♦ Dr. Tran Quoc Viet

thuongCa tru singing - an art form inscribed by UNESCO in 2009 as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding - is not only an ancient performing art, but also a testament to the way Hanoi has created its own identity. Historically, this was not an art form belonging to the rural spaces, nor was it a court ritual; rather, it was a distinctive product of the urban setting. The place where it flourished was the ca quan (singing houses) of Thang Long, a civic space where music, poetry, and intellectuals converged. From there, ca tru singing became a unique cultural language of Trang An (ancient Hanoi), allowing the people of Hanoi to identify themselves within the broader world (UNESCO, 2009).

Ca tru singing in ancient Hanoi (Source: Internet)

thuongThe origins of ca tru singing can be traced back to the 15th century through traces found in court literature. By the 18th century, Thang Long literati recorded scenes from the singing houses featuring sessions of ngam vinh (recitation) and doi am (competitive drinking), where scholars and connoisseurs used art as the measure of their social interaction. In the 19th century, it became a space for literary creation. Nguyen Cong Tru, Cao Ba Quat, Chu Manh Trinh, Nguyen Du, and others all left their mark in word poetry and singing verses, integrating music and lyrics into a unified form. Thus, ca tru singing did not just serve as entertainment; it was also a sphere of aesthetic discourse where the urban society generated and reaffirmed its spiritual standards.

thuongWhat is special is the mechanism of appreciation: unlike other art forms, ca tru singing does not feature applause or cheers, but rather bamboo cards. Listeners quietly place the cards on the mat, transforming the act of payment into an artistic appraisal. This very method of appreciation created a new social relationship: the artist and the public became two sides of the same creative process (Vietnamese Institute for Musicology, 2010; Norton, 2014). This is a modern aspect within traditional art, where the audience is no longer an outsider but a co-creator of the art.

thuongThe performance technique of ca tru singing further demonstrates its intellectual nature. Each sung word is handled in multiple layers, sometimes falling out of synchronization with the rhythm of the bamboo clappers, which creates a unique aesthetic space characterized by a feeling of tension and suspension. Bui (2024) points out that the technique of sustaining a word in ca tru sining is so complex that each syllable can become a world unto itself. Schultz (2022) emphasizes the elements of "holding the breath" and "releasing the breath" that create a near-meditative state, where sound dissolves into silence, leaving behind an inner resonance. This is an art form that does not cater to the masses but demands sophistication from both the singer and the listener.

thuongThe master artisans are the living memory. Quach Thi Ho with her multi-layered, resonating voice; Pho Thi Kim Duc with her persistent efforts in teaching; Nguyen Thi Chuc with her cooperation in recording hundreds of melodies; right up to the contemporary generation such as Nguyen Thuy Hoa and Bach Van - all of them form a chain of transmission, enabling ca tru singing to overcome multiple ruptures and achieve revival (Vietnamese Institute for Musicology, 2010). Each person is not only an artist but also a bearer of memory, transforming tradition into a vibrant present.

Ca tru singer Quach Thi Ho in her youth (Source: Internet)

thuongIn international comparison, ca tru singing can be placed alongside major traditions. Hughes (2008) suggests a similarity with Japanese gagaku in its scholarly nature and depth; Reynolds (2018) shows that ca tru singing shares space with the European salon, where intellectuals met and created; Hill and Bithell (2014) place it within the framework of "music revival," viewing it as a typical example of the revitalization of indigenous music in the context of globalization. These comparisons show that ca tru singing is not merely a Vietnamese specialty but also a link in the global history of intellectual aesthetics.

thuongFrom the middle of the 20th century, ca tru singing went through a crisis. War and social reform caused the singing houses to disappear, and artists retreated into their family spaces. But even in that silence, ca tru singing was maintained like an underground current. Stepping into the beginning of the 21st century, thanks to the efforts of the artisans and the researcher community, ca tru singing was revived. Hanoi has taken the lead in establishing clubs, organizing festivals, and bringing ca tru singing into heritage spaces such as Hang Buom communal house and the Temple of Literature (UNESCO, 2009; Bui, 2024). This is a rare case demonstrating that memory is not only preserved but also re-created within a new urban context.

thuongIn the present day, ca tru singing has transcended traditional boundaries. Youth groups are experimenting with bringing ca tru singing into the Old Quarter, coffee shops, or combining it with jazz and electronic music. Art schools are incorporating ca tru singing into their curricula. International researchers view ca tru singing as a model case study for understanding how intangible heritage is revitalized, redefined, and integrated. In this way, ca tru singing becomes proof that Hanoi knows how to transform the past into the soft power of the present, turning the sophistication of tradition into a hallmark of urban identity.

thuongUNESCO's theory of intangible heritage often emphasizes the characteristic of "urgent safeguarding" as a rescue effort. However, the case of ca tru singing demonstrates that preservation is not just about retention, but about expanding the space for creativity. It proves that heritage is alive when it has the capacity to transform, adapt, and forge new relationships among artists, the public, and the community. Placed within the "music revival" framework proposed by Hill and Bithell (2014), ca tru singing has not only been revived for its survival but also to become part of the global aesthetic current. This is when heritage transcends national borders to become the common substance of humanity.

thuongFrom the misty singing houses of the 18th century to the brightly lit stages of the 21st, from the simple sound of the bamboo clappers to the electronic microphone, ca tru singing continues to resonate as Hanoi's self-narrative. It proves that this city knows to preserve beauty, to consider sophistication and refinement as the measure of its culture, and to transform memory into a living practice. ca tru singing, therefore, is not merely a traditional form of music, but also the urban essence, an enduring testament to the elegant and intellectual identity of the people of Hanoi.

--------------------------------------------

References

1. Hughes, D. W. (2008). Traditional folk song in modern Japan: Sources, sentiment, and society. Folkestone, UK: Global Oriental.

2. Reynolds, C. (2018). Music and the salon in the nineteenth century. Journal of Musicology, 35(3), 215–240.

3. UNESCO. (2009). Ca trù singing, Vietnam: Inscribed in 2009 on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. Paris: UNESCO.

4. Bui Trong Hien. (2024). Ả đào: A study on history and the system of musical rules. Hanoi: Omega Plus.

5. Schultz, D. D’Aiuto. (2022). A Study of Indigenous North Vietnamese Ca Tru Music, and the Deities of the Kalachakra Mandala (Doctoral dissertation, Louisiana State University). LSU Graduate School Dissertations.

6. Norton, B. (2014). Music revival, Ca Trù ontologies, and intangible cultural heritage in Vietnam. In C. Bithell & J. Hill (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Music Revival (pp. 160-181). Oxford University Press.

7. Hill, J., & Bithell, C. (2014). An Introduction to Music Revival as Concept, Cultural Process, and Medium of Change. In C. Bithell & J. Hill (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Music Revival (pp. 3-42). Oxford University Press.

8. Bui, T. K. Phuong. (2024). Vietnam Ca Trù Singing: From Heritage Revival to Conservation and Sustainable Development of Traditional Music Heritage. Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Environment Management, 9(37).

9. Vietnamese Institute for Musicology. (2010). Monograph on Vietnamese Ca tru singing. Hanoi: Music Publishing House.