Finding space for folk songs

(Baonghean) - “I invite you to visit my homeland, my village’s broom making craft is very famous… thatched brooms, giang brooms, long brooms, short brooms. Whoever has used it will… use it forever…”, those simple folk songs seem to have been closely associated with the people of the thatched broom making village in Son hamlet, Thanh Linh commune (Thanh Chuong) for generations.

People from the broom making village of Son hamlet (Thanh Linh - Thanh Chuong) recreate the space for performing Vi and Dam folk songs.

Later, the Thanh Linh broom making profession developed day by day. Along with the development of social life, the families of the craft villages now no longer produce as concentratedly as before. However, those who love the folk songs and folk songs still try to preserve their performance space. Ms. Nguyen Thi Tam - Vice Head of the Thanh Linh Commune Folk Song Club is the one who teaches folk songs to the people in the village and commune. Up to now, in Son village, many folk singers such as Mr. Hue - Party cell secretary, Ms. Ha, Ms. Duong, Ms. Tuong... always actively participate in the movement and enthusiastically practice folk songs.

Although she is over 60 years old, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tam's passion for singing vi is still strong. Born in a craft village, she understands the work as well as the characteristics of the profession. She researched the old melodies from the elders in the village and wrote new lyrics. Thanks to that, up to now, the vi songs about the broom making village are becoming more and more abundant. The folk songs vi, dam about the craft village "Thon son que minh doi moi", "Nghe broom lang toi" ... are often performed by the commune folk song club to serve the people on holidays and Tet... The space for performing folk songs associated with the craft activities has been restored, people sing and make brooms at the same time, attracting a large number of people to participate. Thereby, strengthening the village's relationship, fostering pride in the tradition of the homeland.

Leaving Thanh Linh to visit Ngoc Son carpentry village, a long-standing traditional craft village that people used to call "Nghi Loc sawyer, Ngoc Son carpenter". Existing alongside the traditional craft village are the folk songs Vi and Dam; where the people of the carpentry village open their hearts and express their feelings for their homeland and country. Originating from their daily labor activities, the folk songs Vi and Dam carry the unique features of the carpentry village. Mr. Vo Trong Thin, a villager, said: Since childhood, he has followed his grandfather and father to sing in the carpentry guilds in the village, sometimes in the communal house yard, warehouse yard, or right in his family. The carpenters both carved and enthusiastically sang Vi and Song to the beat of the chisel and chisel... "Oh... how many pillars does the four-pillar house have/How many pillars, how many trusses...". The melodies of Vi singing about that craft village are always preserved by the people of the carpentry village with their own pride. In addition to collecting ancient lyrics passed down by the village elders, Mr. Thin also searched for new lyrics for the melodies; to create "Village Songs", "Country Love"; "Worker Songs"... lyrics that are as simple and rustic as the witty conversations of carpentry workers "In... your house, what do you use to chisel/ What can you put in to prepare for storms... oh... boom" are always hummed familiarly by the people of Ngoc Son.

However, today's craft village people rarely have the opportunity to participate in folk singing exchanges right in their hometown. Because Ngoc Son carpentry village changes with the development of society; the number of people doing the craft is decreasing day by day. The melodies and performances about the craft village only take place during holidays and Tet... Mr. Nguyen Nhu Hai, Deputy Director of Thanh Chuong District Cultural Center, shared that although Thanh Chuong has many traditional craft villages, there are only three developed folk singing clubs: Thanh Linh has broom making and nhut making; Dong Van has hat making and Ngoc Son has carpentry;...

In those places, folk song groups are making efforts to restore the performance space associated with craft villages. However, folk song exchange activities in these craft villages are still sparse. Restoring the performance environment is considered an orientation to preserve and promote the value of Vi and Dam folk songs in the general development of today's society; the locality wishes to organize Vi and Dam folk song exchange activities right in the community, especially in craft villages. However, currently, there are very few folk singers in craft villages; in some craft villages, folk song clubs have not been established to promote the development of the movement; funding to organize exchange activities and develop performance repertoires right in the locality is still limited...

The old Vi and Dam folk songs and melodies were originally sung in spaces associated with craft villages, with the daily life and work of the people. Therefore, to preserve Vi and Dam folk songs, and make this type of cultural activity live in the community, it is necessary to have appropriate policies to restore craft villages and traditional occupations so that folk songs are associated with the living space and working environment of the community. At the same time, it is necessary to have policies to promote the role of artisans to maintain and build groups, teams, groups, and folk song clubs in villages and hamlets, regularly holding singing activities, associated with village cultural activities, community cultural activities so that Vi and Dam folk songs have an environment to develop on their own.

Dinh Nguyet