Reviving the traditional folk singing at the village gate.

Singing at the communal house is the most original form of ca trù, reflecting spiritual culture when performed during festivals. It is also the form that faces the most difficulties in restoration due to social conditions and the strict requirements of its rules and the number of performance styles.

The female singers perform during the incense offering ceremony as part of the temple gate singing session.

"Hát cửa đình" (singing at the communal house) is the most original form of ca trù (Vietnamese traditional singing), imbued with spiritual cultural influences when performed during festivals. It is also the form that has faced the most difficulties in restoration due to social conditions and the strict demands of its rules and the number of performance styles. However, after a long period of effort by researchers, singers, and instrumentalists, "Hát cửa đình" has been revived in community life.

Although not everyone understands ca trù (a traditional Vietnamese folk singing style), the performance at the communal house in La Phù (Hoài Đức commune, Hanoi ) that day attracted a large audience. After a long period of disappearance, communal house singing has made a comeback.

The return of traditional singing styles.

In the sacred atmosphere of La Phu communal house, the village elders lower "red envelopes" from the altar and hand them to the lead singer of the communal house's singing performance. Inside the red envelopes are words that must be avoided so that the singers do not sing them out of respect for the sacred altar. The drum and incense ceremony begins, followed by the singers offering incense to the village deity. Every song and every action is respectful and solemn.

The "Thét nhạc" (the opening song for temple gate singing) is performed by female singers and male musicians standing, expressing the solemnity of the worship singing session and also concluding the "first stage." In the next stage, the female singers and male musicians sit on a mat, enunciating words and phrases accompanied by the crisp sound of clappers and the deep, resonant sound of the zither, creating "tùng,ếnh" sounds…

A series of traditional Ca Tru singing styles were performed by female singers and male musicians, such as: "Hát lót" (a type of folk singing), "Hát nói" (spoken singing), "Gửi thư" (sending letters), "Hát giai" (lullaby singing)... with ancient lyrics: "Giving birth to a son to go to school," "Tràng An hoài cổ" (Nostalgia for the past in Tràng An), "Thiên thai" (Heavenly Paradise)... But the most anticipated part was the song about the tutelary deity of La Phù. This is a characteristic of temple singing, as the performance includes a song praising the saint. Even more special, this Ca Tru poem was composed by the people of La Phù village themselves. At the end of the performance, the female singers and male musicians offered thanks to the tutelary deity amidst the joyful atmosphere of the community.

To experience such a performance, one must go back to stories from decades ago. The most well-known form of ca trù is the singing in cafes. But singing at the temple gate is the most classic form, originally used only in ceremonial rituals.

Researcher Bui Trong Hien meticulously researched and restored the temple gate singing tradition. The "key" to the restoration process at that time was the late Artisan Nguyen Phu De - a musician who had performed temple gate singing more than half a century earlier.

Researcher Bui Trong Hien, together with the Hai Phong Ca Tru Club, successfully revived the "ca truong" (singing at temple gates) tradition for the first time in 2015. Following this, he researched and transformed ca tru from an oral tradition to a systematic, structured musical system – a "textbook" for ca tru – and continued his journey of reviving "ca truong" for the "new generation" of female and male singers and musicians.

The female singers and male musicians involved in the restoration of temple gate singing that year included female singers Kim Ngoc and Thuy Linh, and male musician Dinh Hoang. They were promising singers and musicians with a wealth of experience, having been taught by renowned artisans such as Nguyen Phu De, Nguyen Thi Chuc, and many others. Researcher Bui Trong Hien helped them standardize and guide them in practicing temple gate singing, including the rituals and styles present in each performance.

The trio Kim Ngoc, Thuy Linh, and Dinh Hoang presented a report on the results of the restoration of traditional temple singing at the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts in 2017. Now, they have reached their peak and are the lead singers and principal performers of many Ca Tru clubs.

While casual singing only requires a few male and female singers to perform an entire act, temple singing encompasses many styles, some of which are classical and highly technical, requiring elaborate training that a single club would find difficult to achieve...

Singer Kim Ngoc

Singer Kim Ngoc was the lead performer of the temple gate singing session at La Phu Temple on the day the villagers received the Certificate recognizing the La Phu Temple Festival as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. Kim Ngoc said: “If it were just for fun, a few male and female singers could perform the whole session, but temple gate singing includes many styles, some classical and highly technical, requiring elaborate training that a single club would find difficult to achieve. We gathered male and female singers from the Ca Tru Clubs of Long Thanh, Phu Thi, Thang Long, and some guest performers; and organized training sessions to be able to perform skillfully and harmoniously, from the rituals to the expression of each style. However, returning to the original Ca Tru is something we are very proud of.”

A living space for Ca Tru (traditional Vietnamese singing).

In the past, in northern Vietnam, Ca Tru singing was a popular form of spiritual and cultural activity to honor saints and tutelary deities during festivals and ceremonies; similar to other folk performance forms such as Quan Ho and Xoan singing when performing ritual singing in worship. Through historical events, many festivals were not held for decades, and the Ca Tru singing at the communal house also faded away. When the festivals were revived, the Ca Tru singing at the communal house was largely forgotten.

Many elderly people still remember how their hometown festivals used to feature singing at the temple gate, but they no longer know the proper way to organize it, nor which performing troupe could take responsibility. This is also the case with the La Phù festival. In recent years, during the festival, the elders have invited clubs and performing troupes to perform. However, fulfilling the full standards of a traditional temple gate singing performance is still not possible.

For many years, the elders in the village have wished to rediscover the cultural beauty of the old festival. I discussed this matter with them, and they unanimously agreed to invite female singers and male musicians to perform at the temple gate on the village's joyous occasion.

Nguyen Quang Phuong, lecturer at Hanoi University of Culture

The author of the poem praising the tutelary deity of La Phu, performed during the temple gate singing ceremony, is Nguyen Quang Phuong, a lecturer at the Hanoi University of Culture and a connoisseur of classical studies. He played a key role in realizing the elderly villagers' desire to revive the temple gate singing ceremony: “During my work, I learned that the temple gate singing ceremony had been successfully restored many years ago with talented singers and musicians. For many years, the elderly villagers have wished to rediscover the beautiful cultural aspects of the old festival. I discussed this with them, and they unanimously agreed to invite the singers and musicians to organize the temple gate singing ceremony on the villagers' joyous occasion.”

With this organizational method, temple-gate singing is not only "performed" but also "revived" in contemporary life. The musician Hoang Khoa traveled over 100 km from Hai Phong to participate in the performance. He said: "Ca Tru exists in many different forms, but temple-gate singing is the most complex and difficult. According to the elders, temple-gate singing was originally reserved for experienced male and female singers. For those of us who have been in the Ca Tru profession for many years, participating in a temple-gate singing performance in a spiritual space is a great honor."

Ca trù has gone through many ups and downs. But the recently held Hanoi Ca trù Festival attracted 21 clubs and groups of artisans with 105 individual performances. This shows a strong resurgence.

From that foundation, the traditional temple gate singing performances – the essence of ca trù – are gradually returning to temples and shrines thanks to the efforts of local authorities and a number of ca trù clubs and groups.

The authorities are very supportive of this. Bui Thi Huong Thuy, Deputy Head of the Heritage Management Department (Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports ), said: “We strongly support localities organizing traditional singing performances at communal houses during festivals and celebrations. This is not only about restoring the cultural traditions of many localities but also about creating a performance space for Ca Tru artists. Having a place to perform is the foundation for Ca Tru to survive sustainably in life.”

GIANG NAM

Source: https://nhandan.vn/hoi-sinh-canh-hat-cua-dinh-post925326.html