Quan Ho on call

Traditional performances are hard to come by, but singers of centuries-old quan ho songs are more than happy to sing for fans over their cell phones.

As I spoke with quan ho singer Thanh Kim, whom I was interviewing for my research on the traditional form of antiphonal singing, she interrupted our conversation to take a phone call.

After a few polite words with the caller, Kim began singing into the receiver. It was not as though she was just reciting a few lines to make a point – she went into a full performance, giving her listener, and me, the pleasure of hearing the form sung purely and properly.

She sang Beo dat may troi (Whatever happens, I am still waiting for you), the lonesome croon of a woman singing for her lover who is far away, perhaps on the battlefield.

At the end of the song, Kim thanked the caller and hung up. She smiled.

“My fans often call to request a song,” she said almost shyly.

Kim explained that such impromptu performances were common these days, as quan ho devotees across the country had fewer and fewer opportunities to hear their favorite music live.

Though Kim is not a professional singer, she is well known by quan ho listeners in the northern province of Bac Ninh. She said she receives 4-5 calls requesting songs each day.

“I’m usually very happy to sing for anyone who likes my voice,” Kim said.

“Sometimes I get a call while I am traveling or working, but so long as I am not too busy, I will stop and sing for anyone who calls.”

Roots

Quan ho, also known as quan ho Bac Ninh, was founded in the northern province eight centuries ago. Popularly described as “folk love duets,” the songs originated in age-old village mating rituals still practiced in some Bac Ninh hamlets today.

Some 400-plus quan ho songs, all written hundreds of years ago, are still sung in Bac Ninh Province and neighboring Bac Giang Province. The cappella tunes are sung in pairs as a kind of call and response in which male singers try to woo females into marriage. The first line is always a “challenge” from the ladies, with a “response” then sung by the men.

The art form was inscribed on UNESCO’s representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on September 30 this year, thanks in part to the annual Lim Festival, held from the 12th to the 14th days of the first Lunar Calendar month each year. Though many consider the art dead or dying, devotees of the music gather in the town of Lim, birthplace of the art, every year to celebrate the music at the festival. There, groups of men and women take boats out onto the town’s lakes and sing before large audiences.

Lim performances also take place on stage, on boats cruising along local rivers and in local residents’ homes. At the festival, quan ho features its traditional backdrop - the rolling hills and paddies of the countryside - not the elaborate sets associated with other traditional Vietnamese performances. Visitors to Lim can ask for their favorite songs to be sung and can even perform together with the artists.

The movement

Kim said she often sings more than one song per call, but she is not the only one who does so.

Most singers from the Hoa Dinh Quan Ho Club in Bac Ninh’s Hoa Dinh Village get similar calls and also give spur-of-the moment live performances via phone.

The Hoa Dinh Quan Ho Club was founded in 1995 by amateur singers in Hoa Dinh who wanted to preserve and promote quan ho singing the way their ancestors had done. They know all too well that during and after the war years, the songs were neglected and the art was nearly lost. The club now has nearly 50 members, all of whom are local amateur singers. Some are young school students and others are 80-yearold grandparents.

Well-known professional singers including Thuy Cai, Thuy Huong and Quy Trang, leader of the renowned Bac Ninh Quan Ho Troupe, also said they received regular requests via phone from fans as far and wide as Canada, the US or Germany.

Hoa Dinh Club member Xuan Vinh said the most requested songs were Con duyen (Still charming), Giua toi hom ram (When the moon is full) and Dem qua nho ban (I missed you last night).

Tran Van Quyen, leader of the amateur club, said the singers provide the service free of charge and aim to keep it that way. They often pass phones around at meetings, so that listeners get the full experience of hearing the duets.

“We sing on the phone as a way to express our gratitude to those who love quan ho,” Quyen said. “We’re happy to sing for our fans and require nothing in return.”

He said anyone interested in hearing a quan ho folk song could call him at 095 329 6338 from 8-10 p.m. every evening while the group meets. He asked that callers refrain during the day as most singers were busy. Although Quyen said the artists had no problem performing for free, donations to the club are welcome.

Reported by Phong Lan