Singing folk songs in Thai Binh

Thai Binh's traditional Cheo theater art was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2023.

In ancient times, people in the Northern Delta region, besides fishing on rivers and seas, also transported goods for trade or carried passengers across waterways between regions. The proverb "first proximity to the market, second proximity to the river" originated from this historical environment. The traditional fishing boat songs of the fishermen in the coastal areas of Thai Binh province have a long history, formed on the basis of call and response. The caller is the one who initiates the first song to start the performance. The caller plays a core role from beginning to end. Therefore, the caller must have a beautiful, creative voice and be able to improvise promptly to create an exciting atmosphere and attract the collective response, called "response." There are two ways of singing: solo singing and double singing.

Single-beat chanting is a style of chanting where the lead singer uses two syllables separated from a sentence or song so that each double beat matches the rhythm of the chant "Do ta nay". From the moment they prepare to chant, the rowers are ready, waiting for the lead singer to finish the "Do ta nay" sound. Then, they all simultaneously emphasize the "Do" sound, rowing in unison to match the rhythm and synchronize their movements. Near the finish line, the rhythm of the chant slows down and stops at the boat's docking point. For example, the line: "Want to eat goby fish/Run home and tell your mother to build a boat and go" has been broken down into: "Want to eat/ Do ta nay/ Do ta nay! Goby fish/ Do ta nay/ Do ta nay! Hive fish/ Do ta nay/ Do ta nay! Run home/ Do ta nay/ Do ta nay! Tell your mother/ Do ta nay/ Do ta nay! Build a boat/ Do ta nay/ Do ta nay! Go/ Do ta nay/ Do ta nay!"

Double chants share a similar rhythm to single chants, but the fundamental difference is that when the lead singer finishes the three syllables "Do ta nay," the group responds with four syllables, "Do ta, do ta." Although many chants may have three or four words due to semantic connections, the rhythm remains correct. Thus, if we exclude the subtle interjection "nay" in the single chant "Do ta nay," the double chant produces twice as many sounds as the single chant. Double chants are longer in style and are often used when pulling a lightly stranded boat on a muddy bank or when a sailboat is traveling steadily over a long distance. For example, the line: "When the water rises, the mullet feeds / When the water recedes, the mullet lies by the bank / Pity the fish that suffer from drought / Pity the man whose hopes are in vain" is expressed as: "When the water rises / Come on! Come on! Come on! Mullet / Come on! Come on! Feeding / Come on! Come on! Come on!..."

Unlike boat rowing songs, boatman's songs are the verses and songs of fishermen or boatmen on merchant and transport boats in riverine areas. Boatman's songs are rich in lyricism, with a melodious and resonant sound that echoes throughout the river. In the old days, young men and women on the riverbanks would often sing in the quiet of the night, while boats drifted up and down the river. The way boatman's songs are sung is simple and natural. The boatman pushes the pole down to the riverbed, holding the pole with both hands and resting it against the front of the boat on his shoulder, then uses his strength to push the boat against the current towards the bow. When he pulls up the pole, he turns back and walks slowly to the original position, that is, after one pole stroke, he rests and sings. The rhythm of the pauses and singing depends on the boatman's position and whether the boat is going downstream or upstream, with or against the wind... In some cases, while the boat is traveling late at night, they sit on the side of the boat and sing to each other. There are two styles of boatman's songs: unfinished songs and long, continuous songs.

The "Hát đò đưa bỏ chừng" (a type of folk song) often begins with a long, lingering "ơ..." sound. The "ớ" sound at the beginning and middle of the song expresses a melancholic lyricism. The singer pauses mid-song, creating a sense of anticipation. After the boat has traveled a certain distance on the river, the song resumes with heartfelt emotion. "Hát đò đưa bỏ chừng" usually takes place when the sails are favorable, making rowing easier and the boat glides gently downstream. For example, a song might be performed: Female: "Late at night, the water is calm and the wind is still / Why not lift the pole and go to the boat to play?" Male: "This boat misses the sea so much / Trapped in the official's residence, how can we go downstream?" Female: "Who forbids or fences the river? / If you want to go downstream, pay the tax and go downstream..."

Boat songs sung on long journeys are usually performed when boats are crowded together on a river trip, with young men and women singing in call-and-response style to express their feelings to each other. Because they must adhere to the rules of poetic melody, each person can sing differently. The melody changes to varying degrees depending on psychological conditions and specific circumstances, resulting in a wider range of musical variations. For example: “The wild rooster, you're so beautiful, showing off your feathers/Why keep it in a cage instead of letting it fight?/Mother and father, I've reached marriageable age/At fifteen or eighteen, I'm going to get married/I'll go out into the street, some will marry, some won't/I'm ashamed in front of my friends, causing my parents so much heartache/Who will I give gifts to my grandmother?/Who will I give to make up for my parents' burden?”...

While boat songs are typically performed along riverbanks, folk singing is a more widespread form of folk singing in many rural areas. Folk singing exists in two forms: casual singing and group singing. The "ví nói" melody is the most basic form of folk singing, but in Thai Binh province, folk singing also includes boat songs, drum songs, desert songs, and more.

"Singing in the open" is a form of free-form singing without any specific content sequence. While working in the fields, a plowman might stop and spontaneously sing: "Ho...oh...ho/ Hey girl carrying a yoke/ If you need a carrying pole, come here and I'll carve one for you/ Hey girl wearing a conical hat/ Is it fate or have you mistaken someone else's fate (oh...ho)..." and the rice planter in the nearby field replies: "Ho...oh...ho/ Hey man plowing the deep field/ The furrows are straight, the buffalo is tame (oh...ho)/ We know each other's shallow and deep fields already/ How can one stand and the other sit and turn away (oh...ho)?"

"Hát đám" is a form of collective singing that often occurs during festivals, celebrations, and holidays. Young men and women from the same village, or from neighboring villages, come together to sing and exchange love songs. Hát đám is usually divided into three stages: greeting songs, love songs, and farewell songs.

Greeting songs, challenge songs, and riddle songs are short songs that begin a singing session, introducing oneself to a friend or suggesting a song. At this stage, the songs have a cheerful and lively atmosphere. For example, the song: "Oh, a flock of white cranes! Do you hear us singing these words? Singing beautiful verses, beautiful verses, singing verses about becoming husband and wife, oh cranes..."

Love songs, courtship songs, and vows are the longest part of the song. They contain much content and are expressed in tender, lyrical language. The love between young men and women is expressed through metaphors and similes. For example: “Meeting here, I ask this question: Is the rainwater in the jar still full or empty? For so long, no rain has fallen. For so long, no greetings have been exchanged. When will the wind carry the scent of betel nuts? So that I can pick betel leaves to prepare my betel quid…”

Farewell songs are the final verses of a wedding performance. These are a few short songs to say goodbye, leaving a lasting impression and helping each person remember their promise. Some verses and songs in farewell songs are like solemn vows. For example: “Now the moon is setting/We part without a word/You return home, leaving me here/I will cherish this dress, my dear”...

Lullabies are a type of lyrical folk narrative, popular in most regions of the country. Lullabies in Thai Binh province are characterized by the lullaby style of the Northern Delta, showing a relatively unified rhythm and melody and vocal delivery, but the musical style and specific content of each song still have their own unique features. In the northern part of Thai Binh, lullaby opening lines often begin with a type of sound with the same tone but different accent, omitting the initial consonant, and near the end of the syllable, the rhyme changes abruptly before leading into the main content of the song. For example: “Ah ah ah ah...oh/The stork wades by the pond/Eating bitter figs (oh...oh...) eating sour peaches.” In the South and Southeast of the province, they use lullabies with a series of homophones with different tones, such as: "Bong bong bong bong bang bang", "Ru hoi ru hoi ru hoi", "Ha ha ha ha ha hoi"... For example: "Ha ha ha ha ha hoi.../My child is sleepy and drowsy/Sad to eat sticky rice, millet porridge, and chicken/There's only one eggplant left at home/How can that be enough rice and food for my child?/My child cries withered and weary/Crying for the crooked-bottomed persimmon at the beginning of the season/My child longs for the offerings at the temple/Longs for the royal bananas offered to the king from the village/My child longs for the sticky rice from Ngang village/My child longs to eat the melon from Quai market...".

Folk songs and dances are intangible cultural heritage that only exist in compatible working, living, and social environments. Today, scenes of pushing boats on rivers and rowing fishing boats are becoming increasingly rare, and there is no longer space for traditional boat songs, folk songs, or lullabies to exist. Even infants and preschoolers rarely hear lullabies. This is one of the things that many elderly people are concerned about: how to practically preserve folk songs in each locality.

Nguyen Thanh
Vu Quy, Kien Xuong

Source: https://baothaibinh.com.vn/tin-tuc/19/224137/hat-dan-ca-o-thai-binh