Music of Vietnam

MUSIC OF VIETNAM
Traditional Vietnamese music is highly diverse and syncretistic, combining native and
foreign influences. Throughout its history, Vietnam has been heavily impacted by the Chinese
musical tradition, as an integral part, along with Korea, Mongolia and Japan. The ancient
Indochinese kingdom of Champa also had an historical effect upon this music, because the
Vietnamese court found it intriguing. However, even with these foreign influences, Vietnam has
a unique musical tradition stemming from its native roots.
I. Imperial court music
Nhã nhạc is the most popular form of imperial court music, specifically referring to the
court music played from the Trần Dynasty to the very last Nguyễn Dynasty of Vietnam, being
synthesized and most highly developed by the Nguyễn emperors. It is based on earlier
Vietnamese imperial court music, its primary influences coming from Ming Dynasty's imperial
court and later the music of Champa. Along with nhã nhạc, the imperial court of Vietnam in the
19th century also had many royal dances which still exist to this day. The theme of most of these
dances is to wish the kings longevity and the country wealth.
Nhã nhạc was performed at annual

ceremonies, including anniversaries and religious
holidays, as well as special events such as
coronations, funerals or official receptions, by highly
trained and skilled court musicians. Along with the
musicians, a number of intricate court dances also
exist. Both musicians and dancers wore elaborately
designed costumes during their performances.
Nhã Nhạc Concert
Instruments commonly used for nhã nhạc include kèn bầu (conical oboe), đàn tỳ
bà (pear-shaped lute with four strings), đàn nguyệt (moon-shaped two-string lute), đàn
tam (fretless lute with snakeskin-covered body and three strings), đàn nhị (two-stringed vertical
fiddle), sáo (also called sáo trúc; a bamboo transverse flute), trống (drum played with sticks),
and other percussion instruments.
II. Folk music
Vietnamese folk music is extremely diverse and includes dân ca, quan họ, hát chầu
văn, ca trù, hò, and hát xẩm, among other forms.
1. Quan họ
Quan họ singing is a Vietnamese folk music style characterized both by

its antiphonal nature, with alternating groups of female andmale singers issuing musical
challenges and responses, and by the fact that most of the songs in the repertoire deal with
topics of loveand sentimentality as experienced by young adults.
Quan ho is recognised as the Intangible Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO in 2009.
The quan họ style originated in what is

now Bắc Ninh Province and was first recorded
in the 13th century, and has traditionally been
associated with the spring festivals that follow
the celebration of Tết (the Vietnamese New
Year). Historically, the singing began on the
evening before the festival, but today it is much
more common for the singing to occur on the
main day of the festival. In general, an initial Singing Quan Họ at Hoàn Kiếm Lake
"challenge phrase" (câu ra) from the known
body of songs is sung by a pair of female singers, following which a pair of male singers will
respond by selecting and singing a "matching phrase" (câu đối), which must repeat
the melody of the challenge phrase. Once they are finished, the order is reversed, and the men
will issue their own challenge phrase with a different melody. While in the past the singing was
unaccompanied, it is common today for the singers to be accompanied by instruments, whether
traditional Vietnamese instruments or modern ones such as electric keyboards.
There are a huge number of quan họ melodies, with thousands of different songs having
been recorded and written down in score form.
2. Hát chầu văn

Hát chầu văn, or hát văn, is a traditional Vietnamese folk art which combines trance
singing and dancing. Its music and poetry are combined with a variety of instruments, rhythms,
pauses, and tempos. Hat chau van originated in the 16th century
and spread quickly. The main musical instrument used in hát văn
performance is the đàn nguyệt or moon-shaped lute. The genre
is famous for its use in rituals for deity mediumship. Chầu Văn
serves two purposes: to help hypnotize the medium for
reception of the deities and to accompany the medium's actions
with appropriate music.
Hát Chầu Văn
3. Nhạc dân tộc cải biên
Nhạc dân tộc cải biên is a modern form of Vietnamese folk music which arose in the
1950s after the founding of the Hanoi Conservatory of Music in 1956. This development
involved writing traditional music using Western musical notation, while Western elements
of harmony and instrumentation were added. Nhạc dân tộc cải biên is often criticized by purists
for its watered-down approach to traditional sounds.
4. Ca trù
Ca trù (also hát ả đào) is a popular folk music which is said to have begun with Ả Đào, a
female singer who charmed the enemy with her voice. Most singers remain female, and the
genre has been revived since the Communist government loosened its repression in the 1980s,
when it was associated with prostitution.
Ca trù, like many ancient and highly developed arts, has many forms. However, the most
widely known and widely performed type of ca trù involves only three performers: the female
vocalist, lute player and a spectator (who also takes part in the performance).
The female singer provides the vocals whilst playing her phách (small wooden sticks
beaten on a small bamboo platform to serve
as percussion). She is accompanied by a man
who plays the đàn đáy, a long-necked, 3-string
lute used almost exclusively for the ca trù genre.
Last is the spectator (often a scholar or
connoisseur of the art) who strikes a trống chầu
(praise drum) in praise (or disapproval) of the
singer's performance, usually with every
passage of the song. The way in which he strikes A “Ca Trù” Performance.
the drum shows whether he likes or dislikes the
performance, but he always does it according to the beat provided by the
vocalists' phách percussion.
New observers to the art often comment on how strikingly odd the vocal technique
sounds, but it is the vocals themselves that are essential in defining ca trù.
Ca trù is thought to have originated in the imperial palace, eventually moving
predominantly into performances at communal houses for scholars and other members of the
elite (this is the type of Ca trù most widely known). It can be referred to as a geisha-type of
entertainment where women, trained in music and poetry, entertained rich and powerful men.
5. Hò
"Hò" can be thought of as the southern style of Quan họ. It is improvisational and is
typically sung as dialogue between a man and woman. Common themes include love, courtship,
the countryside, etc. "Hò" is popular in Cần Thơ - Vietnam.
6. Xẩm
Xẩm or Hát xẩm (Xẩm singing) is a

type of Vietnamese folk music which was
popular in the Northern region of Vietnam
but is considered nowadays an endangered
form of traditional music in Vietnam. In the
dynastic time, xẩm was generally performed
by blind artists who wandered from town to
town and earned their living by singing in
common place. Xẩm artists often play đàn
Blind artists performing xẩm in an old French postcard.
bầu or đàn nhị to accompany the songs
themselves, sometimes they form a band with one singer and others who play traditional
instruments such as drum or phách. The melodies of xẩm are borrowed from different types of
Vietnamese folk music such as trống quân or quan họ while its themes are generally The Tale of
Kieu, Luc Van Tien and other popular Vietnamese stories.
III. 1940s -1980s
The Vietnam War, the consequent Fall of Saigon, and the plight of Vietnamese refugees
gave rise to a collection of musical pieces that have become "classical" anthems for Vietnamese
people both in Vietnam and abroad. Notable writers include Pham Duy and Trinh Cong Son.
Singers include Khanh Ly and Le Thu.
IV. Modern Music

In Vietnam, there is no official music chart across the country or digital sale.
The embrace of Modern Pop music has
increased as each new generation of people
in Vietnam become more exposed to and
influenced by westernized music along
with CJK's fashion style. Musical production
has improved and expanded over the years as
visiting performers and organizers from other
countries have helped to stimulate the
Vietnamese entertainment industry. Such
performances include international stages like
Pop singer Mỹ Tâm performed in her live show.
the Asia Music Festival in South Korea where
popular Vietnamese singers such as My Tam, Ho Ngoc Ha, Lam Truong, and others have
performed along with other singers from different Asian countries. During the recent years such
as 2006 and beyond, Vietnamese pop music has tremendously improved from years past. With
the help of the Internet and sites such as Zing, Vietnamese music has been able to reach to
audiences nationally and also overseas. There are many famous underground artists such as
Andree Right Hand, Big Daddy, Shadow P (all featured in a popular song called De Anh Duoc Yeu)
and countless others who have risen to fame through the Internet. In addition, there are also
other singers that have gone mainstream such as M4U, Ho Ngoc Ha, Bao Thy, Wanbi Tuan Anh,
Tu Quynh, Radio Band, etc. There are also amateur singers whose songs have been hits in
Vietnam such as Thuy Chi. These singers tend to view singing as a hobby, therefore not being
labeled as a mainstream artist. Overall, the quality of recording and the style of music videos in
Vietnam has improved a lot compared to the past years due to many private productions and
also overseas Vietnamese coming back to produce a combination of Western and Vietnamese
music.
END
Source: Wikipedia.

Music of Vietnam

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What are the main types of traditional Vietnamese music?

What is Quan Ho singing?

MUSIC OF VIETNAM

I. Imperial court music

Nhã nhạc was performed at annual

Quan họ singing is a Vietnamese folk music style characterized both by

Quan ho is recognised as the Intangible Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO in 2009.

The quan họ style originated in what is

2. Hát chầu văn

3. Nhạc dân tộc cải biên

Xẩm or Hát xẩm (Xẩm singing) is a

III. 1940s -1980s

IV. Modern Music

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