Quietly behind the stage

Musicians of Hai Duong Cheo Theater practice before performing the play "Love Story by the River"

Go ahead, go back

The urgent, bustling sound of the Cheo drums of the scene “Watering on a Moonlit Night” performed by the Hai Duong Cheo Theater at Thanh Ky communal house yard still makes Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh in An Thanh commune (Tu Ky) remember forever. That day, the Thanh Ky communal house yard was packed with people. It had been a long time since the people here had enjoyed such attractive ancient Cheo tunes.

Mr. Thanh said that he loved Cheo since he was a child, so he asked his parents to let him learn the monochord so that he could join the provincial Cheo troupe in the future, but they refused. "My mother said that after each performance, the audience only knows the actors, but few people mention the musicians, who have no name or status."

Musicians of Hai Duong Cheo Theater must arrive very early to prepare for the performance (photo provided by Hai Duong Cheo Theater)

This is also the concern of many musicians of Hai Duong Cheo Theater. Musician Trinh Van Luyen, nearly 60 years old, one of the oldest members of the Hai Duong Cheo Theater orchestra, said: “Musicians always have to go first and come last. Before each performance, we have to arrive very early, prepare the location, power source, check the equipment and musical instruments. If a few musical instruments are missing or forgotten, the performance will not be successful. When the artists finish the performance and can happily leave, we have to stay behind to put away the musical instruments with other logistics staff to clean up the stage.”

Mr. Le Van Hien, in charge of the orchestra of Hai Duong Cheo Theater, shared that behind the curtain there are always smiles and sweat of the musicians. The orchestra of Hai Duong Cheo Theater currently has 8 members. Each person can play 1-2 musical instruments proficiently. In each play, the musicians also have funny and sad stories. "Once, while performing, it suddenly rained heavily. The whole orchestra shouted to each other to carry the musical instruments and run under the stage. Above the artists were performing, while under the stage, the musicians were soaked like drowned rats, still absorbed in every sound of the strings and the beat of the drums," Mr. Hien said.

To be able to play traditional musical instruments proficiently, in addition to talent, musicians must practice hard for a long time. Most of the musicians at Hai Duong Cheo Theater belong to the 7X and 8X generations. Passionate and attached to Cheo, the traditional art of their homeland, many people often jokingly say "Food and clothing are no joke for musicians", because the small monthly salary they receive and the fading of Cheo art make it difficult for them to ease their worries.

Help the art of rowing shine

Cheo has become a familiar form of cultural and artistic activity of Hai Duong people. Hai Duong is famous for "Eastern Cheo" - one of the famous Cheo of the ancient Thang Long citadel. Hai Duong Cheo is famous not only because of famous artists such as: Pham Thi Tran, Trum Thinh, Trum Bong, Ca Tam (Trinh Thi Lan), Minh Ly, Kim Ly, Thuy Mui, Hong Tuoi... but also because of a team of diligent musicians.

Music helps cheo artists shine and perform well on stage.

Dong Cheo has gone through many ups and downs and events, but to this day it still retains certain values and appeal in the hearts of the public. To continue helping Dong Cheo art shine, we cannot fail to mention the role of musicians.

According to artist Vu Kim Hoan, former conductor of the Hai Duong Cheo Theater, musicians are the ones who create the soul of each Cheo tune. When the play begins, the sound of the orchestra will help connect each act and scene together. Music also helps express the character's mood, creating the atmosphere, rhythm, and speed of the play.

Despite having to perform outside in the cold, the musicians of Hai Duong Cheo Theater are still very passionate about letting the actors perform to their fullest.

According to Nguyen Van Cuong, Deputy Director of Hai Duong Cheo Theater, each play is the product of a collective. Musicians also contribute significantly to helping the art of Cheo shine. Without them, artists would have difficulty playing their roles successfully.

The role of musicians in Cheo plays is so important that the Board of Directors of Hai Duong Cheo Theatre is always worried about finding successors. The current musicians of the Cheo Theatre are all old. If we do not find successors soon, it will be difficult to help them have the opportunity to experience and practice in the Cheo art environment before they "mature" their careers.

Mr. Le Van Hien, in charge of the orchestra of Hai Duong Cheo Theater, added that currently the orchestra of Hai Duong Cheo Theater is still thin, so it needs to add 3-4 more people to better meet the job requirements. The leadership of the Cheo Theater has traveled to specialized music training schools in Hanoi and then to each locality in the province... to find successor musicians, but it is still very difficult. In addition to the low salary, the reason is that today's youth are not passionate about traditional musical instruments, so it is not easy to recruit. Many talented children with formal education want to stay in Hanoi to work and do not want to return to Hai Duong.

The government has allowed Thai Binh province to coordinate with 14 provinces and cities in the Northern Delta and Midlands, including Hai Duong, to build a dossier on Cheo art to submit to UNESCO for recognition as an intangible cultural heritage. In the journey to becoming an intangible cultural heritage and helping Cheo art spread, Hai Duong also needs a team of good musicians to be able to maintain and develop the brand "Eastern Cheo".

ORCHID

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/tham-lang-sau-san-khau-cheo-381735.html