National Times - Though still far from being regarded a “reincarnation” of the “living treasure” Ha Thi Cau, yet Mai Tuyet Hoa is one of the few young artists passionate for the Xẩm singing, which is currently faced by a severe shortage of young successors.
Bound to the art
Having not been born in a family known for the Xẩm, Mai Tuyet Hoa made her first contact with the Oriental violin thanks to the encouragement of her father, who was fond of folk music. This also laid foundation for Mai Tuyet Hoa’s later successes in this challenging art.
In her early times with the Oriental violin, the 8-year-old Tuyet Hoa was rather bored and crestfallen on account of her peers’ teases. At last, she was bound to the instrument during her childhood and through her secondary and intermediate years in the Hanoi College of Culture. She got enrolled in the tertiary class of the Hanoi Institute of Music also with this instrument.
In her second university year, Tuyet Hoa started to serve as a collaborator of the Vietnam Institute of Music and specialized in recordings and notation of the Institute’s anonymous folk music. The job proved a turning point for Tuyet Hoa to touch the Xẩm singing.
Having gained access to fieldtrip documents and recording tapes of veteran Xẩm artists, Tuyet Hoa felt like getting back to old days of folk music, especially pressing and vibration techniques of the Oriental violins as blended with the artists’ voices. This helped Tuyet Hoa express feelings that could previously hardly be conjured with her mere proper techniques.
In particular, rustic and authentic lyrics of the Xẩm put her through emotional vibes of ancient people, bringing her closer to the nature and rootstocks of folk music. Taking further studies of the Xẩm singing, Tuyet Hoa also figured out that this genre was rich in humanitarian and aesthetic values that conveyed message of social morality. Its nature enticed Tuyet Hoa to the Xẩm unconsciously. Tuyet Hoa practiced the Xẩm on her own and later looked up experiences of artists Xuan Hoach and Van Ty along with the dedicating mentoring of legend Ha Thi Cau. As a result, Tuyet Hoa was bound to the singing with all her passion, despite the fact that until now the audience has still cast an ignorant sight on this genre of art.
Dreams of the revival of the Xẩm
Having expressed her affinity to the art for 20 years through thick and thin, Tuyet Hoa has never regretted her destined path. What concerns her the most is that the Xẩm is strongly exposed to obscurity in this modern society as later generations turn their back on the art. Passionate artists like Tuyet Hoa are also struggling to find out an exclusive stage for the art.
“Knowing that Xẩm singers are poor, I can no way part way with it. Xẩm singers only perform to a small deal of the audience and get known among their own colleagues. It’s fortune and maturity that help a singer rise to fame”, said Tuyet Hoa.
Dreaming of facilitating the young to gain access to traditional genres of art, she and her colleagues carried out a project called “School stages” aimed at promoting folk music, including the Xẩm in schools. This should be a chance for young students to discover the beauty of folk music in general and the Xẩm in particular. She has also nurtured her wish of a Xẩm training course at the Center of Researches on Folk Music Preservation and Promotion where she is the director.
Source: toquoc.vn
