Go to Binh Son to listen to Ba Trao singing

Singing the song

Singing the song

Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Van Thu welcomed us in his small house in Tuyet Diem 2 village, Binh Thuan commune, Binh Son district. At the age of 57, he still has a full love for folk culture. His small house is always filled with singing and laughter. And behind that passion is his wife who accompanies and shares every step of the way.

Born and raised on the coast of his homeland, Nguyen Van Thu's childhood was associated with village festivals, Tet holidays when he followed his father to the village temple or Lang Van to listen to the elders sing Ba Trao, make offerings to the gods, especially the Nam Hai Ong worship ceremony. When he was in high school, he began learning to play traditional musical instruments such as drums, erhu, trumpet and sing coastal folk songs.

In 1983, Nguyen Van Thu was admitted to the Music Department of Thua Thien Hue High School of Culture and Arts (now Hue Academy of Music). However, due to difficult family circumstances, he had to put aside his dream of becoming a musician.

Returning to his hometown, while making a living by the sea, he continued his passion for collecting folk songs, folk songs, singing bai choi, ba trao and learning to play traditional musical instruments. Not only preserving, he also composed new lyrics for folk songs, making the old melodies more closely related to contemporary life.

In 2011, the Binh Thuan commune government established the Folk Song and Music Club (now renamed the Binh Thuan Commune Bai Choi Folk Song Club), with artist Nguyen Van Thu as the Club's Chairman from 2018 to present. He is always dedicated to preserving and promoting folk art, not only performing but also actively teaching Ba Trao singing to students of local schools. After 8 years as Chairman of the Binh Thuan Commune Bai Choi Folk Song Club, he has led the Club to perform in many provinces and cities across the country, including Hanoi .

As someone who has a deep understanding of the art of singing Ba Trao - a folk song with rich identity with lyrics and gestures closely associated with the life of fishermen, artist Nguyen Van Thu is always willing to explain to tourists and researchers about Ba Trao. He said, "Ba" means the hand holding the oar, "Trao" is the oar, representing the image of a fleet of boats going out to sea. The Ba Trao singing team consists of 15 people, of which the three leaders are Tong Tien, Tong Thuong and Tong Lai, the remaining 12 people hold the oars - called 13 Trao - together vividly recreating the working atmosphere and rituals of coastal residents.

In 2019, artisan Nguyen Van Thu was honored to be awarded the title of Meritorious Artisan by the State. This is not only a source of pride but also a motivation for him to continue to be attached to and passionate about folk songs of Bai Choi and Ba Trao.

Currently, the folk song club of Binh Thuan commune, Binh Son district, Quang Ngai province has 30 members and is expected to expand when merging with neighboring communes. The more people there are, the louder the applause becomes, but according to artisan Nguyen Van Thu, to preserve and promote indigenous cultural values, the most important thing is to teach them to the younger generation. He worries: “In the midst of this bustling and noisy Dung Quat industrial park, indigenous culture must be preserved and maintained. No matter how difficult it is, we must do it, because culture is the root of human life.”

Source: https://baodantoc.vn/ve-binh-son-nghe-hat-ba-trao-1746546894110.htm