Go to Hung Tan to listen to folk songs...

(Baonghean) - Having the opportunity to go to Hung Tan (Hung Nguyen) to listen to folk songs and Vi Dam to immerse yourself in the sad and angry songs, to blend in with the passion and enthusiasm of the barefoot artists in this countryside... The Hung Tan Folk Song and Vi Dam Club gathers 32 members, most of whom are young people, passionately devoted to having "accidentally fallen in love" with the folk songs and Vi melodies...

Meeting of the Folk Song and Vi Dam Club in Hung Tan (Hung Nguyen).

Immersing yourself in the bustling, joyful atmosphere of a cultural activity of the Hung Tan Commune Folk Song Club, you can truly feel the excitement and enthusiasm of the singing-loving farmers here. Hung Tan is one of the cradles of the district's fabric singing movement, with many famous artists of the time. Perhaps that love of literature and art is still passed on and continued to this day. That is why, on the very first day of its establishment (late 2012), the Hung Tan Commune Folk Song Club had 25 members participating, and has now attracted 7 more members. Mr. Phan Dang Minh, a cultural officer of the commune and the club's director, excitedly said: "The happiest thing is that the people's artistic spirit is very enthusiastic. Whenever we hear the loudspeaker calling for a gathering, all the members are present. There are old men and women who, although they are too weak to perform, still come to participate. Especially when preparing for the festival, young people and students all spend time participating in club activities."

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong (Hamlet 9 - Hung Tan) is a veteran member of the club; one of the main singers in the club's performances. During the activities, she is one of the people who sing samples for everyone to listen to new tunes... Having loved singing since she was a child, she learned to sing on her own through folk song and Vi Dam singing programs on Nghe An Radio. Therefore, for her, "the artistic activities in the club are a playground to help people relax after hard working hours in the fields; the village is also more united and close to each other. The most meaningful thing is that we have passed on our love of folk songs to the younger generation, so that the precious spiritual culture of the nation is preserved day by day".

The club's activities spread the love of folk songs in this rural area. Therefore, there are families with many members who join the club. Every time the club meets, Ho Thi Huong's family (Hamlet 9), including her grandfather, mother and Huong, come together to participate. Following her mother to listen to singing at the club's activity nights, she gradually became "addicted" to it. Huong learned from the older aunts and uncles in the club and from her own family members. After nearly 2 years of diligently listening to and practicing folk songs, Huong is now one of the indispensable members in the club's performances. The Hung Tan Commune Folk Song Club is mostly young people who love singing, including many young men...

Not only creating a strong development of the local art movement, Hung Tan Folk Song Club is also a bright spot in the cultural and artistic movements of Hung Nguyen district. The youth of Hung Tan Folk Song and Vi Dam Club is really effectively promoted through the festivals. To have performances to participate in folk song and Vi Dam festivals, for club members, it is a feat. Each member is assigned to undertake clear tasks to promote their inherent advantages. One of the most important roles is to collect ancient melodies and put new lyrics to the melodies, undertaken by Mr. Nguyen Trong Tam - Secretary of the Commune Youth Union. His love for folk songs was nurtured since childhood when he heard his grandmother (a famous singer of the fabric guild in Hung Tan village in the past) sing. Those ancient lyrics were meticulously copied by his father into a family notebook. Mr. Tam collected and enriched the ancient melodies from the elders in the village. “In the process of collecting and studying, folk songs have gradually “permeated” into my soul. Therefore, whenever the commune has an event or a topic that needs to be promoted, I often put new lyrics to the tunes based on the rhymes and rules of the original tunes.” And the folk songs and Vi Dam songs with new lyrics praising the changing landscape of the homeland, the movements to build new rural areas, and the fight against social evils… were born from the sincere feelings and passionate love of the people of Hung Tan.

Most of the performances at the festivals are “self-composed and self-performed” by the club members. The props for the plays are made by the members themselves. Mr. Minh, the club’s director, happily said: “The members of the local folk song club are very versatile, not only do they sing well and act well, but they also make their own props and costumes for the performances. They make use of available tools in their families or spend their own money to make up for each of their roles. For example, in the recent festival, we made all the props such as plows, hoes, knives, hammers, etc. ourselves.

Only then can we see the enthusiasm for the movement and the passionate love for folk songs of the members of the Hung Tan Commune Folk Song Club. To prepare for the Folk Song Festival, Vi, Dam Vong Cluster held in Hung Nguyen in mid-August, all members put aside all work to focus on practicing with the spirit of all for the movement. Thanks to that, for 2 consecutive years, the club has won high prizes at folk song festivals, Vi, Dam: In 2013, the performance "Phuong cay" won an A prize, a B prize for the performance "Loi xa ta". Notably, in the Folk Song Festival, Vi, Dam Cluster in August 2014, the club won 2 A prizes for the performances "Lua soviet" and "Thuyen va bien", a B prize for the performance "Tinh nguoi slui sai".

Coming to Hung Tan to listen to folk songs, I love more a peaceful countryside with hard-working farmers who love to sing, to appreciate the workers who are contributing to preserving and promoting a priceless cultural and spiritual beauty of Nghe An - folk songs, Vi and Dam, deeply rooted in people's lives.

Article and photos:Dinh Nguyet