LEARN SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHEO TRADITONAL “ CACH CU
Abstract
Cheo music is a traditional Vietnamese musical genre that features a system of melodies with a strong folk music character from Vietnam's northern region. The “Cach Cu” melody is one of the melodies in the “Hát Hề” system, which Cheo artists "bend and adjust" to the fourword poem, similar to “Dong Dao“ or nursery rhymes. The structure consists of three stanzas (body stanza, reminder stanza 1, reminder stanza 2, reminder stanza 3), presented concisely and philosophically. The rhythm is varied with many beats and repeats, making it easy to learn, sing, and remember. The song's fast tempo creates a lively, humorous, and optimistic mood. The vocal range of the Cach Cu melody is not more than 10 notes, making it very suitable for people with a narrow vocal range, and can be chosen as a melody to teach children from 13 to 14 years old. It is also used in the Cheo theater for female singing groups or clown characters to perform. The Cach Cu ancient Cheo melody is a unique melody with artistic and musical values. The combination of poetry and music creates a melody with a complete structure (opening sentence, complaint sentence, closing sentence, tail rhyme, and empty space). The rhythm of the Cheo melody is also complex, with the typical "Truong Canh" rhythm interwoven with reversed and varied notes, making the poetic ideas more transparent, coherent and inculcating the humorous, witty, playful, and pure nature of the song that the clown characters in Cheo often uses. The artistic values of the elements of the "Cach cu" Cheo melody, mainly traditional Cheo melodies, must be preserved and developed.
