant in gesture but no less sentimental. The internal breathing is of greatest importance
in the singing technique. Also the beating of castanets is very sophisticated; the singer
has to express her feelings and sentiments through the sound of castanets.
Until now, there are some famous ca tru songs such as Thu Hung (Inspiration of
Autumn), Ty Ba Hanh, Dao Hong, Dao Tuyet (Singer Hong, Singer Tuyet) can still stir a
Vietnamese soul. They were written by famous poets who are deeply memorized in
listeners’ mind like Nguyen Cong Tru, Cao Ba Quat, Nguyen Khuyen, Nguyen Quy Tan,
Chu Manh Trinh, Phan Van Ai and Nguyen Thuong Hien…
(Giống các phần trên, bắt bụôc bỏ video vào, search trên youtube)
Quan Họ
For the Bac Ninh people, festivals not only allow them to highlight their own village's
specialties, such as ceramics, folk painting, wrestling, kite parades, or bird contest,
among a great many other things, but also their common prized heritage, the quan ho
singing tradition.
According to the tradition, only young people used to sing quan ho songs, as the major
body of song texts centers on the subject of love and sentimental desire among young
adults. Nowadays, many elderly singers participate in the singing as well in response to
the quant ho movement initiated by the provincial government. Originally, quan ho
singing were exchange songs between two mandarins' families. Gradually, it spread out
and became popular among the northern people. Groups were formed just for singing,
and many marriages were formed at these get-together. After centuries, it became the
most significant Vietnamese folk-song type.
(Chèn 1 đoạn video quan họ vào, và khi đoạn video chạy thì ta sẽ đọc đoạn information
in nghiêng font chữ khác)
If you did listen or watch a quan ho performance, you will see that it is an antiphonal singing
tradition in which men and women take turns singing in a challenge-and-response fashion
drawing on a known repertoire of melodies. In general, an initial "challenge phrase" (câu ra) is
sung by a pair of female singers, followed by a "matching phrase" (câu đối) from the men, which
repeat the melody of the challenge phrase. Once the order is reversed, the men will issue their
own challenge phrase with a different melody.
Instrumental accompaniment is welcomed by quan ho singers in some villages. The mono
chord is the most common instrument, followed by the bamboo flute and the 36-stringed
hammered dulcimer.
Lullaby singing
When I was a baby, my mom and my grand mom used to sing the Vietnamese lullabies for
me. It was just not to lull me to sleep but also was the way they connected to my heart. At
that time, I could not understand the meaning of the lullabies but I could feel the warmth
and sweetness of my mom and my grand mom. And I grew up with these lullabies…
Hat ru (or Lullaby singing) is a sort of folk music often heard in Vietnam, especially in
the countryside. Ru as a noun is certainly a song to lull babies, and as a verb is to lull, but
Vietnamese women use them to consign their fates and also express feelings, such as
homesickness or the mood of a wife missing her husband, etc. In order to make the child
slowly fall asleep, the song’s rhythm is mostly quiet, the tone is stretched as melodiously
as a little dialogue between the mother and the child.
The melodies of ru vary from regions to regions. Ru is originated from six-and-eight line
popular poems. The rhythm follows the tradition but the lines are elongated with
interjectional syllables à ơi, ù ơ, à á ơ, à ơi ơi.
(Cho chữ chạy, ở dưới là file nhạc, đương nhiên là nhạc hát ru và đảm bảo đủ độ dài, nên
thử trước)
Chèo
Cheo is believed to have originated in the 11th century, and has its roots in village
festivals in the Red River Delta.
After crops harvest, the farmers hold the festivals which include a series of activities such
as plays, Cheo singing, etc. to exchange the information as well as to make new
relationships. Since then, many national Cheo repertoires which are considered treasures
of the traditional stage are created, expamples are Truong Vien, Kim Nhan, Luu Binh Duong Le and Quan Am Thi Kinh…
Like many ancient performance arts, Cheo is an oral one with stories composed by
anonymous author-performers and orally “passed on” to fellow performers. In this folk
art performance, stories which can be legends, poetry, history or even daily life are the
most important, “whenever there are stories, we have Cheo”.
Also, brought into the play are acrobatic scenes and magic. Cheo tells tales of chiefs,
heroes and lovely maidens and offers an eclectic mix of romance, tragedy and comedy.
These stories are performed by folk songs with pantomime, instrumental music and
dances, combined with instructive or interpretative sketches.
A Cheo play can not be complete without stage. The play could be put on the stage of a
large theatre, but also be performed successfully on one or two bed mats spread in the
middle of a communal house. The Cheo drum was traditionally used like a church bell
with magical sounds. Upon hearing, villagers cannot resist coming to see the play. The
costumes, make-up and gestures are very simple and base on each character of the play.
At present, Cheo is an integral part of Vietnamese theatre and attract not only people in
the countryside and in towns but the foreign spectators as well.
Traditional musical instruments
Đàn bầu
Dan Bau is a Vietnamese monochord, a traditional one-string musical instrument.
Originally, the Dan Bau was made of just 4 parts: a bamboo tube, a wooden rod, a
coconut shell half, and a silk string. The string was strung across the bamboo, tied on one
end to the rod, which is perpendicularly attached to the bamboo. The coconut shell was
attached to the rod, serving as a resonator. Now, the bamboo has been replaced by a
wooden soundboard, with hardwood as the sides and softwood as the middle.
Playing the Dan Bau is simple but requires a great deal of precision. The pinky of the
right hand gently taps the string at one of seven commonly used nodes while the other
fingers pluck the string using a long plectrum. With the left hand, the player can push the
flexible rod towards the instrument using the index finger to lower the pitch of the note,
or the player can pull the rod away from the instrument with the thumb to raise the pitch
of the note. This technique is used both to play notes not available at a node as well as to
add vibrato to any note.
Đàn nhị
With melodious sounds, Dan Nhi becomes indispensable one in a traditional musical
orchestra to express the subtle mood of man's soul.
Dan Nhi is a sort of vertical violin with two strings, a long handle and a sound box, held
in front of the player like a small cello and played with a bow. It is popular among
several ethnic groups in Vietnam such as: Muong, Tay, Thai, Gie Trieng, Khmer.
Dan Nhi comprises a tubular body made of hard wood with snake or python skin
stretched over one end and a bridge. The neck of the Dan Nhi has no frets. Made of hard
wood, one end of the neck goes through the body; the other end slants slightly backward.
There are two pegs for tuning. The bow is made of bamboo or wood and fitted with
horsehair. The hair goes through the space between the strings.
The Dan Nhi is a highly expressive instrument which plays an important solo and
orchestral-role. According to archaeological documents found out in Van Phuc pagoda
(Phat Tich - Thanh Son - Ha Bac), an orchestra was carved on a pedestal used as a pillar
of the pagoda with musical instruments coming from India and China.
Thanks to its diversified use, Dan Nhi is a simple instrument that can achieve miracles. A
folksong of the North, a lullaby of the Central region, or a cai luong aria of the South will
lose much of its charm if not accompanied by the Dan Nhi, a traditional instrument
capable of a great variety of expression.
Sáo trúc
Sao Truc, which is certainly Vietnam’s most well-known wind instrument with arch-form
blowing hole, has long been attached to the cultural and spiritual life of Vietnamese
people.
A vertically-held bamboo flute is made from the very bottom of a bamboo tree. Bamboo
is hollow except for the nodes which are spaced at intervals along the pipe. These nodes
are knocked out to form the complete hollow length of the pipe.
When playing, flutists hold the flute transversally to the right side and places his mouth at
the blowing hole. The flutist can control air column (slight blowing makes air column
move slowly and weakly, as opposed to strong blowing makes air column move fast and
strongly). Sao Truc is usually performed solo or in ensemble with other instruments in
orchestras of Vietnamese popular opera Cheo, Van singing genre, and Royal Small
Orchestra.
It can be said that Sao Truc contains the musical essence of the Vietnamese together with
the four tranquil seasons. Particularly popular in the countryside, it was traditionally
played by Vietnamese farmers whenever they take a break from working in the fields, or
even at nights before going to bed...
Đàn tranh
The đàn tranh is a plucked zither of Vietnam. It has a wooden body and steel strings, each
of which is supported by a bridge in the shape of an inverted "V."
The body of the đàn tranh is about 110 cm in length and is made of wood. It is long and
narrow, and has a convex surface. It is usually covered in ornate lacquered designs or
inlaid with mother-of-pearl. There are 16 moveable bridges used for tuning and support.
The bridges are made of wood or bone tipped with copper. The strings are made of steel
and have varying widths. They are tuned to the pentatonic scale. Artists usually wear
picks made of metal, plastic, or tortoise-shell to pluck the strings.
Music for the đàn tranh is usually light and cheerful. It is most often played as a solo
instrument, but is also used to accompany poetry recitals or cai luong drama. It may also
be part of an orchestra or chamber group.
Đàn tỳ bà
The đàn tỳ bà is a Vietnamese traditional plucked string instrument. It is made of wood,
with a distinctive pear shape and four strings made of nylon (formerly twisted silk). The
instrument is held in a near-vertical position when playing and its playing technique
involves frequent bending of the tones with the fingers of the left hand. It was associated
with the royal court and is still used in the ensemble that performs at the Imperial Palace
at Huế.
The instrument's name is a Vietnamization of the name of the Chinese pear-shaped lute,
called pipa, from which the đàn tỳ bà is derived. "Đàn" is the Vietnamese prefix meaning
"stringed instruments", which is part of the name of most traditional stringed instruments
of the Viet majority.