Heavy hearted folk song of my hometown

(Baonghean) - One early winter afternoon, visiting artisan Nguyen Van Ky in Tan Son commune, Do Luong district, I felt like I was immersed in the bustling atmosphere of the musical instruments and singing of Mr. Ky and the members of the Tan Son Folk Song Club. Mr. Ky reminisced and told me stories about his life associated with folk songs with all his enthusiasm and passion.

At the age of 10, Nguyen Van Ky was already familiar with the folk songs of his father and mother. His father was one of the main singers of the workers' association and was also a famous musician. In addition to singing folk songs for the people, his mother was also a good actress in the Tuong genre of that time. Every night, the young Ky passionately learned to sing and act, and not long after, he was praised by the people when he sang the folk songs of his hometown. "Perhaps perseverance and passion helped me love folk songs even more." In addition to following his parents to perform, he was also carefully instructed by the aunts and uncles in the art troupe.

The performance won first prize in the cluster of Tan Son Folk Song Club (Do Luong) at the Nghe An Folk Song Festival.

Mr. Ky recalled: “There were days when my parents watched me study, but I still sneaked out to watch when I heard that a performing arts troupe was coming from the village. That day I was very “strange”, while the performing arts troupe was preparing, I ran up to the stage and asked to sing. After singing, I heard everyone clapping and praising me, so I sang another song.”

Artist Nguyen Van Ky

During his 12 years of high school, he not only studied hard but also actively participated in mass cultural activities and performances of the school and the locality. It was also from that passion that he realized that folk songs were a valuable asset that he and everyone else must always consciously preserve and promote. Through studying and learning from his predecessors, he realized that Nghe An folk songs have dozens of different melodies such as Vi Do Dua, Vi Leo Non; Vi Phuong Dan, Vi Phuong Vai, Vi Dong Rung, Vi Muc Dong, Vi Gheo… Each song is used in different cultural activities; only by studying and researching can one see its beauty and appeal.

In 1999, Tan Son Commune People's Committee established the Folk Song Club and he was elected by the members as its chairman. Initially, the club had only 7 members who were members of the folk singing troupe with him in the past, gathering together with the idea of ​​preserving the traditional beauty left by their ancestors. Through propaganda activities and mobilizing members to participate, the club has now attracted more than 30 members, with operating regulations with specific content of popularizing and practicing folk songs, etc.

On weekends, the club gathers at the commune cultural house to guide and practice songs in terms of vocals, rhythm, duration, and pitch, select performances, and discuss and exchange content related to the club's activities. Every six months, the club organizes activities to learn from experience. After three activities, the club organizes singing competitions, selecting the best voices to participate in performing at grassroots competitions and festivals on the occasion of major national holidays. The people of Tan Son commune often hear the smooth and soulful melodies of Vi and Dam, the lively sound of the zither and the elegant singing style of Mr. Ky coming from the commune loudspeaker every morning and afternoon. Those are the melodies he composed to practice for members and people to learn to sing. He is often invited by primary and secondary schools to teach folk songs to students and teachers when there are festivals.

Along with collecting ancient folk songs, he also devoted much effort to writing new lyrics for many songs based on the folk melodies of Vi Dam. The lyrics he composed have profound meanings, pure content and high educational value, easy to learn and remember. From songs praising the Party, Uncle Ho, love for the homeland, country, love between couples to propaganda songs about drug prevention, domestic violence, child marriage... are all loved by the club members as well as people in the commune.

At the Nghe Tinh Vi and Dam Folk Song Festival in 2013, Mr. Ky was honored as a "Folk Artist" and awarded the Medal "For the Cause of Vietnamese Folk Songs and Folklore".

Mr. Tran Nhu Y - Vice Chairman of Tan Son Commune People's Committee said: Folk song enthusiasts in the locality are always worried because nowadays many people are no longer interested in folk songs, especially the young generation. Therefore, folk songs are gradually fading away. Currently, the number of people who can memorize and sing many folk songs of Nghe Tinh can be counted on the fingers. Mr. Ky is continuing to mobilize people who love folk songs to teach them to sing and play the flute, and at the same time actively working with everyone to build and promote local cultural movements and activities. Mr. Ky's work contributes to preserving and promoting the cultural identity of his homeland.

Nguyen Temple