Residents fight to preserve old love songs

Farmers in some northern villages try to maintain an ancient singing tradition, trong quan. Trung Hieu enjoys their songs.
An old lady plays the nhi (a two-chord fiddle) with her wrinkled hands, and counts a rhythm for a group of children to practise trong quan – a folk singing tradition that now exists only in Khanh Ha Commune in Thuong Tin District of Ha Noi and in Da Trach Village in the neighbouring province of Hung Yen.
Nguyen Thi Vay, 74, in Dan Nhiem Village of Khanh Ha Commune still remembers when she was a young girl, following her friends to attend singing sessions.
"During my youth, trong quan singing was popular not only in Khanh Ha, but also in other nearby communes such as Nhi Khe, Hoa Binh, Dung Tien and Nghiem Xuyen.
"It was so popular that there were people who compiled songs and wrote down the lyrics in song books, then sold them at the markets for people who loved singing," she recalls.
According to old tales, the folk singing art originated when King Quang Trung (1753-1792) led his army off to war.
To keep the soldiers alert and ready, the King created a new way of singing, which allowed the troops to pretend they were a couple of young men and women, singing in a call-and-response style.
As the army had no musical instruments, the King told the soldiers to dig a hole, then cover it with a food tray, so they could clap their hands on the tray, like beating a drum.
That’s why the singing art was called trong quan (which literally means drums beaten by troops). The singing art not only helped soldiers stay alert and reduce fatigue, but also stimulated their spirits and contributed to the army’s later victories.
Another legend says that the art form originated in the time that the Vietnamese Tran Dynasty fought the Mongol-Yuan invaders in the 13th century.
In their free time, the soldiers sat in two lines and beat drums and sang to entertain. One group would sing first, and then another would respond in kind.
After the time of war, the singing art was popularised among the people and it was changed to suit each region, but its original name, trong quan, was maintained.
While singers in Hung Yen Province perform solemn and rhythmic songs featuring lyrics about rituals, the trong quan in Ha Tay focuses on common daily life activities, and singers can use any item to create sounds and a rhythm, instead of using a drum.
Lyrics can be very natural and impromptu, so they express the spontaneity and humour of the farmers.
"Trong quan singing sessions were often held during the free days between rice crops, from July to September," she recalls.
During these months, villages were joyous places because of the laughs, voices and calls of young people.
In the past, on moonlit nights, young people who lived along the To Lich and Nhue rivers often held singing sessions on the two banks.
During festivals in the past, young men sailed in boats down the river while women stood on the river bank, singing to each other under the moonlight.
During village festivals, people use a special metal drum, with an iron string hanging over it. While singing, the singers beat the string and the string hits on the drum to create a rhythm.
Singers are divided into groups of young men and women, and each group has about five to seven people. They sing the call-and-response songs to express their love. Their lyrics are improvised, based on ancient stories and typical daily activities. They sing until a group wins. That’s why many singing sessions last overnight. Many men and women have become couples thanks to these singing sessions.
The singing art saw its heyday during the years before the 1960s. After that, because of the wars, it faded under the dusty layer of time. It fell into oblivion, though its attractiveness was still recognised.
With their spontaneity, farmers in the old days developed the singing art, and later generations through their thoughtlessness lost this precious treasure over time.
As for elders like Vay, Le Van Truong and Nguyen Van Bon, "trong quan only existed in the stories during the leisure time between rice crops."
"Many times, we gathered together to sing the old songs. We talked and wished some days that trong quan would be restored. We also encouraged children to learn how to sing, but they were not patient enough to follow the art.
"We thought that until we died, we would not have a chance to attend a trong quan festival again. But luckily, a miracle happened."
The miracle happened when the Centre for Culture and Sports of the former Ha Tay Province and the Viet Nam Folk Arts Association executed a preservation project for trong quan in 2006, and asked village elders to teach the art to young people. The project was given VND50 million (US$2,800) and it lasted until the end of 2008, with positive results.
Le Van Truong, 60, says: "The people who participated in singing sessions in the past worked together to collect lyrics. We practised and performed a very persuasive singing session in May 2009. The performance was very successful, and as a result, many children were eager to learn."
Thanks to the project, the locals established a club last December with 14 elders, from 60 to 75 years old, and about 40 young learners, aged 10 to 16. Teachers included Vay and Truong, who believe trong quan is in their blood. Both were recognised by the State as folk artisans early this year.
Nguyen Manh Tuoi, head of the club, says the Centre for Culture and Education Exchange of Viet Nam (under the Viet Nam Folk Arts Association) recently invested VND25 million ($1,400) to help the communal authorities implement a 10-month project, which began in June 2009 and will end by April 2010, to preserve trong quan.
"Local people share the same aspirations, and we hope the city’s relevant offices, along with authorities of Thuong Tin District and Khanh Ha Commune will pay more attention and create conditions so that the ancient singing art can be preserved and developed," he says.
Nguyen Thi Mai, 14, a student at the local Khanh Ha Junior Secondary School, says she has been learning how to sing for two years now.
"It’s hard to learn how to sing these traditional tunes, but I try to practise during my free time, at home and while working. I hope I will become a skilled singer in the future, to contribute to preserving a spiritual treasure of my homeland."
Thanks to the club’s training classes, a passion to preserve the traditional art of Khanh Ha Commune has attracted not only locals but also people from other nearby communes.
Many singing sessions were held recently, which stimulated local people, as they now begin to lay their hopes in the vitality of this art.
"I believe trong quan will not only survive beyond the memories of the elders, as many young people now can help maintain the art as well," says Vay.
Trong Quan rooted throughout Hung Yen
Da Trach Village in Khoai Chau District, in the northern province of Hung Yen, is another home of this singing art.
Nhu Thi Xuyen, 62, a member of the local singing team, says that according to legends, the art might have appeared when General Trieu Quang Phuc established a stronghold in the region to fight Chinese invading troops in the 6th century.
"At many singing sessions in the past, we sang from evening until the next morning, ending in a draw," she recalls.
But the local art was lost in 1954.
Until four decades later, locals felt that their ceremonies to worship Chu Dong Tu (one of four immortal saints of the Vietnamese nation) could not lack trong quan.
Nguyen Duy Phi and Le Hong Diep went to different villages to meet elders and collect ancient songs. They also compiled new songs. Today, the village has about 2,000 verses for singing.
Le Thi Tam, another singer, says that the village’s singing team was established in 1994, with eight members. The team was invited by the Museum of Ethnology in Ha Noi to perform at the museum during the 2003 Lunar New Year for museum experts to record video tapes, for use in documentaries. They also won a silver medal for a performance in Ha Noi in 1994, and two gold medals at a festival in Ninh Binh Province.