Hold on to Ca Tru

(Baonghean)It is not by chance that a ca tru club was established and has existed for more than ten years in Dien Chau. This land is one of the long-standing cradles of Nghe An ca tru, famous for the “great Ke Lu guild”. Through many years, ups and downs, when Ca tru seemed to be lost, the younger generation has found a way to hold on to it…

In recent years, people have begun to remember and talk a lot about Dien Chau Ca Tru Club. Because of the times the artists “brought the bell to strike” at the Lang Sen Singing Festival, the National Ca Tru Festival… the artists have left special marks.

Talking about the merits of building the Ca Tru Club of Dien Chau today, we must mention teacher Nguyen Nghia Nguyen (deceased). The day he started to realize the idea of ​​establishing the Ca Tru Association in this land of Phu Dien, he was over 80 years old, and he kept pedaling his bicycle to find the homes of the rare Ca Tru artists who were still alive, such as: Mrs. Tran Thi Binh, Tran Thi So, Pham Thi Hoa, Doan Thi Nguyet, Doan Thi Ang, Tran Thi Bo, Nguyen Thi Hanh... to listen to Ca Tru again, to convince them to come back to sing. When the generation of women and elders followed their ancestors, the entire Ca Tru tradition that was famous for years was lost, sunk into oblivion, and difficult to find again. Because of the virtue and the earnest desire to preserve the special art of the nation, a precious asset left by an old teacher, the artists who had long lost the sound of clappers, the sound of instruments,... and forgotten their voices and melodies began to remember and search in their memories of the past. Master Nguyen also met actor Tran Hai (1910) in Dien Lien (Dien Chau), who was taught the Dan Day by actor Quang, a member of the Ke Lu Silk Guild from Kim Luy (Dien Kim) when he was only 12 years old. From these old artisans, he was able to nurture a number of young actresses such as Ngoc Mai, Thu Hoa, Bich Loan in Dien Lien and Dien Yen, then developed to the communes of Dien Hoa, Dien An, Dien My...



Dien Chau Ca Tru Club performed at the "11th Vietnam Poetry Day" in Nghe An.
Photo: Thuy Vinh.

In 2002, the Dien Chau Ca Tru Club was established, at that time, the number of members reached 70-80 people. But it was difficult for Mr. Nguyen and his successors, Mr. Nguyen Quang Phiet and now Mr. Tran Canh Yen, to maintain and sustain the club. Ca Tru is not like other folk music genres. This is a special art form, both folk and very learned. The space of Ca Tru is not spacious and popular like Vi Dam or Quan Ho... but has the nature of a chamber music. It must have a singing room, a female singer with clappers, a stringed instrument, a drum, and lyrics... It is picky about the singer and the listener, the singer must be very talented, and the listener must also be very talented.

According to Mr. Cao Xuan Thuong, a person who understands ca tru, writes new ca tru lyrics and follows the club's activities, the Ca tru club today cannot organize activities like the old guild style. If it were a guild, it would be considered a craft village, and actors and singers could make a living from that profession. But the club, a gathering of many people, in many places in the commune, are not close to each other, and maintaining it is already a difficult thing, not to mention "making money". Ca tru Dien Chau now, is a club of the new era, carrying within it the desire and responsibility to preserve a national cultural heritage, on the basis of gathering people who love and know ca tru. Each person in the club is a passionate person.

Up to now, after more than 10 years of establishment, Dien Chau Ca Tru Club still has about 20 people, although the number is very small, but the singers, guitarists, and drummers have all matured and performed well, participating regularly every month. In addition to the district ca tru club, Dien Chau has 5 communal clubs including Dien Hoa, Dien Yen, Dien Lien, Dien My, and Dien Xuan. The ca tru singing movement in Dien Chau has been expanded and developed steadily. In addition to the elderly artists, the club has also developed a young team, with singers just over 20 years old and the youngest is a 12th grader. With that development, in recent years ca tru has become a special spiritual food during the New Year. At ceremonies, longevity celebrations, welcoming cultural families, historical and cultural relics, or at village communal houses at the beginning of the year, the music and ca tru have resounded familiarly. The club has also participated in the National Ca Tru Festival 3 times with prizes, participated in the Sen Village Singing Contest 4 times (2 times won A prizes), trained at the Hanoi Conservatory of Music twice and many times trained at the provincial and district levels.

The club was established, gathering the most excellent actors and actresses remaining on this land. When they were hidden in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it was because no one remembered them. But when they were found, returned to being a singer, an artist, everyone wanted to perform, to dance, to sing, to stand on stage. Ca tru was admired by many classes in the past. The Ke Lu silk troupe of the Tran family was invited to sing at the royal court from the Le Trung Hung period to the Nguyen dynasty. Then the privilege of serving Ca tru singing from beginning to end at the Con Temple Festival (January 15-17 of the lunar calendar) and the Cuong Temple Festival (in 3 days February 14, 15, 16). Particularly in Dinh Chay, every year on the Ky Phuc ceremony on January 14, 15, 16, the villages carry the palanquin of the gods to Dinh Chay to worship and sing Ca tru.

Compared to the atmosphere of that golden age, the "stage" for these talented people is still very limited. Mr. Tran Canh Yen, the club's director, said: "The most difficult thing for the club now is operating costs. To participate in performances and training courses, we need funds, and the club is a voluntary organization with no source of income, so all activities must be calculated. We hope that the relevant departments and agencies will pay more attention..."

Ms. Tam Hanh (born 1962) - a singer of Dien Chau Ca Tru Club, also said: "Learning Ca Tru is very difficult. Many people sing well, but if they can't keep the beat, they have to give up. But once they can sing, they love it and can't stop. People sing because of their passion, because of their enthusiasm, but many times they don't even have enough money for gas to perform."

Ho Lai