In today's modern living conditions and with strong cultural exchange, the traditional cultural features of ethnic minorities in the locality are gradually fading away. Mr. Ho Van Thuong (Am Hien), a Van Kieu ethnic minority member in Ba Tang village, Ba Tang commune, Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri province, is always concerned about this. Despite the difficulties in his daily life, he still dedicates himself to finding ways to preserve and promote the cultural identity of his ethnic group through the most practical methods.
Mr. Thuong (second from the right) instructs young people in the village on how to use traditional musical instruments - Photo: ML
From his youth, Mr. Thuong had a special fondness for the traditional culture of the Van Kieu people, especially their musical instruments, folk songs, and folk dances. On important village occasions such as the harvest festival, the worship of the spirits, the worship of the living, weddings, and funerals, he would always come to watch and observe how the adults performed the rituals, used musical instruments, and sang folk songs.
The sounds of various musical instruments and folk melodies that echoed during these ceremonies always fascinated him. Seeing his daughter's special love for the folk songs and dances of her people, the father taught Thuong the basics.
Taught by his father, he regularly practiced and learned from older artisans in the region. As he grew up, through interactions with young people in the village after work, participating in festivals, or going out to play traditional music, Thuong had more opportunities to learn and practice traditional music . Despite being busy with farming, he never stopped researching, crafting, and honing his skills in using traditional musical instruments. Whenever he had free time, he would often play his traditional instruments, considering them his close companions.
He has a thorough understanding of all the musical instruments used in the festivals of the Van Kieu people, knowing which instrument is paired with which folk song and in which specific context. He is proficient in playing many instruments, including the most difficult ones such as: cymbals, mouth organs, horns, ta lu lutes, troa lutes, and drums.
Along with honing his instrument-playing skills, he learned how to craft musical instruments with the hope of preventing the unique musical instruments of his people from fading away and disappearing. To date, he has mastered the crafting of the troa and ta lu lutes, and is continuing to learn the skills of crafting the khen be and other types of flutes and pipes.
Besides being a skilled musician, Ho Van Thuong is also very proficient in traditional folk melodies, especially excelling at singing ta wai and xa not - two melodies considered the most popular, distinctive, and difficult to sing among the Van Kieu people.
Depending on the circumstances, the singer will compose and sing the song themselves, creating the lyrics as they go, ensuring that the melody, intonation, and rhythm blend with the accompanying instruments, while still expressing their thoughts, feelings, and emotions in the deepest way possible.
Therefore, this style of singing requires the singer to have a rich vocabulary, a deep understanding of the life and customs of their ethnic group, and profound life experience. Meeting these requirements, Mr. Thuong is always the leading figure in folk singing exchanges, especially at weddings, ceremonies, and harvest festivals.
Based on the traditional melodies of the Van Kieu ethnic group, Mr. Thuong composed lyrics for songs with a modern touch, which have been praised by many, such as songs about love for the country; faith in the Party and President Ho Chi Minh; and building solidarity within the community...
Locally, he is one of the very few artisans capable of creating original works, and is therefore always invited to participate in cultural and artistic programs, competitions, and performances. He proactively connects groups of people with the same passion to exchange ideas and learn from each other during periods of agricultural inactivity or during festivals, inspiring and actively guiding other members.
“I am very proud of my ethnic culture, however, the reality is that traditional cultural aspects are gradually disappearing, especially musical instruments and folk songs. Fewer and fewer elderly people are preserving them, and few young people are learning to continue the tradition. I have the ability to teach, but I rarely have the opportunity, partly due to financial difficulties in organizing classes and the lack of enthusiasm among young people. I hope the local authorities will find ways to encourage young people to learn about and use traditional musical instruments and folk songs, and provide financial support to invite artisans to teach so that we can preserve the unique culture of the Van Kieu people,” Mr. Thuong expressed his wish.
Minh Long
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/nghe-nhan-nguoi-van-kieu-bao-ton-van-hoa-dan-toc-187722.htm
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