Scientific documents on Viet Nam’s traditional spiritual singing (chau van) are being completed for a dossier to seek UNESCO’s recognition of the singing art as an intangible culture heritage of humanity.
Scientific documents on Viet Nam’s traditional spiritual singing (chau van) are being completed for a dossier to seek UNESCO’s recognition of the singing art as an intangible culture heritage of humanity.
A national spiritual singing festival freshly concluded in central Thanh Hoa Province looked at 16 performances by artists from 11 cities and provinces popular with the genre, including Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Thanh Hoa, Dong Nai, Ha Noi and Binh Phuoc.
Chau Van was created during the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400) and northern Nam Dinh province is considered its birthplace.
Spiritual singing is a highly rhythmic and trance-oriented form of singing, often accompanied by a medium during rituals to honor the Mother Goddesses and connect to other gods.
The music and poetry performed in the folk art are mingled with a variety of rhythms, pauses, tempos, stresses and pitches. The genre has also adopted folk songs from the uplands and highlands of the North, Centre and South. The main musical instrument used in the genre is Dan Nguyet or moon-shaped lute. It is performed mainly at temples and pagodas.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has recognized spiritual singing as a national intangible cultural heritage.
(Source: Gov)
