Lookatvietnam – Music plays an essential role in a broad range of traditional ceremonies, particularly religious rituals in Vietnam, where the rich heritage of the nation’s culture is inexorably linked with faith to lend a lively air to this form of ritual music.

Lavish performances of Nha Nhac would involve numerous singers, dancers, and musicians, and include a prominent drum section, along an array of other types of percussive instruments, as well as a variety of wind and string instruments, playing melodies that are closely associated with the ritual.

The music expert pointed to “Hat chau van”, or rhythmic and trance-inducing singing, as a genre of music characterised by highly elaborate songs and exclusive instrumental accompaniment, performed mostly in mother worship (tho mau) ceremonies, which are widely practised in Vietnam’s northern regions.

Originating in the Red River delta in the 16th century, the art of “Hat chau van” has taken in the essential beauty of folk songs from the northern, central and southern regions during the course of its development.

Classified as ritual music, “Hat chau van” combines trance singing and dancing with music and poetry, set to a variety of rhythms, pauses, tempos, stresses and pitches to extol the merits of beneficent deities or deified national heroes.

The main instrument used in “Hat van” performances is the “dan nguyet” (moon-shaped lute). To create a rhythm, it is accompanied by the striking of the “phach” (a piece of wood or bamboo), “xeng” (clappers), “trong chau” (drum), and “chieng” (gong).

Another type of music that is considered to be ritual music is “Nha Nhac”, which, according to Pham Quynh Tram, a lecture from Hanoi Culture and Arts College, acts as a bridge between the royal court and the spiritual world inhabited by genies and ancestors.

Lavish performances of Nha Nhac would involve numerous singers, dancers, and musicians, and include a prominent drum section, along an array of other types of percussive instruments, as well as a variety of wind and string instruments, playing melodies that are closely associated with the ritual.

Cultural researcher Pham Cao Quy spoke of the interaction between ritual music and cultures that help to promote links between religious and non-religious people.

For musical researcher Bui Trong Hien, “the transformative power of music has been maximized to convey religious principles and teachings and embed them in the memory of the people.”

VietNamNet/VNA