The keeper of Thai culture
As a son of the Kinh ethnic group, but born and raised in Hanh Tien, Chau Tien commune, Quy Chau district, which is considered one of the villages that still preserves the traditional cultural features of the Thai people. His childhood was associated with the five-verse and stream tunes, he is the only Kinh person in Chau Tien commune who understands and can skillfully use the musical instruments of the Thai people. That is Mr. Le Thai Chau.
(Baonghean)As a son of the Kinh ethnic group, but born and raised in Hanh Tien, Chau Tien commune, Quy Chau district, which is considered one of the villages that still preserves the traditional cultural features of the Thai people. His childhood was associated with the five-verse and stream tunes, he is the only Kinh person in Chau Tien commune who understands and can skillfully use the musical instruments of the Thai people. That is Mr. Le Thai Chau.
This year, he has reached a rare age, but with his passion for Thai musical instruments, Mr. Chau is still diligently studying and collecting Thai culture. Sipping a cup of wine at the beginning of spring, he enthusiastically said: "I have loved Thai traditional musical instruments since I was a child, and thanks to that music, I fell in love with a Thai girl who also sings and dances well."
After a hard day’s work, he and his wife often indulge in the sounds of the Khen and the flute. Now, despite his old age and poor health, his flute and the Khen still captivate people’s hearts. Along with the flow of time and the blending of foreign cultures, the culture of the Thai people is also gradually fading away.
Mr. Le Thai Chau introduces the panpipe to the village elders.
A meeting of the Elderly Club in Khe Lan village, Chau Hanh commune, Quy Chau. Photo: Tran Ngoc Lan
That is why he always strives to preserve and promote traditional cultural values in community life. Thinking is doing, in his free time, he mobilizes primary school-age children to come to his house or the village cultural house to instruct them on how to use musical instruments and melodies. The majority of the children have never sung or used their ethnic musical instruments, so he has to meticulously instruct them on how to breathe and pause in each verse, how to distinguish between the types of panpipes, the Khuy pi, the Nhuon pi and the Bitter pi. In addition, he also instructs the children on how to use musical instruments appropriate to each genre...
I wish Mr. Le Thai Chau a happy and healthy life, to continue to preserve and promote the khen and pi sounds of his ethnic compatriots.
Le Hoan
