The story behind the strange guitar.

Many lovers of traditional music in the Mekong Delta admire the distinguished artisan Le Thanh Quy, from Nga Bay ward, Can Tho city, for his unique talent in inventing musical instruments. To date, he has created nearly 100 instruments. Almost half of these are still preserved intact and performed in traditional music exchange programs. Among them is a special instrument, though old and worn, that he cherishes like a treasure. Because behind its creation is a story that he says he will remember for the rest of his life.

Typically, the esteemed artisan Le Thanh Quy, commonly known as Mr. Chin Quy, combines several types of musical instruments into a single instrument and names it symbolically. For example, "Tam Huyen Di" combines three types of zither, lute, and ha uy di; "Ngu Am Huyen" is created from five lutes, arranged from smallest to largest, with strings of varying lengths... while still preserving the characteristic timbre of each instrument. Notably, he only uses seemingly worthless old items such as helmets, soda cans, and cake boxes... resulting in each instrument having an extremely unusual and one-of-a-kind shape.

But there is one instrument, a combination of the Sến and Gáo lutes, that he has yet to name. For him, it's not just a musical instrument. It's a memory, a recollection that still brings tears to the eyes of the elderly musician whenever he recalls it.

Distinguished artisan Le Thanh Quy recounts the origin of the musical instrument he invented, stemming from an unforgettable memory. Photo: LY LOC

He recounted that he was originally from Nha Trang. At the age of 17, he joined a theater troupe and met and married his wife, the actress Trang Kim Tuyến. While traveling extensively with the cải lương (Vietnamese traditional opera) troupe, they arrived in the Ngã Bảy area of ​​Cần Thơ in the 1990s. The troupe was poor, and so were the artists and musicians. During their journeys on the river, the couple were often given free rides by locals or only charged a small fee as a token gesture, because everyone felt sorry for the theater troupe members.

"It was from that place that I was able to make a living, thanks to the immense and profound kindness and generosity of the people. So one day, I suddenly had the idea to make a musical instrument shaped like a boat to commemorate those early days of hardship but also full of gratitude!" Mr. Chin Quy said with emotion.

The deeply affectionate and compassionate way of life of the people in the riverine region inspired the musician from Central Vietnam to decide to settle there. Around 1994, when the theater troupe passed its heyday and disbanded, he and his wife found land to build a house and start a new life, choosing Nga Bay as their new home. His children grew up beside the floating market and the rivers, continuing their enduring love for traditional art.

Mr. Le Thanh Nhan, son of Mr. Chin Quy, shared: “The guitar is my father's passion. Occasionally, he still takes it out to clean the dust, change the strings, and adjust the frets. Each time, he tells stories of the difficult early days of settling in Nga Bay, but how the neighbors protected him, allowing him to persevere until now. I also grew up here and absorbed the sounds of the guitar and the singing from the age of 5 or 6...”

Deeply attached to his family traditions, Mr. Nhân nurtured a passion for traditional music . Currently, he teaches nearly 10 students, playing both traditional and modern instruments. For him, the boat-shaped instrument his father hung on the wall is a reminder of his devotion to traditional folk music and the profound affection of the people of the riverine region, which he now has the responsibility to preserve and pass on to future generations, succeeding his father.

ELEGANT

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/chuyen-phia-sau-chiec-don-ky-la-a196242.html