.jpeg)
An endless treasure trove of traditional music.
After the merger, Hai Phong city, with nearly 4.7 million people and an area of over 3,000 km² , boasts a diverse landscape including sea, mountains, and plains. Hai Phong proudly considers itself the birthplace of emperors and the land of many famous figures, heroes, and scholars. The city has numerous world-class cultural heritage sites and national cultural relics; it possesses an inexhaustible treasure trove of folk culture and traditional music.
Moreover, blessed by nature with fertile fields and a dense network of rivers, the year-round cool, fresh water environment has fostered a love of sounds and waterways in the people, giving rise to folk songs such as cheo, ca tru, hat dum, trong quan, chau van, and lullabies. In addition, there are tuong, cai luong, and puppet shows.
Hai Phong water puppetry has established its own brand and has been honored at national and international art festivals.
Cheo singing art originated very early in Hai Phong. Despite the ups and downs of history, Cheo singing and folk song clubs still exist in almost all communes, wards, and special zones. Currently, Hai Phong has approximately 200 Cheo folk song clubs, 12 Ca Tru clubs with nearly 200 members, and nearly 10 Hat Dum clubs. These clubs operate quite regularly and widely, contributing to a more vibrant and joyful cultural and spiritual life at the grassroots level.
In annual amateur theater festivals at all levels, performances of chèo (traditional Vietnamese opera) and folk songs account for a high percentage, approximately 80-85% of the participating acts. Particularly in schools, many have "School Theater" programs, organizing classes in singing, dancing, and performing excerpts from chèo plays.
Traditional music in Hai Phong is vibrant and powerful, attracting an ever-increasing number of people. From village festivals to major city events, traditional music is staged and performed. Street festivals, the "Light of Thanh Dong" festival, the "Spring of Aspiration" festival, etc., are all staged on a grand scale, featuring spectacular folk dances and performances.
Along with modern music, traditional music in Hai Phong city has made a significant contribution to the cultural and spiritual life of the working people in the cause of building and defending the country.
In reality, as the country enters a fast-paced and vibrant era, and with the emergence of many modern forms of media and entertainment that captivate people, the audience is becoming diluted. Traditional art faces a difficult challenge.
We need a mechanism to "encourage music".
How can we preserve, maintain, and develop traditional musical art? Meanwhile, the project "Building Hai Phong into a City of Music" is underway. This is prompting much reflection for both the present and the future.
Hai Phong, once famous as the "City of Flame Trees," left a lasting impression on people nationwide and international tourists alike. The city boasts numerous internationally significant cultural heritage sites, unique historical landmarks, and national treasures. Now, striving to become the "City of Music," it will contribute to the cultural development of Hai Phong's people.
The people of Hai Phong share these aspirations and beliefs. For a long time, this place has had a tradition of revolutionary music, a source of inspiration for artists and for the musical life of the country. Many famous works originated from this land in the last century. Hai Phong once had a fairly large force of artists who composed and performed. Hai Phong has a large audience who love art, contemporary and traditional music. It has a fairly modern cultural and artistic institution, with a strong determination to boldly strive for progress.
Everyone knows that music holds a special place in a culture. It is a sharp weapon in human life, possessing the strength of an army in wars of national defense.
Although many initiatives have been implemented to revitalize culture, including preferential policies for traditional art forms, the funding for training, nurturing talent, and caring for the lives of artists has not met the needs.
Artistic training, especially in traditional arts, is about training the elite. Music for traditional Vietnamese theater forms like chèo, tuồng, ca trù, hát văn, and water puppetry is particularly specialized and requires significant time and financial investment.
Only through systematic and large-scale training and development of music teachers can we effectively implement the goals of "One musical instrument per student" and "Organizing performances and school music festivals," and contribute to improving the quality of community music club activities.
Therefore, it is essential to diversify music teachers. In addition to full-time teachers in training schools, we should boldly invite talented artists as visiting lecturers on an expert basis, applying the city's regulations on attracting talent…
There are already slogans like "Promoting Agriculture," "Promoting Education," etc., so Hai Phong should add a slogan like "Promoting Music" with specific and clear regulations... Regarding training, investment in funding, human resources, institutions... All to achieve breakthroughs and rise towards the goal of becoming a "city of music."
Along with establishing a framework for musical capacity in Hai Phong, the development of the music industry in the future needs to be combined with tourism, sports, and cultural destinations. Tourist tours can create stopping points where visitors can enjoy Cheo singing on the river, or Ca Tru singing, Van singing, and excerpts from classic Cheo plays.
Hai Phong boasts a diverse and rich musical environment: a convergence of the free-spirited, open, and powerful music of the port city with the deeply traditional and heartfelt musical style of the Eastern region. A seamless and harmonious connection between traditional and contemporary music is essential.
"Hai Phong – the city of music," that's the belief. Even with a strong force of artists, actors, and music producers, a new "Cultural Strategy" is still needed, with music at its center.
Meritorious Artist Khuc Ha LinhSource: https://baohaiphong.vn/cu-hich-co-che-danh-thuc-kho-bau-am-nhac-541912.html
Comment (0)