A person deeply attached to folk songs.
In today's fast-paced life, young people are often drawn to modern music genres, while traditional music seems to lag behind in the race to keep up with the times. However, for Mr. Tran Quoc Minh in Dong Xuan hamlet, Dong Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district), Nghe An folk songs still captivate him with their deep and profound meaning.
(Baonghean)In today's fast-paced life, young people are often drawn to modern music genres, while traditional music seems to lag behind in the race to keep up with the times. However, for Mr. Tran Quoc Minh in Dong Xuan hamlet, Dong Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district), Nghe An folk songs still captivate him with their deep and profound meaning.
Born in a poor rural area on the banks of the Lam River, from the age of nine or ten, every afternoon, Mr. Minh would go to the riverbank, where ferries traveled up and down the river, the entire river filled with the sounds of folk songs. Those melodies have resonated with him ever since. Then, the lullabies sung by his elderly mother on cold winter nights or summer afternoons have seeped into him with an enduring emotion.
Always passionate and fully immersed in folk songs, when he joined the army, in addition to fulfilling his duties as a soldier, he actively participated in cultural and artistic activities, boosting the morale of the troops going to fight against the US to save the country. In 1975, he was discharged from the army and returned to his hometown, joining his family to build a new economic life in Dong Thanh commune. And it was he who started the folk singing movement in the locality from that day onward.
However, maintaining and developing the cultural and artistic movement in a poor rural area was truly challenging, because at that time, people didn't have enough to eat or wear, and their lives were full of hardships, let alone the possibility of singing and dancing. Yet, the young man Tran Quoc Minh did not lose heart and was determined to encourage the villagers to learn and sing folk songs.
Mr. Tran Quoc Minh trains for the Dong Thanh Commune Folk Song Club (Yen Thanh).
To date, the Dong Thanh Commune Folk Song Club has over 20 members. Whenever there's a village festival or during the Lunar New Year, the village becomes lively and bustling, with young and old, men and women, eagerly filling the village square, anxiously awaiting the special folk song performances. From costumes and props to the performers, everything is "homegrown," but when they sing traditional folk melodies, they possess an extraordinary charm. Mrs. Phan Thi Thang from Dong Hoa hamlet, Dong Thanh commune, enthusiastically said: "Not only me, but my whole family loves singing folk songs. Every time we go to see a performance, our hearts flutter, and we want to step onto the stage and sing."
From the Dong Thanh Folk Song Club, founded by Mr. Tran Quoc Minh, the folk song movement in Yen Thanh district has now expanded widely. Twelve more clubs have been established throughout the district, with hundreds of members participating. Each club established is a significant contribution from Mr. Tran Quoc Minh, and under his guidance, many have achieved success and won numerous awards in district and provincial folk song festivals. Dang Ngoc Chau, a member of the Dong Thanh Folk Song Club, shared: "Mr. Tran Quoc Minh is like a true teacher, enthusiastically and wholeheartedly guiding our generation to preserve and maintain the traditions of our homeland."
Driven by his love for folk music, for nearly 30 years, Mr. Tran Quoc Minh has diligently collected, researched, and written dozens of books on folk songs and the melodies of the Ví and Dặm genres. In addition, he has composed and staged numerous plays, folk song dramas, and folk song skits that are deeply rooted in the cultural identity of his homeland, close to the working lives of the people, and evoke love for his country, while also eliminating negative traits and vices in society. Notable works include: "Spring Rice Seedlings," "Deep Rice Field," "The Story of Ms. Tinh's Family," and most recently, the folk song play "Beautiful Road," which won first prize at the Cluster I Folk Song Competition in Dien Chau district; and the play "Beautiful Promise," which won the A prize at the first Nghe An Ví and Dặm Folk Song Festival held in Vinh City in 2012…
As time flows on, musical tastes have changed considerably, but few are like Mr. Minh, who still diligently travels by bicycle to learn from each artist's experience; and after each performance, always questions whether he has conveyed all the emotions, and there are times when he is so happy that he sheds tears when the training courses he leads achieve high results and the works win high awards at festivals and competitions...
Mr. Nguyen Duy Hung, Director of the Culture and Sports Center of Yen Thanh District, said: "When talking about Nghe An folk songs in Yen Thanh District, we cannot fail to mention Mr. Tran Quoc Minh. He is a passionate person who lives and breathes folk songs, is a key figure in the district and the Dong Thanh Commune Folk Song Club, and has helped the movement of clubs in neighboring communes to continuously develop and progress."
Whenever there's an event, the members of the Dong Thanh Commune Folk Song Club take on roles, set up a stage, and perform. The village becomes lively, everyone busy preparing their family affairs and eating meals earlier than usual so they can come and watch and enjoy the sweet melodies of the folk songs. People like Mr. Tran Quoc Minh are dedicated to their work, fulfilling the mission of preserving, conserving, and promoting the values of these folk songs… ensuring that the folk songs of Nghe An province remain a continuous source of inspiration in the cultural and spiritual life of the people.
Thai Duong - Hong Hanh (Yen Thanh Radio Station)
