Ca Hue - music of the capital

Actually, it should be called Hue music, because this art includes both singing and music. It is a system of more than 60 vocal and instrumental works, belonging to two groups: Northern and Southern melodies.

Following the flow of history

Belonging to the Northern melody (also called the Guest melody) are melodies with cheerful, graceful sounds and fast rhythms, such as Phu Luc, Co Ban, Long Ngam, Long Diep, Luu Thuy and 10 continuous songs: Pham Tuyet, Nguyen Tieu, Ho Quang, Lien Hoan, Binh Ban, Tay Mai, Kim Tien, Xuan Phong, Long Ho, Tau Ma.

Belonging to the Nam melody are songs with sad melodies, deep, lyrical music such as Hanh Van, Nam Ai, Nam Binh, Nam Xuan, Qua Phu, Tuong Tu Khuc, Tu Dai Canh... In addition, there are also songs with a built-in melody, meaning the lyrics are built differently from normal singing, with the melodies Co Ban Dung, Nam Binh Dung...

No one knows when Hue folk songs were born, but during Tu Duc's reign (1848 - 1883) at least 25 songs were circulated in Hue, of which 10 had lyrics (9 written in Chinese characters, 1 written in Nom characters).

The lyrics in Hue songs are very intellectual and scholarly; the language is perfectly polished. This is because Hue songs are a type of chamber music of the aristocracy. They are kings, mandarins, and scholars with poetic talent and profound knowledge, so they composed concise and polished lyrics.

Famous poets of the time such as King Thieu Tri, King Tu Duc, Tung Thien Vuong, Tuy Ly Vuong, princesses Trong Khanh, Thuc Khanh, Quy Khanh (princess of King Minh Mang), were all people who composed lyrics for Hue songs.

Hue has folk melodies such as Ho Mai Nhi, Ho Mai Day… leisurely, spread out, full of sympathy, sweet; there are unique, creative melodies of Ho Bai Thai, Ho Dua Linh; there are urgent, passionate styles of singing for pounding rice, pounding lime, pounding dieps (to make Sinh paintings), along with melodies such as Ly Con Sao, Ly Hoai Xuan, Ly Hoai Nam, Ly Tinh Tang… romantic, reminiscent, and nostalgic.

In addition to this folk music , Hue also has a solemn and elegant royal court music. That is Nha Nhac - the royal court music of the Nguyen Dynasty - majestic and rich, with Giao Nhac, Mieu Nhac, Ngu Tu Nhac, Dai Trieu Nhac, Thuong Trieu Nhac, Banh Nhac, Te Nhac, Cung Trung Nhac...

Ca Hue lies between those two genres. It is neither a version of folk music nor a variation of royal court music. Ca Hue has its own characteristics and spirit of a luxurious chamber music, which later spread far to the Southern region, developing into Southern amateur music, the predecessor of Cai Luong music.

Hue singing quality

Hue folk songs are lyrical and profound; sweet and graceful, touching people's hearts; sad and regretful; pure and joyful. The lyrics are intelligent, the rhythm is calm and leisurely, like the pace of life of the people of Hue.

Hue folk songs performed in the imperial palace. Photo: T.D.AS

Ca Hue is not a flamboyant, chaotic form of entertainment. It has a selective audience. A night of Ca Hue can be held in an elegant, pretty auditorium with a band of 5-6 musicians and 4-5 singers, with 5-7 listeners. There are flowers, wine, potted plants, fish tanks, and hearts filled with affection for the lyrics and music of the people of Hue.

But the most interesting and attractive thing is to listen to Hue folk songs on a moonlit night on the Perfume River. Floating and drifting on the immense river in a splendid setting, the souls of the listeners; the singer's lyrics; the sounds of the zither, the flute, and the beat of the musicians all blend together and sublimate.

At the beginning of a Hue singing night, musicians and singers often perform Northern melodies with lively and cheerful rhythms. Next are solemn and majestic melodies such as Long Ngam, Tu Dai Canh... The later the night, the quieter and more profound the atmosphere is, which is also the time when Nam Ai, Nam Binh, Qua Phu, Tuong Tu Khuc melodies... are sung, sorrowful and sensual, in the bright moonlight night sky.

The Hue singing orchestra includes the zither, the pipa, the moon lute, the two-stringed fiddle, and the three-stringed fiddle (called the five absolutes). In addition, there are the monochord, the flute, and the pair of zithers to beat the rhythm. In the art of Hue singing, musicians pay great attention to exploiting the features of the instruments and improving their skills. With the same type of instrument, there are many different playing styles that require musicians to practice hard and refine.

All of this blends with the flute, clapper, and drum to keep the rhythm, enriching the emotional power of the lyrics. The sound of the instrument, sometimes slow, sometimes fast, with 1/4 and 1/8 steps suspended on the familiar pentatonic scale, creates unique rhythms in Hue singing, making the audience feel immersed in the music and their dreams.

Along with the virtuosity of the fingers is the richness of the way the lyrics are expressed. Depending on the feelings and inspiration, the singer has different ways of expressing emotions through the rhythm and the musical breath. The rhythm has regular, set, erect, fast, slow forms. The musical breath has erect, spring, sad, resentful, reversed, meditative... expressing a different emotional nuance, style and musical scene.

In the past, Hue singing was a form of chamber music performance/enjoyment, performed by groups of friends. Nowadays, Hue singing is a form of performance that has spread strongly, becoming an intangible cultural heritage of Hue, a "spiritual specialty" loved by tourists and chosen to enjoy when they visit the land of Huong River - Ngu Mountain. Thanks to that, Hue singing has a worthy place in community performance in the land honored as a "heritage land" of Vietnam and the world .

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/ca-hue-am-nhac-chon-kinh-ky-3154019.html