Meritorious Artist Quang Hiep:

From the role of a Cheo drummer, orchestra conductor to music composer, he always strives to revive the quintessential values of traditional Cheo. Especially, in the role of orchestra conductor, he has helped the Cheo melodies resonate with color and emotion, preserving the soul of Cheo art in each performance.

1. Born in Duc Tu commune (Dong Anh district), artist Quang Hiep was fortunate to grow up in a cultural space filled with drum sounds and Cheo singing. Although his parents were not artists, he still had artistic blood flowing from his grandfather - who was the boss of a famous opera troupe throughout Tu Son district (Dong Anh was formerly Dong Khe district of Tu Son district, Bac Ninh province). Since childhood, he was fascinated by the simple yet profound Cheo melodies, and then his affinity with Cheo art came to him as naturally as breathing. In 1982, he officially joined the Hanoi Cheo Troupe (now the Hanoi Cheo Theatre), starting as a Cheo drummer.

With the desire to understand Cheo more comprehensively, he studied music composition and conducting at the Vietnam Academy of Theatre and Cinema (now the Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema), gradually becoming an orchestra conductor and then moving further into the role of compiling and composing music for the stage.

Artist Quang Hiep said that he initially chose to play the Cheo drum because he believed that the drum was not only a musical instrument, but also a means of telling stories, communicating with the audience, and preserving the traditional Cheo spirit. Just one wrong drumbeat can distort the psychology of the play, breaking the connection between the stage and the audience. To play the drumbeat correctly, the artist must empathize with each role, master the rhythm and breath of Cheo. Only then can each drumbeat truly carry the soul of the play.

Although he mainly studied drums, Quang Hiep had a special love for the zither since he was young. While studying with the old artisans, he realized that the zither had the ability to convey emotions very strongly.

“The sound of the zither is gentle, graceful but also sharp and captivating. When using the zither in Cheo, I always try to exploit the maximum emotional nuances it brings. If the Cheo drum keeps the rhythm, creating the foundation for the play, the zither paints delicate details, enhancing the emotions of the characters. If exploited properly, the zither can open up a musical space that is both profound and sublime, creating emotional moments that linger in the hearts of the audience. The zither is not only a supplement, but an important element that helps balance the overall music of the Cheo play. It can gently serve as a background for dances, or resonate strongly in climaxes like waves carrying the characters' emotions, arousing deep feelings that no other instrument can replace. If the Cheo drum is a strong rhythm, the zither is the softness, the soaring, bringing into the Cheo space a graceful, gentle but profound quality” - artist Quang Hiep confided.

2. During the 1980s and 1990s, the performing arts in general and Cheo in particular entered a difficult period, but Meritorious Artist Quang Hiep and his colleagues still went on tours, traveling to the countryside, communal houses, schoolyards... to bring folk songs and melodies to the people.

“Once, my brothers and I performed the play “Sita”. The audience was so crowded that people filled the stage. The whole troupe performed enthusiastically and wholeheartedly. But when we got back to our accommodation, there was nothing to eat. There was no rice, no fish sauce. We looked at each other and said: “This is so hard, but we will perform again tomorrow”. Back then, we performed because we loved our job. There were troupes that traveled for a whole month without any pay. When we returned home, our wives and children were short of rice, but as soon as we heard the sound of the drums, the strings, and the clappers, we were back on the road. For me, singing Cheo is not just a job, but a passion, a life ideal” - he said, his voice lowered but his eyes shining with a pride that was hard to hide.

The days of beating the drum with faith and conducting the orchestra with passion, for artist Quang Hiep, are not only memories of a difficult time but also a living proof of his intense, enduring and sacrificial love for Cheo. Overcoming difficult tours, not enough food, and meager pay, he still sticks to the stage and the sound of the Cheo drum, as if it were his breath and his destiny.

Also from that love for the profession, he constantly learns and trains himself to become a versatile artist, able to take on many roles in the art of Cheo. As composer Mai Van Lang, Head of the Folk Song and Traditional Music Department, Voice of Vietnam, affirmed: “There are few Cheo artists like Meritorious Artist Quang Hiep, who from a drummer, became an orchestra conductor, then a collector, researcher and spreader of the quintessence of ancient Cheo. He not only has a firm grasp of the ancient literature but also has the ability to perceive and spread those values to young artists as well as contemporary audiences. He travels everywhere to talk about Cheo, to introduce the beauty and quintessence of a type of national theater that he has devoted his whole life to.”

3. Even though he has retired and returned to his hometown after more than 40 years of working at the Hanoi Cheo Theatre, artist Quang Hiep still does not allow himself to stop. On the contrary, Duc Tu today makes him even more eager to preserve and spread traditional art. “My hometown now still grows rice and the villagers are very passionate about singing Cheo. I feel very lucky to be able to return to the place that once nurtured my passion and artistic soul. Now, being able to play drums, practice with the elderly, guide the children to learn Cheo, listen to the students hum an ancient tune..., to me, that is complete” - he shared.

Over four decades of dedication to Cheo, Meritorious Artist Quang Hiep has quietly written an artistic journey full of passion and dedication. From the rhythmic drum beats, the resounding zither, to the role of orchestra conductor, everywhere one can see the mark of a talented, serious and devoted artist. To him, Cheo is not only a stage, a voice, but also life, an ideal. And in any role - teacher, artist, or instigator - Meritorious Artist Quang Hiep is still diligently preserving each ancient tune as if preserving the soul of his nation.

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Meritorious Artist Quang Hiep (full name Nguyen Quang Hiep) was born in 1961 in Duc Tu commune, Dong Anh district, Hanoi. With more than 40 years of passion for the art of Cheo, he won the Excellent Musician award at the 2022 National Cheo Theater Festival with the play "Crying in the Blue Sky" (Hanoi Cheo Theater) and the Excellent Musician award at the 2022 National Cheo Theater Festival with the play "Vang bong mot thoi" (Hai Phong Cheo Troupe)...

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/nsut-quang-hiep-miet-mai-giu-hon-dan-toc-703549.html