People with a passion for Tay folk songs

Growing up with singing

Mr. Chuc was born and raised in Bang Ca hamlet, Ly Quoc commune, Ha Lang district, Cao Bang province. Mr. Ma Van Chung (Mr. Chuc's father) was a famous "artist" in the area because he could play the guitar, sing well and compose many folk songs. In addition, his father also regularly collected ancient stories and operas of the Tay people, so he also inherited that collection.

Mr. Chuc plays traditional musical instruments proficiently. Photo: Van Ngoc

Since he was a toddler, Mr. Chuc has followed his father around the province on his mother's back to perform. Perhaps that is why the lyrics, singing, and folk music of the Tay people have gradually seeped into his blood. At first, Mr. Chuc learned to play the Tinh lute. Seeing his son's passion for music, his father also taught him wholeheartedly. "Back then, there was not enough rice to eat, so my parents often had to dig up forest roots to eat to stave off hunger. Yet the performances of my village's art troupe, led by my father, attracted a large crowd of people. They traveled from many villages to come here. The uncles and aunts in the art troupe sang very well, with clear voices that even now when I remember them, I still feel like their voices are ringing in my ears," Mr. Chuc recalled with emotion.

In 1979, the Northern border war broke out, disrupting the peaceful life of the border villages of Ha Lang. The villagers had to take refuge when the enemy troops crossed the border. Mr. Chung's art troupe disbanded, each member scattered to a different place. That was also the year Mr. Chuc enlisted in the army to perform his military service at the Cao Bang Provincial Military Command when he was 18 years old.

After more than 4 years of wearing the uniform of a soldier, Mr. Chuc was discharged from the army and worked at the Construction Company under the Department of Construction of Cao Bang province. In 1988, he applied to work at the Department of Culture and Information of Ha Lang district. With this job, he had more opportunities to nurture his passion for singing and composing. He often went to villages to meet with elders to add to the collection of Tay folk songs. From that background melody, he composed different lyrics to serve the performance suitable for each locality as well as events.

Due to economic difficulties, Mr. Chuc's relatives migrated to Phu Thien district (formerly Ayun Pa district) to find a living. In 1993, Mr. Chuc also decided to pack up with his wife and children and take a bus from the northern border to the Central Highlands. That year, his luggage, in addition to a few sets of clothes, was a Tinh lute and a flute.

Talented "musician"

Arriving in a new land with nothing, Mr. Chuc applied for a job as a postman at the Phu Thien District Post Office. From early morning to late at night, he traveled all over the streets to deliver letters and newspapers. He thought that the hard life would bury his passion for music, but every time he put his work aside, he composed poems and set them to folk songs.

The content of his works mainly praises the Party, Uncle Ho, expressing love for the homeland, country, love between couples... Some of the songs include: "Spring in the Central Highlands, but Cao Bang" written about the changing life of the Tay people in the Central Highlands but still remembering their homeland; "Ba Dinh Bac non dac van xuan" written about the great merits of President Ho Chi Minh; "Ma Pac Nga, Ngoc Con Que Noong" written about the beauty of the Cao Bang countryside; "Chu teo ve nuoc ruon Thong Nhat" written about the joy of victory, the joy of peace on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and the reunification of the country...

Mr. Chuc has won many awards when participating in performances across the country. Photo: Van Ngoc

Up to now, Mr. Chuc has composed more than 100 songs. In addition to performing the songs himself and recording them to post on social networks, he also sends the songs to the Tay community nationwide so that anyone who shares the same passion as him can sing them. Among them, the "Hat Then Dan Tinh Hanoi" Club and Viet Media Culture Company Limited have received his songs, arranged singers to sing, made videos and posted them on social networking platforms; they have been well received by many Tay folk song lovers.

The song "Sending to the village of Nu" was composed by Mr. Chuc when he witnessed the scene of a village in the Northwest being wiped out in the terrible flash flood after storm Yagi in September 2024. This song was sung by singer Song My, when posted on the Facebook page of Hat Then Dan Tinh Ha Noi, it had nearly 500 thousand views, 7.5 thousand likes, nearly 800 comments and more than 2.3 thousand shares. The emotional lyrics such as "The whole village suddenly collapsed/Floods of mud swept away and buried/Swept away houses, fields, buffaloes and cows/So many lives were writhing in the ground" ... touched the hearts of many listeners. Many people commented to thank the musician for writing such a profound, poignant song, expressing the great loss of Nu village. Besides that, there is solidarity and helping each other in times of trouble. “As a Tay, I feel more deeply than ever through the Then melody of my people” - San Dinh commented. And Chieu Mai was pleased: “The Then song is so good, full of the affection of the whole Party and the whole people”…

Notably, many of Mr. Chuc's songs have been performed in cultural programs across the country and won high prizes. For example, he won second prize at the Hanoi Then and Tinh Singing Competition, first prize at the Thanh Minh Festival in Ea H'leo District (Dak Lak Province)... Viet Media Culture Company Limited also awarded Mr. Chuc a certificate of merit for "Excellent Composer of Tay-Nung Folk Songs" in 2023 and "Excellent Composition - Good Voice" in 2022.

With the prestige of a veteran, Mr. Chuc has held the role of Village Chief, Secretary of the Party Cell of Residential Group 3 (Phu Thien Town) for many years, and also Head of the Liaison Committee of the Tay People's Association in Phu Thien District. In these positions, he established a group of 20 members who are passionate about Tay-Nung folk songs to practice playing and singing. His group has regularly participated in local cultural events as well as the Gia Lai Province Ethnic Cultural Festival for many years. "What I worry about most is that traditional folk songs will be lost because not many young people are passionate about it anymore. The number of people who know how to play traditional Tay musical instruments is also gradually decreasing. Therefore, I and the members of the group regularly participate in activities, improve skills and especially encourage and teach the young people to play instruments and remember the typical melodies of the Tay people to preserve them for the future," Mr. Chuc confided.

Ms. Kpa Loan, Deputy Head of the Department of Culture, Science and Information of Phu Thien district, said: “Mr. Ma Van Chuc is very passionate about the folk music of the Tay people. His compositions preserve the original folk melodies, without any adulteration. He also painstakingly collected these melodies and they are like a living treasure of Tay folk songs. As a party member, he is also very enthusiastic in participating in local cultural events. The unit regularly coordinates closely with Mr. Chuc to join hands in preserving the beauty of national culture.”

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/nguoi-nang-long-voi-dan-ca-tay-post321080.html