"Child artists" preserve Ca Tru

Young singers of the Democratic Ca Tru Club are enthusiastically practicing.

School-age children are the ones holding the future of a unique heritage, bringing hope and vitality to the art of Ca Tru.

Growing up with Ca Tru

Spreading a large mat in the middle of the house, Mr. Vu Cong Bao and a few members of the Democratic Ca Tru Club (Tu Ky) sat together to start a practice session. Placing the wooden clappers in front of them and sitting upright with everyone, the three girls Anh, Bang and Quyen, only 11-13 years old, clearly showed the demeanor of real singers. It is known that all three girls participated in the Ca Tru training class organized by the Provincial Cultural and Artistic Center for the past 2 years, then continued to be trained by the members of the Club to master the skills of singing Ca Tru.

Of the 20 members of the Democratic Ca Tru Club, 6 are of school age. Taking advantage of the weekends or summer vacations, the children practice with the Club. Ms. Pham Thi Thuy, a member of the Democratic Ca Tru Club, shared: “I let my two grandchildren, Vu Hai Bang (11 years old) and Vu Hai Anh (10 years old), learn the art of Ca Tru. They learn very quickly because from birth they have been “absorbed” in Ca Tru through my lullabies until they grow up and watch us perform. Therefore, after only a short time of studying, the children have grasped the knowledge quite well and can perform a few Ca Tru pieces.”

Those attending the closing ceremony of the 2020 Ca Tru training course organized by the Provincial Center for Culture and Arts could hardly forget the image of An Nguyen Thuy Tien, a girl from Thanh Mien. On stage, Thuy Tien, with her petite figure, transformed into a talented singer, confidently showing off her high-pitched voice and skillful vibrato, winning the hearts of the large audience present. Thanks to her passion and talent, Thuy Tien has twice represented her home province to perform and received first prize at the 2018 National Ca Tru Festival in Ha Tinh and the 2019 Festival of Performing Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity in Nha Trang.

Hard to learn, harder to keep

According to statistics from the Provincial Center for Culture and Arts, the province currently has about 15 children aged 8-15 who have studied Ca Tru for over 2 years, mainly female singers and have mastered the basic skills of singing Ca Tru. In the Ca Tru training class organized by the Provincial Center for Culture and Arts in 2021, students accounted for nearly half of the students participating in the course.

Ms. Doan Thi Chinh, a teacher at the Provincial Center for Culture and Arts who directly teaches Ca Tru, said that in addition to the cultural sector creating conditions to organize annual Ca Tru training classes, in some localities, singing groups and Ca Tru clubs have been established, having family members share the same passion and study Ca Tru will bring great advantages. Because after each class, when returning home, members can review their knowledge together, easily maintaining regular practice as well as creating motivation for learners.

However, after many years of teaching, Ms. Chinh as well as the staff of the Provincial Cultural and Artistic Center all have concerns. Learning Ca Tru seems easy but is very difficult. Although it is affirmed that young students love Ca Tru and also learn very quickly, it takes at least 2-3 years for them to feel Ca Tru to chant and pronounce words fluently. Training is difficult but retaining it is even more difficult. Because many young students have talent and potential, attend training classes for many years, but when they move up to higher classes, their study time is too much, they cannot continue to study Ca Tru. As in the case of young singer Nguyen Ngoc Anh (Hai Duong City), one of the singers who is considered very promising, but is currently also abandoning this subject.

Since Ca Tru was recognized by UNESCO, the province has issued an action program to preserve Ca Tru heritage for the period 2010-2020, with many measures to preserve and develop the traditional art of the nation. The action program to preserve and promote Ca Tru art has achieved many positive results. However, in order for Ca Tru art to continue to be preserved and promoted effectively, in the coming time, the cultural sector and local authorities need to pay more attention to preserving and promoting the value of this heritage, especially caring for and training the next generation of young people.

NGUYEN TRUONG