Grassroots Development and Preservation of Ca Trù Singing in the Course of History

Tóm tắt

Ca trù is a complex form of sung poetry found in the North of Vietnam using lyrics written in traditional Vietnamese poetic forms (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - UNESCO, 2009). The practice of ca trù was well-known nationwide in Vietnam in the past, however it just got significant recovery in 2009 with the recognition of UNESCO. Ca trù groups comprise three performers: a female singer who uses breathing techniques and vibrato to create unique ornamented vocal sounds, while playing the clappers or striking a wooden box, and two instrumentalists who produce the deep tone of a three-stringed lute and the strong sounds of a praise drum. Some Ca trù performances also include dance (UNESCO, 2009). A close look at its grassroots development in the past may give the solutions for restoring and developing Ca trù in the future. The paper presents the development of ca trù in history, an example of a grassroots quản giáp in Nghệ An to illustrate how good ca trù was in the past, the manpower and financial challenges it is facing now, and reiterate some recommendations that were given by UNESCO (2009) and Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (2010).