Hue royal music – an intangible cultural heritage.
On November 7, 2003, UNESCO bestowed world heritage status on 28 relics of nations as masterpieces of oral and intangible heritage of humanity.Among the 11 masterpieces of Asia, nha nhac (royal music) represents the first intangible legacy of Vietnam to have been put on this list.
The UNESCO council appraised Vietnamese royal music in the following terms: “Vietnamese royal music represents an elegant and refined music. It deals with the music performed in the imperial courts and on different anniversaries, religious festivals, and on such particular occasions. Of the different categories development in Vietnam, only the royal music was national.”
Nha nhac (Vietnamese royal music) and its principles came to Vietnam under the Ho Han Thuong reign (1400-1407). The Ho dynasty, however, only existed for a short time, so nha nhac rapidly fell into oblivion. In 1427, Le Loi defeated the Chinese Ming invaders and liberated the country. However, nha nhac only began to develop in the reign of king Le Thanh Tong (1460-1497 and reached its peak under the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945).
Nha nhac is genre of scholarly music. It attracted the participation of many talented songwriters anf musicians, with numerous traditional musical instruments. From now on, nha nhac will have opportunities to preserve, develop and popularize to the puplic, inside and outside the country.
Ca Hue (Hue singing)- the distinctive art performance of Thua Thien Hue.
The tunes of Ca Hue that were renowned from the 17th century to the late 18th century consist of Co Ban, Phu Luc, Nam Ai, Nam Binh. They were frequently played at Lord Nguyen’s royal palaces as well as among the common people. Ca Hue is performed in rooms while the audience sits on trestles, sofas or mats spread on the floor for enjoyment. In addition to chanteys, Hue folk music represents plenty of famous Ly (a type of folk-song) such as Ly con sao (Mynah folk-song), Ly chuon chuon (dragonfly folk-song), Ly hanh van (A kind of traditional old tune), Ly tuong tu (lovesick folk-song), Ly muoi thuong (hoai xuan) (Ten loveliness folk-song), Ly qua do (hoai nam) (Ferry crossing folk-song), Ly trach ai (Lover blaming folk-song), Ly con tam (Silkworm folk-song), Ly con nhen (Spider folk-song), Ly con chim (Cuckoo folk-song), Ly tinh tang (Whenever the performer inserts “oi tang tinh tang” in his tune, the folk-song is called “Ly tinh tang”), Ly tu vi (Astrologic folk-song)... Throughout many ups and downs, Ca Hue is always an intellectual food, the blood and the mellifluent sonority in the feelings of each Hue civilian. The most suitable time to enjoy Ca Hue is at sunset in the poetic Perfume river.
Hat tuong
Hat tuong (also called Hat boi) was widely loved by kings and lords in the old times. When Lord Nguyen reclaimed the southern land in 1558, Hat boi followed him. Under the Nguyen dynasty, Hat boi Hue reached properity. Hat boi is an official form of entertainment of the court and played foreign royal visitors to Vietnam after feast. In 1826, king Ming Mang officially biult Duyet Thi Duong, the first classical theatre of th nation, at the precinct of Hue royal palace. What’s more, the king set up Thanh Binh Thu, a body specializing in managing and training singers and dancers for the court, and Thanh Binh Tu Duong serving as a place of worshing deceased Hat boi performers.
Royal dancing
Vietnam royal dancing made its appearance under the Earlier Le dynasty. Under the successive dynasties of Ly, Tran and Le, royal dacing flouished in terms of “suite”. Under the reign of lord Nguyen Phuc Nguyen, Dao Duy Tu was the first to set up a team of the hue court’s dancers called Hoa Thanh Thu who perform royal dancing on the Tet holidays (lunar new year festival), on the occasion of victory celebration, reception of foreign ambassadors, the birthdays of the king and the royal family. In the past, royal dacing to talled 11 dances. Today, only 8 dances are needed to perform royal dancing aimed at maintaining this type of the nation’s art performance and serving tourists.
