MUSIC OF VIETNAM
Vietnam has many kinds of music, and many varieties of each musical form: the North, the Center and the South have their own kinds of music including:
a. Court music (which has eight subdivisions)
b. Ceremonial and Religious music (the prayers of thanks and supplications of remembrance.
Religious include:
Buddhism, Confucianism, and Caodaïsm.
c. Entertainment music “Đờn Ca Tài Tử” (Music of the Amateurs) roughly comparable to Western Chamber music – Đờn Ca Tài Tử, type of music is of a stricly private nature to be heard by a small audience, practised by some professional, semi-professional, non professional musicians and singers for their enjoyment – no one cary on it to earn living – with a repertoire which includes mainly songs accompanied by one, two, three or four instrumens such as the đờn Kìm or (Nguyệt) (moon shaped-lute), đờn Tranh (16 stringed-Zither), đờn Cò or (Nhị), đờn Độc huyền or (Bầu) Monochord.
d. Folk music and the Ethnic minorities – provide even more variety with their own ceremonies, dances and songs.
e. Musical Theater, long popular in Vietnam divides clearly into three sections:
the Fold Opera of the North – ressembles the opera comic and Renovated Theater of the South (Hat Cải Lương).
f. The Classical Theater of the Center (Hát Bội) – akin to grand opera -. Legend claims that the Hát Bội was initially brought to Viet nam before the 14th century from China by a Chinese invasion soldier who was captured by the Vietnamese army.
g. The Renovated Theater of the South (Hát Cải Lương)
a kind of operetta. It was born in the twentieth century as a mixture of Chamber music, French Theater, and traditional element.
26-07-2018
Vinh Bao