Veteran Huế singer passes away

THUA THIEN-HUE — Minh Man, a prominent artist of ca Hue singing, passed away at her home in Hue City on Tuesday evening, aged 93.

Nguyen Van Loi, a loyal fan of this style of traditional music, was saddened that audiences will no longer have the chance to listen to the best vocalist of the singing form.

Poet Vo Que, who chairs a club for ca Hue in the city, said Man’s passing was a loss to the art form.

Man, whose real name is Nguyen Thi Man, was born in an outlying village in Phong Dien District before she became a vendor as a teenager. When she was 15, Man got the chance to sing ca Hue thanks to her sense of rhythm and excellent vocals.

She rose to fame two years later as one of the best vocalists of the singing style. Working with the art form for 70 years, Man performed as well as conducted training and made adjustments for studies and documentaries on ca Hue.

The singing community considered Man a “live treasure”.

She was awarded the title of outstanding artist by the State President in 2016.

Ca Hue is a variation of Hue royal court music and is considered a type of chamber music that originated from performances in the royal and mandarin houses during the imperial era. The lyrics are sometimes similar to Hue folk songs.

The art form is said to bear similar significance to Vietnamese traditional music such as don ca tai tu (Southern folk music) and ca tru (ceremonial singing performed in the north). The music performances are done on traditional Vietnamese musical instruments, when the musicians and vocalists all wear the national dress, ao dai. — VNS