Ca Mau club spreads music rooted in native soil
17:00 22/03/2009

Afficionados say it reflects the idea of free thinking, the courage of those seeking fortunes in new frontiers as well as the cultural traditions of ancestors in the south of the country.      

 

Now, to keep this musical tradition alive and introduce future generations to tai tu music, a club in the southernmost province of Ca Mau is holding performances by skilled artists and offering free classes to the youth.

The Khanh Binh Tay Tai Tu Club in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province’s Tran Van Thoi District is holding a series of interactive perfomances this summer which will "provide local youth with the basic knowledge of tai tu music and instruments. The participants can also learn to play the music and sing traditional tunes," says farmer Truong Thanh Teo, head of the club.

Teo and his club’s members, including skilled artists like Bay Trung and Ba Do, often hold free performances for groups of youths, many of them living in remote and poor villages, starved of good entertainmentt.

Using their strong voice and skills in playing traditional instruments to great effect, Teo and his peers impress their audience – young and old – with popular tai tu works delve into the hopes and dreams of people in southern provinces.

Teo says his club is very keen on exposing youth to tai tu music, which is part of their heritage that is hundreds of years old.

"With its great value, tai tu music should increase in popularity among local people, particularly youngsters," says singer and musician player Bay Trung, a member of the club.

"We believe that pop and hip-hop music are modern and fashionable, but tai tu is spiritually rooted in the people living in southern provinces, Ca Mau in particular.

"We also hope that our club will give youngsters the opportunity to understand and appreciate the country’s traditional music," says Trung, who was a musician for the Huong Tram Cai Luong Troupe, one of the region’s leading traditional art troupes.

From the fields

To benefit from the experience and skills of farmer artists like Teo and Trung, anyone interested can visit the club located in Tran Van Thoi District’s Khanh Binh Tay Commune.

Tai tu music is often associated with farmers who sing the songs in the fields or while relaxing at the end of a hard day.

It is also performed at traditional festivals, weddings and death anniversaries.

Tai tu music is considered the prototype for vong co (nostalgic tunes) and cai luong (reformed theatre) of south Viet Nam.

The music itself is a mix of old South Vietnamese tunes, Binh Dinh classical opera and ceremonial songs from Hue.

Towards the late 19th century, the music was divided into two types: one with western influences, and the other with an eastern style, led by the artists Ky Quon and Ba Doi, both of whom have created new compositions.

One of the most popular tai tu songs is Da Co Hoai Lang, composed in 1919 by well-known author Cao Van Lau, a native of Bac Lieu Province. The song features the love of a young married woman watching her husband go to fight for the country.

Tai tu music is particularly popular in the provinces of Ca Mau and Bac Lieu.

In HCM City, the Workers’ Cultural House holds a tai tu festival called Huong Sac Nam Bo (The Colours and Flavours of the South) every year to encourage music researchers, young talents, veteran artists and fans of tai tu music to propagate the art further.

VietNamNet/VNS

Source : vietnamnet.vn