CULTURAL SOUNDS: THE SPIRIT OF VIETNAM

    • CD8
    • ĐỜN CA TÀI TỬ, A CHAMBER MUSIC OF SOUTHERN VIETNAM
    • Đờn ca tài tử is a special traditional genre of chamber music of the Việt people in southern Vietnam. In comparison with other forms of traditional musical performances in Vietnam like Ca trù (Ca trù singing), Ca Huế (Hue singing), etc, the art of Đờn ca tài tử was a late traditional form. According to many musical researchers, Đờn ca tài tử came into being in the mid-nineteenth century from the musical context of the ceremonial music nhạc Lễ of southern Vietnam and the chamber music nhạc Huế. Historically, nhạc Lễ played a very important role in the cultural life of southern Vietnam. The repertoire was divided into two styles played by a martial ensemble phe võ and a classical ensemble phe văn. The phe võ is composed of drums, cymbals, and the Vietnamese oboe kèn bầu. The phe văn consisted of stringed instruments, particularly four types of the cò (two-stringed fiddles, such as the cò, the cò chỉ, the cò tre, and the gáo fiddle), and percussion instruments such as the trống nhạc (drum), and a trống cơm (a small cylindrical drum).
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The two ensembles are invited to play at major village festivals. But for less important occasions such as weddings, birthdays, and housewarmings, a smaller phe văn group is called in, which includes the stringed instruments without percussion instruments. This ensemble is called đờn cây. For the need of artistic entertainment, other stringed instruments progressively joined this ensemble such as the đàn tranh (sixteen-string zither), the kìm (moon-shaped lute) and the very small wooden song lang. Music gradually escapes the solemn nature of rituals to serve daily life. It can be considered the initial foundation of Đờn ca tài tử, but it was not yet the Đờn ca tài tử. In 1885, when the Huế capital fell, the immigration of instrumentalists of the Nguyễn court from central Vietnam to the southern region made significant influence on the development of Đờn ca tài tử. At this time, Đờn ca tài tử was actually shaped after acquiring Huế chamber music in both repertoires and performance styles. The emergence of Đờn ca tài tử has received great support and favor of the majority of people in the southern Vietnam.
SOUND LIST
1 Lưu thủy trường (The tranh zither solo)
Performer: Master musician Vĩnh Bảo
Time of audio-recording: 1977
08'55" PLAY
2 Ngũ đối hạ (Singing with accompaniment)
Performers: Ngọc Chiêu (singer) Accompaniment ensemble: Nguyễn Thế Huyện (the cò fiddle), Anh Duy (the kìm lute)
Time of audio-recording: 1977
06'31" PLAY
3 Nam xuân - Nam ai (Singing with accompaniment)
Performers: Thanh Tao (singer) Accompaniment ensemble: Năm Bá (the bầu monochord),Tư Huyện (the violin), Anh Duy (the kìm lute)
Time of audio-recording: 1977
13'07" PLAY
4 Bình sa lạc nhạn (Instrumental ensemble)
Performers: Nguyễn Văn Thinh (the tranh zither), Chín Tâm (the kìm lute), Ba Trung (the cò fiddle)
Time of audio-recording: 1977 - 1978
19'31" PLAY
5 Văn Thiên Tường (Singing with accompaniment)
Performers: Tuyết Lan (singer) Accompaniment ensemble: Năm Bá (the bầu monochord), Anh Duy (the kìm lute)
Time of audio-recording: 1977
11'38" PLAY
6 Kim tiền bản (Instrumental ensemble)
Performers: Tư Huyện (the violin), Anh Duy (the kìm lute)
Time of audio-recording: 1977
06'02" PLAY
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