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| Artists singing Ca Hue. Photo: DANG TUYEN |
Ca Hue Club operates in earnest and free for the community on every Tuesday. Besides regular performances, the club especially gives theme shows on the occasion of important national holidays, Buddha’s Birthday, Christmas, New Year’s Days, Ung Binh’s Death Anniversary, Women’s Day, etc.
The respectable chairman of the club, Vo Que, has enthusiastically collected songs with lyrics written by women. He has always encouraged writing new lyrics for ancient songs. As a result, there is now a generation of young people who continue to diversify Ca Hue, making it suit the contemporary life.
The fact that today’s women write new lyrics for Ca Hue is good for this traditional art form, creating new hopes. It is needed to recognize the great contribution from the members of the club.
Not just performing the artists of the club have made lots of effort for the art of their homeland. They overcome their hardships of life to compose lyrics in the hope that they can contribute their part for the spread of Ca Hue.
In 2021, Thua Thien Hue Culture and Sports Bureau organized a competition about writing new lyrics for ancient Ca Hue songs. Many members of the club took part in the competition and won some prizes. That was their joy and pride. They hope activities like that will be organized more regularly in order to promptly encourage composers in general and women in particular.
In addition to original songs by composers of the past, those old songs with new lyrics reflect a contemporary Hue. The composer’s work needs to be recognized and encouraged by the cultural and art authorities so that this significant movement can spread.
People got so sentimental to watch the recent performance celebrating the International Women’s Day. The artists came together singing the songs of Ca Hue with new lyrics composed by themselves.
Not only did artists sing their own songs, they also sang each other’s. Kim Quy sang songs by Quynh Nga; Excellent Artist Quynh Hoa sang songs by Hoang Xuan Thao, etc., which showed their spirit of solidarity and affection.
Since its appearance now with the criterion of performing for free at the auditorium at 25 Le Loi St., all the members of the club have come together with their love for art and Ca Hue. Now and then the club receives financial support from some sponsors and those who love Ca Hue songs. The artists then have some money as fees for makeup and transportation.
There was time when funds exhausted. But the artists always encouraged one another to come together with all their hearts despite rain or shine every Tuesday night, and the hall was then filled with sounds of mono cord, erhu, moon lute, zither, etc. Everyone in decent traditional ao dai worked wholeheartedly with a leisurely manner for a pure and healthy art.
The enthusiastic chairman of the club Vo Que had before collected songs composed by women. At 76 he is still devoted to Ca Hue. More than once, he collected songs and had them published with his pocket money as a gift for the club members and those who love Ca Hue.
Such melodies as Co Ban, Phu Luc, Long Diep, Tuong Tu Khuc, Hanh Van, Pham Tiet, Nam Binh, etc., express women’s voice from inside. They depict gentle thoughts and feelings of Vietnamese women in general and Hue women in particular, including their love for their motherland, their parents, and their lovers.
“Holding the booklet in hand comprising some songs with new lyrics written by me, not only I but also all the members of the club are moved. The book is like a gift showing people’s interest and encouragement for us so that female composers have motivation to cultivate their knowledge and experience for composing lyrics in addition to performing.
