Raise the Cheo tune in the homeland of Hoang Hoa

Members of the But Son town Folk Arts Club actively teach Cheo singing, Van singing and use of traditional musical instruments to students.

From personal mark...

Meritorious Artist Nguyen Nhu Chi (74 years old, Phuc Son street, But Son town) was not born and raised in Hoang Hoa, but the twists and turns of life have brought him to this place. Over the past several decades, this man has devoted all his heart and soul to connecting, spreading love, and raising awareness of community responsibility in preserving and promoting the value of Cheo art in particular and traditional art in general.

Mr. Chi had a "fate" with the art of Cheo since he was a child. At first, because of his love, Mr. Chi often followed adults to watch Cheo troupes perform. Whenever there was a Cheo troupe performing in the village or commune, Mr. Chi was excited and couldn't wait. His love for children grew, urging Mr. Chi to follow the elders and folk artists to learn Cheo singing. Mr. Chi learned very quickly, at the age of 14 - 15 he was able to master how to use many musical instruments such as: rice drum, wooden fish, two-stringed fiddle, moon lute... With love and passion, Mr. Chi constantly strived to learn, meticulously polished, perfected himself in every way of singing, breathing, and enunciating words.

From that “nostalgic beginning”, the art of Cheo became an indispensable part of Mr. Chi’s life. The sound and singing of Cheo followed Mr. Chi on every march. He both composed and performed. His audience at that time were his comrades and the people from all over the country.

After being discharged from the army and returning to normal life, he was still passionate about Cheo, and constantly made efforts to preserve and promote the value of Cheo art in his homeland. Mr. Chi confided: “Cheo is one of the typical and unique forms of theatrical art, holding an important position in the cultural and spiritual life of the Vietnamese people. However, in modern life, the development of information technology makes us unintentionally forget and underestimate those precious cultural values. Therefore, I always worry about how to connect and spread so that more and more people understand, appreciate, and join hands to preserve and promote the value of traditional art in general, and Cheo art in particular.”

Awareness is the driving force of action, stemming from those concerns, in 2003, Mr. Chi spent a lot of time and enthusiasm to mobilize, connect, and prepare the conditions to establish the But Son Town Folk Art Club. By 2005, the Club was launched with 25 members. The Club is a common home for people with the same interests and passion for the art of Cheo, operating on a voluntary basis, with self-funded funds. Despite many difficulties and challenges, Mr. Chi and the Club members are always enthusiastic about singing, and when they have the opportunity to go on stage, they perform with all their heart. Practice sessions are always filled with chatter and laughter. To maintain the club's activities, Mr. Chi often "spends a lot", "plays a lot", accepts to spend his own money to buy musical instruments, practice props, and funds for the troupe to perform... In addition, Mr. Chi also participates in teaching the art of singing Cheo and singing Chau Van to many different subjects, cultural and artistic clubs inside and outside the district.

After many efforts, the Folk Art Club of But Son town has continuously expanded its membership, improved the quality of its activities, contributed to preserving and promoting traditional cultural values, promoted the grassroots cultural movement, and the movement "All people unite to build a cultural life". The club regularly participates in festivals and performances inside and outside the province, winning many high awards; actively participates in serving major political events of the homeland and the province. The club and many individuals have been awarded certificates of merit by all levels and sectors. In 2019, Mr. Chi was awarded the title of Meritorious Artist by the President.

...to practical and meaningful training class

Hoang Hoa district has always been one of the units with a strong development of mass cultural and artistic movements with the formation and development of many traditional art clubs, many core members in the mass cultural and artistic movements of the district have been awarded the title of Meritorious Artist. However, in the context of globalization, under the impact of the market economy , the explosion of mass media, along with the increasing emergence of new and modern forms of cultural and entertainment, the work of preserving and promoting traditional cultural values ​​needs more attention and investment.

Deeply aware of that, besides the efforts of artisans and cultural figures who are always devoted to traditional arts such as Meritorious Artist Nguyen Nhu Chi, in the direction of construction and development, Hoang Hoa district always focuses on and pays attention to the work of preserving and promoting the values ​​of traditional and folk arts and culture, including Cheo art.

Recently, Hoang Hoa district organized a training course on Cheo singing, Van singing and the use of traditional musical instruments for nearly 90 students from groups, teams, groups, and art clubs in the district. During 5 days (from April 10 to 14), the students were taught basic and in-depth knowledge about the art of Cheo singing, Van singing, and how to use some traditional musical instruments by Meritorious Artists and experienced lecturers... The training course aims to preserve and promote the value of Cheo singing, Van singing and the use of traditional musical instruments in the locality. Further improve the quality of cultural and artistic movements at the grassroots level, meeting the needs of creativity, cultural enjoyment, and entertainment of all classes of people in residential areas. In addition, the training course is also an opportunity for the cultural and artistic cores in the district to exchange, learn, gain experience, and improve the effectiveness of the clubs and mass cultural and artistic movements in the district.

At the end of the training course, each student will be the nucleus, the fire that kindles the development of the local art movement, the person who continues to guide the members of their club in singing cheo, singing van and using traditional musical instruments, for the people in the village and hamlet to practice regularly. From there, spread love, raise awareness, and community responsibility in preserving and developing these unique traditional art forms.

Article and photos: Hoang Linh

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/cat-cao-dieu-cheo-tren-que-huong-hoang-hoa-249038.htm