The echoes of Phu Dien opera drums

(Baonghean) - On Spring days, in some villages of Dien Chau, the urgent sounds of the Chau drum and the smooth lyrics of the Tuong art still resound with pride and love of the people of Hoan Dien land.

Every year on the evening of the third day of Tet, the sound of people calling each other resounds throughout the villages of Dien My. People sit in circles, filling the entire yard of the communal cultural house to watch the opera. Since ancient times, Phu Tho village, Dien My commune has had a saying: "Mai Nau opera is famous far and wide", which speaks of the prosperity of the art of opera in this land.

This spring, although he is over 90 years old, Mr. Hoang Ngoc Phac - Head of Dien My Tuong Club still went on stage to perform for the people. He captivated people with his singing combined with gestures like a real Tuong artist. Mr. Hoang Ngoc Phac shared: This year, like every year, Tet comes, we perform to celebrate the Party, celebrate Spring, and celebrate the longevity of our ancestors. We have dozens of traditional plays. This year, we performed the play "Hong Son Flame", and many people came to watch. The commune supported a part of the budget, the rest was contributed by the members of the Club, for us, being able to stand on stage to perform is a great happiness.

Dien Thinh commune's Tuong troupe (Dien Chau) performs in early Spring.

Along with the excitement of spring, the drum beats of opera are also hurrying throughout the villages of Dien Hoang. Here, Tet cannot be without opera. People watch opera not only for fun and entertainment but also to pray for a prosperous year, a bountiful harvest, and a warm and prosperous new year.

With the desire to preserve this ancient folk art, in 2004, Mr. Phan Van Dinh, over 80 years old, founded a Tuong singing team and spent his own money to go to Hanoi to collect and buy performance costumes. After that, he searched for talented singers to teach Tuong singing. Up to now, the Tuong troupe of Dien Hoang commune has more than 20 members. Despite their old age, the elders are still quite flexible in acting, fluent in expressing the gestures and movements of Tuong art. Mr. Dinh said: I have loved Tuong since I was young, so I have never forgotten Tuong. As long as I am alive, I will try to teach it to my children and grandchildren and never give up.

Some images from the play The Drum of Me Linh

Tuong is an art form that requires a lot of effort, from practicing to investing in costumes, props, etc. Dien Chau people love this art form very much. Up to now, in addition to Dien Hoang and Dien My communes that have established clubs, Dien Chau district currently has about 10 Tuong singing teams in communes such as Dien Thai, Dien Xuan, Dien Binh, Dien Bich, Dien Thinh, etc. Each team has 3-5 people participating in Tuong singing. Although established spontaneously, the Tuong teams have all purchased costumes and musical instruments to perform. Not only are they passionate about practicing and performing, but the desire of the artists is to preserve the ancient art form left by their ancestors. The most effective way to inherit this art form is to encourage children and grandchildren in the family and clan to participate in practicing. Thanks to that, at the communal cultural activity centers, Tet has become a "stage" of opera filled with audiences with plays such as "Hong Son Fire", "Trung Vuong De Co", "My Chau - Trong Thuy"... Wherever they are, the singing of the elders is warmly welcomed.

Some images from the play The Drum of Me Linh

Mr. Tran Sy Hong - Deputy Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Dien Chau said: Along with ca tru and Vi Giam folk songs, Tuong in Dien Chau is being revived and developed quite strongly, especially this Tet Binh Than 2016, My, Hai, Hoang clusters have organized Tuong nights. The industry also consulted with the district to allocate a part of the budget to support performing artists, at the same time launching socialization to maintain this traditional art.

Life is changing more and more, there are many types of art for people to choose from, but the elderly in Dien Chau always keep the flame of traditional Tuong art and consider it a precious asset of their ancestors that needs to be preserved and passed on forever. So that in the spring, when going to the villages of Dien Chau, you can still hear the Tuong voice echoing over time.

Mai Giang