Singing from life, the voice of people’s hearts, and the whole land is always the most precious gift. When the Don ca tai tu is played, we can understand the hearts of the people of the river region.
Don ca tai tu is Vietnam’s typical folk art form, formed and developed in the 19th century. It is the art of lute and singing. The ordinary people in the South have composed to sing and play these songs after hard-working hours. Perhaps, that’s why it carries a heavy saltiness of alluvium, the love of the Southwest people in it. The word “Tai Tu” means a talented musician who is good at music. At first, there was only the “dan” (lute), then there were more forms of “ca” (singing), so this art was called Dan Ca.
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Features of Don ca tai tu
Don ca tai tu were created based on the central and southern ceremonies, royal, and folk music. These songs are continuously adapted from 72 essential songs and especially from 20 original pieces for four tunes. Đờn ca tài tử is played on a variety of different instruments, including the moon-shaped lute, two-stringed fiddle, sixteen-stringed zither, pear-shaped lute, percussion, monochord, and bamboo flute.
People who practice Don ca tai tu include a lute teacher who has good lute technique, is fluent in ancient songs, teaches how to play musical instruments. The lyricist who has knowledge and experience, creating new songs. The singing teacher who is fluent in old songs has skillful singing techniques and teaches how to sing, chant, and recite. The lute player is the person who plays the instrument, and the singer is the one who performs the songs in words.
To create good and attractive “Don Ca” songs. It is necessary to have a smooth combination of both the Dan and Ca. When the sound of lutes and vocals echoes throughout the river, it seems to speak for the people’s hearts. There is joy, there is sadness, there is happiness, and there is separation.
The magical beauty of the amateur music
Like many other folk music genres, Don ca tai tu also originates from everyday life. Thanks to that, it causes emotions. It’s rustic and close. Now, everywhere, the people of the South are proud of the common spiritual property of the people of the river region.
Because that is the voice of their hearts, it grows, is nurtured with love, built up by generations. They say that the tunes of their homeland have flowed in their veins to become “don ca’s blood.” Listening to the singing, everyone can nod their heads to the song’s rhythm, enjoy the highs and lows, feel the lyrics.
The children of the river region have their pride in Don Ca Tai Tu. Because it is the only art form that has both the elegance and sophistication of the chamber music genre and the widest spread. And even in contemporary life, Don ca tai tu is still spread throughout rivers, on trips, in yards, in alleys, etc. Life is in rotation and change. The songs and lute sounds are still the same. The rustic and simple features of the dan and the singer’s salty and earnest voice keep echoing until today.
Enjoying the lute and singing every day
It is not difficult for people to enjoy folk tunes when coming to the SouthWest river. Coming here, walking on the street, sometimes we can still hear an old chant echoing somewhere, sitting on the river can also hear a few things that resound on Ca Tai Tu.
On moonlit nights, in the gardens, piers, and boat docks, we still come across groups of people performing folk music in the West. It is like a distinctive culture, a daily routine of people in the river region. For them, it’s a way of life. People in the Southwest, the love for this art has seeped into their blood.
Today’s young people are planted in their hearts with an undying love for Don Ca Tai Tu. They sing in the same ways that their predecessors taught. Thanks to that, we understand more about the people of the West, their hearts, joys, and sorrows.
If you once set foot in the West of the river, why not try to spend some time, immerse yourself in the melodies of Don Ca Tai Tu? You will love the country and the people of Vietnam.
