The Mekong delta province of Tra Vinh launched a “don ca tai tu”(amateur singing) festival for local people on December 23-24 to honourthe art, which was recognised as a piece of the world’s intangiblecultural heritage.
As many as 70 amateur singersand instrumentalists from rural areas across the province took 54 piecesof Don ca tai tu’s music and songs onto the stage.
Tra Vinh’s people have fondly performed Don ca tai tu since the late 19th century and are working together to preserve the art with 57 clubsscattering across the locality with members numbering 1,000.
Following this festival, the provincial department of culture, sportsand tourism plans to organise the event annually to spread the value ofthe art far and wide.
Known as a musical art thathas both scholarly and folk roots, Don ca tai tu (amateur singing)developed in southern Vietnam in the late 19th century. The impromptuart honours the creativeness and artistry of the performers.
UNESCO recognised the art as an intangible cultural heritage onDecember 5, during the on-going 8th session of the IntergovernmentalCommittee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage inBaku, Azerbaijan.
The art is performedat numerous events, such as festivals, ‘death anniversary' rituals, andcelebratory social events. The audience can join in, by practicing,making comments or creating new words for songs.
It has been transmitted from generation to generation through officialand unofficial forms of education in all 21 provinces, where the artform is popular. Don ca tai tu has continually been popularised throughcultural exchanges among peoples, presenting their mutual harmony andrespect.
The art form is played on avariety of different instruments, including the kim (moon-shaped lute),co (two-stringed fiddle), tranh (16-string zither), ty ba (pear-shapedlute), song lang (percussion), bau (monochord) and sao (bamboo flute),and the violin and guitar, which were adapted.
The musicians who contribute to Don ca tai tu include masterinstrumentalists, master lyricists, master singers, instrumentalists,and singers.
Influenced by other formsof cultural heritage from the central and southern regions of Vietnam,such as nhac le (ceremonial music) and hat boi (classical theatre andfolk song), the music genre was added to the National List of IntangibleCultural Heritage in 2012.-VNA
As many as 70 amateur singersand instrumentalists from rural areas across the province took 54 piecesof Don ca tai tu’s music and songs onto the stage.
Tra Vinh’s people have fondly performed Don ca tai tu since the late 19th century and are working together to preserve the art with 57 clubsscattering across the locality with members numbering 1,000.
Following this festival, the provincial department of culture, sportsand tourism plans to organise the event annually to spread the value ofthe art far and wide.
Known as a musical art thathas both scholarly and folk roots, Don ca tai tu (amateur singing)developed in southern Vietnam in the late 19th century. The impromptuart honours the creativeness and artistry of the performers.
UNESCO recognised the art as an intangible cultural heritage onDecember 5, during the on-going 8th session of the IntergovernmentalCommittee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage inBaku, Azerbaijan.
The art is performedat numerous events, such as festivals, ‘death anniversary' rituals, andcelebratory social events. The audience can join in, by practicing,making comments or creating new words for songs.
It has been transmitted from generation to generation through officialand unofficial forms of education in all 21 provinces, where the artform is popular. Don ca tai tu has continually been popularised throughcultural exchanges among peoples, presenting their mutual harmony andrespect.
The art form is played on avariety of different instruments, including the kim (moon-shaped lute),co (two-stringed fiddle), tranh (16-string zither), ty ba (pear-shapedlute), song lang (percussion), bau (monochord) and sao (bamboo flute),and the violin and guitar, which were adapted.
The musicians who contribute to Don ca tai tu include masterinstrumentalists, master lyricists, master singers, instrumentalists,and singers.
Influenced by other formsof cultural heritage from the central and southern regions of Vietnam,such as nhac le (ceremonial music) and hat boi (classical theatre andfolk song), the music genre was added to the National List of IntangibleCultural Heritage in 2012.-VNA
