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Science in Vietnam University in Vietnam |
Situated at the crossroads of two powerful cultural currents, the Chinese and the Indian, VietNam has been influenced by these elements whose are evidenced in VietNam Music. The Indian influence dates back to the beginning of the Ly dynasties (1010). The musical tunes were composed with Indian inspiration: sad and languid, these were known by the names of Nam Binh, Nam Ai, Nam Thuong and Nam Khach. Chinese influence on Vietnamese Music was during the Hồng Đức dynasty, while king Lê Thánh Tôn ordered the National Academy to undertake research on Chinese music. At this period, music and song were focused first on rites and ceremonies at the royal court. But later they became a speciality of private groups. When the Vietnamese people came in contact with Western civilization (18th century), they evinced also enthusiasm for European music. The National Conservatory of Music created in Saigon by the Ministry for National Education of South VietNam has set itself the task of renovating the national music of Viet Nam on the basis of a new synthesis of Oriental and Occidental arts. Folk Music As in other countries in the world,
Vietnamese oral literature is composed mainly of the songs of the people
which have a profound sensibility and poetic sense, and become real
masterpieces of Vietnamese literature. The origins of these songs are rooted
in the era preceding recorded history. They are so rich, maybe much more
than in other countries, to form a very vast repertoire. They are so various
with several genres of folk music of different ethnic minorities groups and
those of the North, Central and South VietNam. The folk songs become a very
valuable national heritage of our people. There are songs of boat rowers, of
wood cutters, love songs, satirical songs, etc... There are also songs
relating to heroic deeds, reflecting the soul of the laboring masses,
expressing their happiness, sadness, patient resignation or courageous
revolt. These songs are less artificial and less speculative than all the
other types of literature, and the natural expressions used in popular
songs, the beauty of their imagery and the pertinence of their observation,
go beyond the rigid frame of confucianist ethics. During the long centuries of Chinese and French dominations, folk songs always played the role of preserving hope, and keeping the spirit of Vietnamese traditions and customs. Origins and Evolution of Vietnamese Music In 1924 archaecological excavations in the village of Dong Son, Thanh Hoa province, North VietNam, unearthed bronze drums, and coins on which were engravings representing 2 men, one seated astride the other’s back, playing a "khen", an instrument made of several flutes tied together. Drawings on the drums depicted warriors, one of them playing a "khen" and the others playing castanets of a type still in use today. Since the Dong Son findings, dated from the Han dynasty (around 200 B.C.) we can conclude that Vietnamese already had their own indigenous music prior to the Christian era. The study of the folk songs of the Tonkinese central region permits also affirmation that the most ancient musical discoverable are those of the citadel Co Loa in which are found the tomb of King An Duong Vuong. At this time, the earliest music had a folkloric character which was typified by round sung as accompaniment to mystico-religious or ritualistic dances, and the use of drums, khenes, castanets and cymbals. From the second to the 10th centuries, Vietnamese music had an almost exclusively Chinese influence. The five tone musical scale of Chinese music was adopted and utilized without innovation. From the 11th to the 14th centuries, with the advance of the Viet toward the South, contacts with the Champa, introduced new elements into Vietnamese music which resulted in the development of the southern laments and the enriching of the five tone scale with 2 supplementary notes. From the 15th to the 18th centuries, great developments were marked in the art of music, with innovations on the styles of the Chinese and Cham. It was during this era that songs accompanied by castanets first became popular. The words of these songs came from the works of eminent literary men. After the "Hat A Dao" came Hue songs, boat songs from the Parfume River, and guessing game songs or mirador games, first came into vogue, along with songs from the southern part of the demarcation river. The contemporary period is notable first for the codification, then modernization of Vietnamese music under the influence of Occidental traditions. More recently, composers trained in European schools have produced many works which have enjoyed great popularity. Most of these tunes are based on Western rhythms. The classic Repertoire The classical Vietnamese music includes 2 principal types: the Northern tunes and the Southern tunes. Concerning the origins of the Northern tunes, the Annals relate that in 1285, on the occasion of Tran Hung Dao’s great victory over the Mongol invaders, a theater troup which accompanied the agressive forces was captured along with its entire orchestra. The troup was immediately incorporated into that of the Imperial Court, and its performances reached a large segment of the popular audience. Later, in 1470 during the reign of Le Thanh Ton, 3 members of the National Academy, Tran Nhan Trung, Luong The Vinh and Do Nhuan were sent to China to study Chinese music, and its methods to adapt it to the Vietnamese. Three committees were thus created: the first for symphonic music, the 2nd for music education, and the 3rd for the popularization of music arts. In the middle of the 15th century, following a victorious campaign against the Champa, the favorite song the Cham King was introduced to the Imperial Court. 150 years later, King Ly Cao Tong commissioned the composition of Chiem Thanh Am (Cham Melody) whose name indicates its source of inspiration. The Southern tunes, bore the imprint of contacts with the Champa, are characterized by nostalgic plaints, moody and melancoly, which are particularly expressive of the spirit of Hue, a city dominated by the influence of the langourous Parfume River. As for the Northern tunes express optimism and liveliness. Instrument music The Vietnamese scale has 9 tunes (5 from Chinese system and 4 adapted new tones) which have the following approximate correspondence to the Western scale: Ho, Xu, Y, Sang, Xe, Cong, Phan, Löu, U,
The Vietnamese have also modified the Chinese instruments to better suit the Vietnamese temperament. We have thus created the Nhi, Tranh, Nguyet, Ty and Tam named the 5 perfects. The Nhi or violin has 2 strings of braided silk in a rovana having a long handle and a sounding case covered by a snake skin membrane. It emits melodious sounds, while conserving the clarity of tone for which the related Chinese and Indian instruments are noted. The Tranh is zither with 10 brass strings, invented by Emperor Phuc Hy of China (2852 B.C.) Its sounding case is made of Ngo Dong wood, an Asian plant. The instrument is placed in front of the musician who uses his right hand to regulate the pitch and vibrate, while picking the strings with his left hand. The Nguyet better known as the Kìm, is a sort of guitar with a long neck, which emits muted and particularly melodious sounds. Its 2 strings made of silk braid are in fact, incapable of producing much volume, but they can produce extremely harmonious modulations. The Ty or Ty Ba is also a derivative of the ancient lute. It is a pear shaped guitar with a small resounding case that becomes narrow toward its upper end to form the neck. It has 4 strings of braided silk. The Tam is an other type of guitar which has 3 silk strings, as its name indicated. Besides these 5 perfects, it is the Dan Bau which consists of a trapezoidal wooden resounding case, on which is stretched a brass string. Fastened at one end to a peg and at the other to a flexible bamboo plate, the string passes again and again through a gourd shaped wooden amplifier. The thin bamboo plate permits modulations of greater amplitudes than those obtained with a Hawaiian guitar. Classical conceptions and Modern Trends According to confucian ethics, music should contribute to social harmony and bring peace to the human heart Associated with the rites, it should play its role in a disciplined society by contributing to the preservation of the social order, good manners, and respect for tradition. The traditional repertoire contains only a limited number of tunes such as theatrical performances, accompaniment for the royal ballets, religious ceremonies and burial music. The impact of modernization has caused some to fear that traditional music might disappear altogether. But fortunately, it has not. If the younger generations prefer the new music of Western inspiration, the old music continues to be popular among the masses. In this subject, we can recognize the played by the National Conservatory school which assure the preservation of the national’s musical heritage, and at the same time to train new artists and composers. |
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This website is created by Tran Huu Nam, last updated 28 October 2003. For further information contact to webmaster. Webmaster: Tran Huu Nam |
