The sound of the clapper is not... alone.

No blackboards, no lesson plans, but for decades, in the villages along the Gianh River, the sound of the Ca Tru clappers has resounded regularly, persistently and no longer alone. It is a living proof of the way people for generations have diligently preserved and passed on an art form considered the quintessence of the nation's traditional music treasure.

Ca tru art classes organized by the General Museum - Photo: DH

Classroom without podium

The Uyen Phong Village Ca Tru Club (Tuyen Hoa Commune) was established 23 years ago and currently has 28 members, belonging to 5 generations. The oldest is nearly 80 years old, the youngest is only 10 years old. They do not consider Ca Tru a profession to be learned according to a model, but a way of life, a breath that has permeated their blood and flesh, and is naturally passed down through each generation.

From a few seniors in the beginning, the club now has a following of students and teenagers who regularly participate. Every week, the children gather together to learn how to beat the clappers, breathe, and pronounce words. And so, day after day, month after month, the ca tru melodies gradually permeate their thinking and breathing.

Not only do they learn to sing, they also listen to stories about the village’s history, about the ancestors of the profession, and about the years when Ca Tru was forgotten during the war. “Some children can sing old, difficult songs. Their voices are not yet standard, but they have soul. Looking at them makes me feel at ease,” folk artist Dang Thi Thi, from the Uyen Phong Ca Tru Club, said emotionally.

Tran Ha Thao Nguyen, a student at Chau Hoa Primary School (Tuyen Hoa Commune), is one of the most outstanding “seedlings” of the Club. At first, Ca Tru was something very strange to her. In order to be able to sing in the right tone and beat the right rhythm, she had to practice each song phrase and each hand movement so that it was both light and steady.

From being shy and timid when standing in front of people, Thao Nguyen can now confidently raise her voice, perform with a bright spirit and emotional style. Each melody, each clapper has planted in that young soul a special love for traditional music .

It is a simple yet enduring love like the Gianh River, flowing silently through many rainy and sunny seasons, still carrying within it the silt of memories and cultural pride. “At first, I found it difficult to learn, especially breathing and pronouncing words, but the more I learned, the more I liked it,” Thao Nguyen said innocently.

In October 2009, the Vietnamese heritage of Ca Tru singing was recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity in need of urgent protection. The art of Ca Tru singing in Quang Tri is currently present in the northern communes. Here, there is no form of organizing Ca Tru activities according to clans (like some provinces in the north), but only the form of organizing activities at clubs.

The flow is constant.

Not only in Uyen Phong, the art of Ca Tru in Quang Binh has recently been revived in many localities, especially the villages along the Gianh River. Currently, the whole province has nearly 10 Ca Tru clubs with the participation of hundreds of members. Folk artists and excellent artists have become "living human treasures" who tirelessly teach from generation to generation.

Teaching sessions are held regularly every week, under the roof of the village cultural house or in the village communal house yard. There, the sound of clappers and zithers blend with the voices of children, creating a simple yet profound artistic space. There, the artist is both a teacher and a person who inspires the passion, patiently shaping each breath, rhythm, and pronunciation...

Like a steady flow, Ca Tru gradually seeps into the lives of the villages along the Gianh River. People sing Ca Tru during village festivals and community activities with performances that are not elaborate on stage but full of emotion and close to life.

Meritorious artist Ho Xuan The (Quang Trach commune) proudly recounts that, in 65 years of pursuing the Ca Tru profession and 26 years of establishing the Dong Duong village Ca Tru Club, he and many generations of artists here have tirelessly taught many young generations. Then, "old bamboo, young bamboo grows", the students gradually grow up, spread out to many places, carrying with them the heritage of their homeland to continue spreading in new environments.

The journey of preserving and transmitting Ca Tru is not only to preserve an ancient singing voice, but also a way for the community to affirm its identity, to nurture pride and cultural awareness in each young generation. Thanks to the perseverance of the artisans, the companionship of families and schools, the "green shoots" of Ca Tru are gradually growing, singing clearly in everyday life.

Passing on Ca Tru to the young generation at the Ca Tru Club of Uyen Phong village - Photo: DH

Preservation is keeping heritage alive.

Mr. Mai Xuan Thanh, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Tri province, said: “Up to now, across the country, Ca Tru is still on the list of intangible cultural heritages in need of urgent protection. In Quang Tri, we have taken specific steps in restoring and transmitting this art form, especially in coordination with clubs, artisans and educational institutions in the localities. In particular, we focus on creating playgrounds and performance practice environments for young artisans, while organizing training and teaching classes to ensure sustainable inheritance.”

However, as Mr. Mai Xuan Thanh himself admitted, that is still not enough. Conservation cannot stop at keeping and restoring the external form, but more importantly, it is to make the heritage continue to live in community life, in the minds of the young generation and in close-knit performance spaces.

Unlike other art forms, Ca Tru is a fairly popular performance form but not widely known because the singing style is not easy and very unique. Teaching it is therefore more difficult, especially when most of the artists are old. Time waits for no one, therefore, passing on the heritage cannot wait for a convenient time but must be done with all urgency and enthusiasm from today and must be an effort from many sides.

If one day, the sound of Ca Tru resounds in the schoolyard, on the square or in the middle of the village festival, then surely there will be some merit from those who have silently "sown" the heritage from small houses in the countryside.

Dieu Huong

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/tieng-go-phach-khong-don-doc-196359.htm