Ca trù (, , "tally card songs"), also known as , is a Vietnamese genre of musical storytelling performed by a featuring female vocalist, with origins in northern Vietnam. For much of its history, it was associated with a pansori-like form of entertainment that encompassed entertaining the wealthy and the royal court, as well as with ceremonies involving the performance of religious songs.

Ca trù is inscribed on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of Urgent Safeguarding in 2009.

What is known for sure is that ca trù started off like many of Vietnam's arts as being a form of entertainment for the royal court. Officially ca tru count the age of their profession since The Later Le dynasty (, 1428–1789), at that time musicians called performed only on religious court ceremonies. It was only later on that it branched out into being performed at small inns. Indeed, it was mainly scholars and other members of the elite who enjoyed the genre.

In the 15th century ca tru spread through Northern Vietnam. The artists might be called to celebrate a son's birth, or to celebrate the signing of a contract. Ca tru were outside of the caste system, so they could entertain the most noble clients.

In the late 20th century, ca trù nearly died out. After the communists came to power following the 1945 August Revolution and the First Indochina War, ca trù was discouraged and even suppressed, being associated with prostitution, feudal romanticism, colonial decadence, and superstition. Consequently, before 1976 there were only two ca trù professionals: the musician Nguyễn Xuân Khoát Later they both started to revive the tradition of ca tru.

In the past, men were allowed to have several wives and concubines. Thus, it was commonly known that many famous ca trù singers did indeed have affairs with important men, but it was just something to be accepted as a part of society back then, and not a part of the profession itself.

As of 2009, extensive efforts are being made to invigorate the genre, including many festivals and events where several types of ca trù (among other related arts) are performed. Vietnam has also completed documents to have ca trù recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage.

By 2011 there were 140 ca tru from 23 clubs.

Instruments

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). Sometimes dance is also performed at the same time.

The female singer provides the vocals whilst playing her phách (small wooden sticks beaten on a small bamboo bar 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 the drum shows whether he likes or dislikes the performance,

Galleries

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File:Tranh vẽ Cô đầu (kỹ nữ) thời Pháp thuộc.jpg

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See also

  • Pansori
  • Tawaif
  • Culture of Vietnam
  • History of Vietnam
  • Music of Vietnam
  • Traditional Vietnamese dance
  • Vietnamese theatre

Notes

Bibliography

  • Norton, Barley. "Singing the Past: Vietnamese Ca Tru, Memory, and Mode." Asian Music, vol. 36, no. 2 (Summer/Fall 2005).
  • Ca tru Thang Long club
  • Ca tru page from Roehampton University site
  • Ca tru tradition
  • Article about Barley Norton and ca tru
  • Ca Tru Singing
  • https://www.francemusique.fr/emissions/carnet-de-voyage/parcours-musical-au-viet-nam-15386
  • https://journals.openedition.org/ethnomusicologie/1951

Video

  • Ca tru video examples from Roehampton University site
  • Ca trù Thăng Long Club, YouTube.com.