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| Sweet music: Troupes from 21 provinces in the south-east and the Mekong Delta perform at the opening ceremony of the second National Tai Tu Music Festival in Binh Duong Province last year. File Photo by Trieu Pham |
Viet Nam News
BINH DUONG – Binh Duong Province has earmarked VND9.7 billion (US$426,000) for a project to preserve and promote tai tu music and singing.
Under the two year project, half of the province’s 72 southern tai tu art troupes will receive support.
They will be provided with musical instruments and equipment for performances. The province will also help them organise shows and free classes at district cultural centres.
Performers and researchers making great contributions to preserving and promoting the music will be honoured.
Binh Duong ’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has instructed relevant district-level agencies to ensure the project runs efficiently.
The province had hosted the second National Tai Tu Music Festival at Binh Duong New City almost a year ago.
The five-day festival attracted arts troupes from 21 southern provinces.
The performers then toured the province putting up free tai tu music performances.
Tai tu is the prototype for the vong co (nostalgic tunes) and cai luong (reformed opera) genres of southern Viet Nam, and began around 100 years ago.
It is always performed at traditional festivals, weddings and death anniversaries in the Mekong Delta provinces of Can Tho, Soc Trang, Ca Mau, and Bac Lieu.
Artists play traditional instruments like a two-stringed guitar called the dan kim, and are accompanied by singers who express various emotions.
In 2013 the music was recognised as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by the UN cultural agency UNESCO. -- VNS
OVietnam