15 years of spreading the sound of heritage

Amidst the modern pace of life, the simple Xoan songs and sweet Phu Tho folk songs still resound regularly every week in a small room in Zone 4 of Hung Son town, old Lam Thao district, now Lam Thao commune. There, the Hung Son town Xoan Singing and Phu Tho Folk Song Club, chaired by Xoan Singing Artist Tran Xuan Truong, has become a "home" that preserves the soul of the countryside and nurtures the love for the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

From passion to the journey of "keeping the fire"

In 2009, Mr. Tran Xuan Truong - "artist" of Lam Thao Superphosphate and Chemical Joint Stock Company retired and lived in Zone 4, Hung Son town (old). At that time, the province was encouraging localities to establish Xoan Singing Clubs. Passionate about music, Mr. Truong went to Xoan wards to learn singing, then gathered the art cores of the area and town, and established the Xoan Singing and Phu Tho Folk Song Club of Hung Son town. “In 2010, the Xoan and Phu Tho Folk Songs Club of Hung Son town was launched with 18 members, mainly retired officials and people who love to sing. After 15 years of operation, the club now has 35 members, aged from 55 to 90, including music lovers from neighboring communes. Despite their old age, it still cannot stop the love for drums, songs, and Xoan lyrics of the club members” - Club leader Tran Xuan Truong informed.

Xoan Singing Artist Tran Xuan Truong - Head of Xoan Singing and Phu Tho Folk Song Club, Hung Son town.

In a small room temporarily borrowed as a practice place for the club, twice a week, the sounds of drums, clappers, and songs resound, sometimes high, sometimes low. Although he is 90 years old, Mr. Nguyen Van Gia, the oldest member of the club, still regularly comes to the club's location to practice. Mr. Gia said: "I have joined the club since its establishment and have performed in many places. Although I am old, I am still passionate about singing Xoan. Every time I sing Xoan, I feel like I am young again, I feel like I am still living in the middle of the Hung Temple festival season of the past."

Many elderly female members still manage their family chores and sing enthusiastically during practice sessions. Ms. Tran Hoang Oanh - Vice President of the Club, who is 70 years old this year, said: "There are cold and rainy days when I see the members still using their canes to go to the practice location, some even bring their children along to practice so that the children can get acquainted with Xoan melodies early. Seeing that, I feel warm and promise to continue to stick with the Club to spread Xoan singing - a unique feature of the Hung King's Land."

From the practice sessions, Xoan singing was spread and passed on to the younger generation. Thus, the love for heritage was extended through many generations through the sincere and persistent hearts of the Club members.

With his passion for Xoan singing, in 2023, the head of the Xoan Singing and Phu Tho Folk Song Club in Hung Son town, Tran Xuan Truong, was honored to be recognized as a Xoan Singing Artist. This is not only Mr. Truong's personal pride but also an honor for the whole Club.

Mr. Nguyen Van Gia, 90 years old, still participates in practicing and performing Xoan singing.

Spreading the legacy from hearts that love Xoan

Not only practicing and performing, the Club is also the "source" of spreading Xoan singing throughout the countryside of Phu Tho. Since 2012, members have taught at many other clubs in localities in the province such as: Phu Nham, Phu Ninh, Phong Chau and schools in Tien Kien, Chu Hoa, Duu Lau, Son Vi, Hung Son... Many students have been exposed to, felt and loved Xoan singing from the first lessons with the "brown-shirted artists".

Mr. Tran Xuan Truong shared: “Although we do not have a fixed practice room and have to borrow a temporary one, no session has been canceled. Club members contribute their own funds to maintain and perform. But the most valuable thing is that despite many difficulties, the love for the Xoan singing heritage always burns in everyone’s heart.”

For 15 years, the Xoan and Phu Tho Folk Song Club in Hung Son town has been a bright spot in the mass cultural movement of Phu Tho province. From 2010 to now, the Club has continuously won the A prize at the "Xoan Village Singing" contests, and has been evaluated by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Phu Tho as a typical club at the provincial level. In 2014, the Club was listed in the Golden Book of Phu Tho Xoan Singing Preservation, and attended a conference to report on typical examples among 13 clubs in the province. Now, whenever the Hung Temple Festival or major local events resound with ancient Xoan songs, people recognize the familiar voices of the Club members - those who have devoted their hearts to preserving and spreading the sounds of heritage.

Xoan Singing and Phu Tho Folk Song Club, Hung Son town, practices Xoan performances.

Ms. Tran Hoang Oanh - Vice President of the Club, shared: "There are nights when we come home late from practice, everyone is tired, but hearing the sound of Xoan drums makes us feel warm. We sing with love, with pride as children of our homeland."

Amidst the bustling pace of life today, the Xoan and Phu Tho Folk Song Club in Hung Son town still regularly resounds with rustic, sincere, simple and sacred songs. Not only is it a meeting place for those who love folk art, the Club is also a bridge between the past and the present, between ancient values ​​and today's pride. In each song, the beat of the drum, there is not only music - but also the beat of memories, the thread connecting the past with the present, so that Xoan singing - a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity, forever resonates in the homeland of Phu Tho, the origin of the Vietnamese people.

After 15 years of persistently spreading the sounds of heritage, up to now, the Xoan Singing and Folk Song Club of Phu Tho, Hung Son town, continues its beautiful journey - the journey of preserving the Xoan language so that the soul of the Ancestral Land will forever resonate.

Le Thuong

Source: https://baophutho.vn/15-nam-lan-toa-thanh-am-di-san-242787.htm