Heart with folk songs of my hometown
(Baonghean.vn) - Knowing him since he was a child when he was a boy who sang folk songs very well at Truong Thi Secondary School, I thought that Ngan would later follow the path of professional theater. But no, he chose for himself a difficult path but full of sweet dedication.
Yet I was surprised when I met him again later, Nguyen Thanh Ngan was a cultural officer in the Vi Giam countryside of Hung Nguyen. He said that was his wish, because in this role he could both sing and spread Vi Giam in a way that he considered sustainable.
Devoted to folk songs in the community
Watching Nguyen Thanh Ngan, an officer of the Hung Nguyen District Cultural Center, demonstrate folk songs to the Song Lam Folk Song Club, which he founded two years ago, one can see the knowledge and perfectionism of this cultural officer. From the tunes to the folk songs, he names them all with the understanding of someone who has spent many years researching and knowing folk songs by heart. The members are either excellent artists or folk artists, but there are also those who are just passionate about folk songs and join the club with the wish to sing and immerse themselves in this environment.
The Song Lam Folk Song Club now has 50 members from all over the province. They have rehearsed many programs and performed in many places with the desire to spread their hometown's folk songs to all classes of people. For them, singing and performing folk songs together is a joy and a reason to live. Nguyen Thanh Ngan is the one who understands those thoughts and wishes. He researches day and night how to organize the club's activities and connects with organizations, individuals, and tourist destinations so that they can have a place to satisfy their passion.
Mr. Ngan said: “If we want to preserve and promote Vi and Giam folk songs, we need to return them to the people. At the same time, folk singers must have many performance spaces suitable to the new era to be sustainable. That is also the reason why I gathered and called on brothers and sisters who are passionate about folk songs to establish the Song Lam Folk Song Club.”
In addition to the journey of lighting the fire and transmitting folk songs to many classes of people through the activities of the Song Lam Folk Song Club, Nguyen Thanh Ngan is also known as the person who discovered, guided and nurtured artisans in all the villages. For him, to preserve and promote folk songs in the digital age, the most important thing is still a team that can light the fire to the younger generation. Therefore, the person who holds the heritage must be truly passionate about passing it on, and must also have practical organizational skills. So the journey of searching, building and nurturing was diligently cultivated by him and the district's cultural officers.
The artists they have built up are Artist Thu Huong - the best folk singer in Hung Tan commune. She was once invited by Musician Le Minh Son to participate in a country music project when she performed in Nghe An. Artist Thu Huong has a sweet and deep folk voice, and a rich folk song repertoire, but in order for her to promote her role in spreading folk songs in her community, she needs clear guidance from the center's staff.
Or like Mr. Phan Nguyen Khoa - Folk Song Club of Hung Nguyen town, is also an artist who was established and guided by the center's staff and Nguyen Thanh Ngan from the early days of operation.
“With Mr. Khoa and Ms. Huong, we are very inspired in “holding hands and showing them how to do things”, because they have a boundless love for folk songs. The important thing is to guide them on how to operate in the right role, and spread love and enthusiasm to the community, new folk song nuclei in the commune, in the neighborhood…”.
Or the establishment and guidance of the activities of the communal folk song clubs in Hung Nguyen District, Nguyen Thanh Ngan has had approaches to help the clubs operate properly, accurately and create inspiration for the members. Each club meeting must have a clear topic, such as: What songs to practice, what tunes to master.
“Sometimes it's just a snippet, but this folk song is difficult, so many people can't sing it well, so we always have to guide them to know how to sing it most correctly, in accordance with the original version,” said Mr. Ngan.
According to him, for a long-standing communal folk song club to survive, the most important thing is the close supervision of the cultural staff of the center and the enthusiasm of the members themselves. Therefore, more than 20 communal folk song clubs in Hung Nguyen are still operating quite regularly. The club members all have great enthusiasm and passion for the Vi and Giam melodies of their homeland.
To promote the heritage and preserve it firmly, Thanh Ngan always finds a new direction for Nghe folk songs in Hung Nguyen district. He proposed to the center to connect with the heritage regions, in order to pass on to them the good and beautiful things of Nghe folk songs. At the same time, through that, those who practice Nghe Tinh folk songs heritage are also imbued with the quintessence of the heritage regions. He has connected with Bac Ninh Quan Ho folk song clubs, with Bai Choi folk songs, and Don ca tai tu. Since then, exchanges between heritage regions have taken place quite regularly over the years.
A district-level cultural center official, in addition to providing professional training for officials working in culture, sports, and broadcasting at the commune level, must also organize and provide services and movements to meet the needs of cultural, artistic, physical education, and sports activities; the need to receive information, improve people's knowledge, and the need for creativity and cultural enjoyment of the people in the district. Therefore, officials like Mr. Ngan are named by the people as "people with hundreds of shoulders on two shoulders".
“We can climb electric poles to hang flags, banners, posters, and guide the organization of district and commune-level art programs, but at the same time we can perform on stage like actors,” Mr. Ngan confided.
Loving folk songs means living with them everywhere, every time.
Born in Vinh city, where young people have early access to many forms of entertainment, however, since his childhood, Thanh Ngan was known by his friends and teachers as a passionate and enthusiastic folk singer. He sang anytime, anywhere, and memorized difficult melodies and difficult lyrics after just a few times of listening. Therefore, after graduating from high school, he chose to take the entrance exam to the College of Culture and Arts, and his family was very supportive.
“However, instead of pursuing a professional career, I chose to pursue community activities. This also surprised those who knew and loved me since childhood. Choosing the path to be close to the people and to guide them in folk music activities is my greatest wish,” Thanh Ngan said.
The passion to sing soulful, nostalgic melodies is Thanh Ngan's lifelong desire. Therefore, during his time working at the Hung Nguyen District Cultural Center, whenever there was a mass art festival, Ngan was always trusted and selected by the center, not only because of his ability but also because of his love and responsibility for his hometown stage.
Thanh Ngan has won many achievements during her amateur career: Silver Medal in the National "New Rural Cultural Life" Competition in 2013; Gold Medal in the North Central Region Mass Arts Festival in 2017; Gold Prize in the program "Songs connecting the rivers" in 2017; A Prize in the 3-region Folk Song and Forum Festival in 2018; ...
These days, he is participating in a national mobile propaganda contest. He said that wherever Nghe An propagandists go, they are warmly welcomed, and friends from the northern provinces wait to enjoy the simple and affectionate folk songs of Nghe An. For them, that is the greatest reward and happiness.
