A person deeply attached to folk songs.

(Baonghean) - For over 40 years, village teacher Dang Quang Lien (Dien Tho commune, Dien Chau district) has always been concerned about the traditional culture of his homeland. With dedication and responsibility, his research project "The Folk Songs of Nho Lam" was born. The work was awarded the B prize (no A prize) for outstanding research by the Central Association of Vietnamese Folk Arts and Literature and also won the B prize at the 5th Ho Xuan Huong Award of the province…

Despite being a well-known figure in the research community, the people of Dien Tho commune still affectionately call researcher Dang Quang Lien by the simple name: Teacher Lien. He said: “I was born in Nho Lam village, a famous scholarly area. My paternal grandfather was a high-ranking official in Ha Tinh, my maternal grandfather was a scholar of classical Chinese studies, and my mother was also a lover of literature, so from a young age I was always immersed in books.” He is proud that his mother, though a simple country woman, knew many folk songs and ballads, so he was deeply ingrained in folk culture from a young age.

Researcher Dang Quang Lien.

His love for his national culture also blossomed over time. However, it wasn't until the late 1950s that he began to pursue research. Recalling that time, he said: "Once I was invited to train teachers in Vinh. During recess, a tall, lanky man came up and asked: 'You're from Nho Lam, surely you know how to sing folk songs? Could you please go to Mrs. Hoet Ngoc's house and write down the blacksmith's rhyme for me?'"

The man with the impressive height and the distinct Thanh Hoa accent was none other than Professor Ninh Viet Giao. To him, Mrs. Hoet Ngoc was nothing new, as she lived right in front of his house. He felt angry at himself; Professor Ninh Viet Giao, who lived far away, appreciated her songs, while he, being nearby, failed to recognize their value. From that time on, he began researching folk songs and harbored the ambition to transcribe all the folk songs still preserved in the region.

The biggest difficulty at that time was that the country was still at war, and he himself had to take on teaching duties, so he didn't have much time to collect materials. It wasn't until after peace was restored that the idea gradually began to be realized. He recounted a memory from the process of collecting materials: "Once, I was teaching in Dien Phu, and on the way back, I happened to hear about a man named Dien Hien who knew many folk songs. Without hesitation, I went to his house and sat from 11 am to 5 pm, forgetting to eat, just to listen to him sing. For any parts I didn't understand, I asked him to sing them repeatedly so I could transcribe them completely... In those days, modern means were unavailable, so all the materials were transcribed by hand or memorized in my head..."

"Hát reo" is a type of singing performed by people gathering firewood and grass in the Đại Vạc forest, primarily young men and women from Nho Lâm village. "Reo" here means to shout or cheer. In the past, when carrying firewood and grass, the villagers would sing as they went to forget their fatigue. The melody of "Hát reo" is deeply influenced by the "vè dặm" ​​and other folk songs of Nghệ An province. The only difference is that because they sing while doing strenuous labor, running and singing at the same time, each person sings only one line. They sing until they reach the village. When the last line of the song is finished, the horn is blown loudly, and the shouts and cheers create a commotion throughout the countryside.

Although "hat reo" is a unique and distinctive genre of folk music, many people in the region had forgotten about it before the research work "Hat Reo Melodies in Nho Lam" by author Dang Quang Lien was published. Perhaps because of this, after the book was published and received an award, the author himself did not consider it important.

Conversely, what he was most pleased about was reviving a folk melody, a cultural feature of the region. Looking at the nearly 200-page research work by author Dang Quang Lien, one can see that it is quite a meticulous undertaking. It contains comprehensive documentation on the origins and development of the folk singing tradition in the region. In addition, the author has published dozens of representative folk songs that he has collected over the past forty years. The songs are analyzed in detail, showcasing the unique values ​​of the melody.

Besides this significant work, few people know that teacher Dang Quang Lien was passionate about Chinese studies and had many published works, including the nearly 600-page book "Inscriptions of Nghe An Province," which he co-authored with Dao Tam Tinh and Thai Doan Chat. In addition, he also contributed to the books "Dien Chau Geography, Village Culture," "Treasury of Nghe An Folk Songs" (9 volumes), "Treasury of Nghe An Folk Tales" (4 volumes), "Nghe An Culinary Culture," "Nghe An Folk Games," etc.

At 80 years old, his passion for writing and his dedication to contributing to society help him forget about his approaching old age. More importantly, it's the quietest way for him to know that he is still useful and valuable to the world.

My Ha

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