Vietnam's Don Ca Tai Tu, a traditional musical art form of the south, has officially been recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humankind by UNESCO, announced the Cultural Heritage Department (CHD) under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST) this evening.
Vietnam’s Don Ca Tai Tu, a traditional musical art form of the south, has officially been recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humankind by UNESCO, announced the Cultural Heritage Department (CHD) under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST) this evening.
 |
| A 'Don Ca Tai Tu' performance |
The decision was made at the UNESCO’s 8th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, taking place on December 2 - 7 in Baku city, Azerbaijan.
Don Ca Tai Tu, an indispensable part of the cultural heritage of Vietnam’s southerners, emerged at the end of the 19th century as a mixture of ceremonial singing, Nha Nhac (Hue royal court music) and folk music.
A Don Ca Tai Tu orchestra is often made up of a group of young people, who are friends or neighbours getting together after work to practice. Amateur singers are usually accompanied by string and percussion instruments, including dan co (two stringed fiddle), dan tranh (16 string zither) and dan bau (monochord).
The genre is improvisational with the musicians playing with basic tunes, learnt by heart, varying the ‘skeletal melody’ and rhythmic patterns of the pieces.
In 2012, the genre was recognised in the MoCST list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Artists, local authorities, cultural organisations and researchers put together the Don Ca Tai Tu dossier submitted to UNESCO in a joint effort.
According to the CHD, the art form met all the necessary criteria for the UNESCO title as it has been passed down from generation to generation throughout 21 southern provinces and is constantly recreated through cultural exchanges between a diversity of ethnic groups; promoting mutual respect and harmony.
UNESCO’s recognition of Don Ca Tai Tu will significantly contribute to promoting exchanges among communities, musicians and researchers and raising awareness of the importance of the intangible cultural heritage locally and internationally.
It is the sixth Vietnamese cultural heritage to be honoured as the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, together with the Worship of Hung Kings in Phu Tho province (2012), Giong festival of Phu Dong and Soc temples, Gia Lam district, Hanoi (2010), Quan Ho (love duet singing) in Bac Ninh province (2009),Nha Nhac (Vietnamese court music) in Hue imperial city, and the Space of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands region (2008).
(Source:Nhan Dan)
