The folk songs of Nghe Tinh – a representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity – are facing a major challenge from the integration and rapid changes in modern musical tastes.
To ensure these melodies remain not just memories but also a vibrant part of the community, especially for the younger generation, adapting and composing new lyrics is considered a key solution that Nghe An province is implementing to preserve and develop them.
"Giving a new look" to the ancient melody
In mid-November, the Nghe An Provincial Center for Traditional Arts organized a training course on adapting and composing lyrics for the Vi and Giam folk songs for 36 artisans and key figures in the arts from Vi and Giam folk song clubs in various localities.
The goal of the course is to train a generation of "young authors" capable of composing new lyrics, giving traditional melodies a "new look" with content reflecting contemporary life. Students are directly mentored by People's Artists and leading musicians.
Mr. Tran Quoc Chung, Director of the Provincial Traditional Arts Center, said: "The training course has been reformed to be more in-depth, with more practical exercises, focusing on application and creativity, avoiding a broad theoretical scope. The content of the compositions is clearly oriented, focusing on reflecting current events and new social issues in the present period, thereby helping folk songs closely reflect the pulse of life."
After the training, the artisans, especially those working at the grassroots level, felt they had updated their in-depth knowledge about club organization, improved their practical skills in composing, arranging, and performing folk songs.
This is also an opportunity for artisans to interact and learn from instructors who are renowned musicians, artists, and artisans, as well as from other students with the same passion.
Meritorious Artist Nguyen Khoa (Hung Nguyen Folk Song Club) said: "The training course is like a 'boost' for artists like me to have new perspectives and energy to continue creating new lyrics for folk songs. The trainees are guided to compose songs that closely reflect contemporary life and address new social issues such as rural development, traffic safety, provincial mergers, and streamlining the administrative apparatus..."
For young artisans, in addition to pride in the intangible cultural heritage representing humanity, they are equipped with the techniques of language processing, rhythm, and melody to transform poetry or everyday speech into standard, traditional folk songs and rhymes.
They also learned how to make lyrics concise, memorable, and easy to learn while still being profound, thereby becoming more aware of their responsibility in preserving and passing on this heritage to the younger generation.
Meritorious Artist Le Bich Thuy, from the Kim Lien Folk Song Club, expressed that she feels she is not only a practitioner but also a teacher, igniting the passion for folk songs in the community. With new lyrics, folk songs will continue to be "re-energized" to have sustainable vitality and integrate into the contemporary life of the people of Nghe An province.
Directly involved in teaching and guiding the training course, People's Artist Nguyen An Ninh believes that composing new lyrics must closely follow contemporary life, reflecting current issues, from building new rural areas, protecting the environment, preventing and combating social evils, to praising the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, but must retain the essence and simple spirit of the original folk songs and chants.
Composing folk songs is not just a profession, but also a responsibility to preserve a part of the soul of Nghe An province. The songs are works of art; they don't convey resolutions or shout slogans, but delve into the depths of the revolution. This training course has uncovered many promising talents that can be nurtured and developed.
Connecting heritage with modern life
Adapting and composing lyrics is a key solution in preserving the "living" heritage, not just the artifacts. This activity also helps maintain the ability to improvise and create new lyrics – the core and most unique characteristic of the folk songs and chants. Without the ability to create new lyrics, the heritage would only be a collection of fixed songs, losing its inherent vitality.
Creating new lyrics helps folk songs and chants reflect contemporary issues such as rural development, administrative reform, environmental protection, and urban civilization, thereby making the heritage more accessible to the younger generation and not detached from life.
Following the training course, many high-quality adaptations and lyrics will be selected for publication in an anthology, creating a valuable resource for the preservation and promotion of heritage.
Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hieu, Deputy Director of the Traditional Arts Center of Nghe An province, said: "The success of the training course lies not only in the number of works but, more importantly, in the maturation of the trainees' creative thinking. After the course, the trainees will become key figures in spreading and nurturing new talents at the grassroots level; at the same time, they will directly teach and maintain the activities of local clubs, contributing to the stronger promotion of the value of Vi and Giam folk songs in contemporary life."
Besides the classes, the leaders of the Nghe An Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism also suggested many solutions to preserve and promote the value of the Nghe Tinh folk song heritage. Accordingly, the province will leverage the role of trained artisans, provide financial and material support to enable the folk song club to operate effectively and organize regular teaching sessions.
The sector collaborates with the Department of Education and Training to incorporate high-quality traditional folk songs and new lyrics into extracurricular programs, creating a space for students to practice and instilling a love for folk music in the younger generation.
Nghe An province has identified the transformation of folk singing and chanting (ví, giặm) as a distinctive tourism product of the region. To achieve this, the province is developing mechanisms to restore traditional craft villages and performance spaces, and support artisans; gradually organizing performances for tourists at tourist destinations, such as folk singing and chanting performances on boats on the Lam River and at traditional craft villages.
Ms. Quach Thi Cuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, emphasized: The department will select high-quality new lyrics from training courses to print in books and on CDs, creating a valuable source of materials, honoring authors and spreading the works; using media such as social networks, YouTube channels, and television to promote and introduce new lyrics of folk songs, helping the heritage reach further. Simultaneously, the department proposes that the province provide timely rewards and recognition to artisans with outstanding achievements in teaching, creating, and preserving the heritage.
Adapting and composing lyrics for the folk songs of Nghe Tinh (Vi and Giam) is a fundamental and sustainable solution for survival in the new era. It represents a harmonious connection between traditional values and modern content. New Giam lyrics and new Vi songs are not only works of art but also vivid evidence of the adaptability and vibrant vitality of this heritage.
With the concerted efforts of artisans at the grassroots level and management at all levels, the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, the folk songs of Ví and Giặm, will continue to be nurtured and become an indispensable part of the culture of Nghe An province.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/lan-gio-moi-cho-dan-ca-vi-giam-nghe-tinh-post1080095.vnp
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