Xoan singing
Genre of Vietnamese folk music
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Xoan singing or hát xoan (Vietnamese for 'spring singing', Chữ Nôm: 咭春) is a genre of Vietnamese folk music performed in spring during the first two months of the Tết Nguyên Đán in Phú Thọ Province.[1] The genre includes acting, ceremony, chant, dancing, drumming, and singing; with themes involve romance, riddles, and work.[1] Traditionally occurring in temples, shrines, and communal homes, the songs are performed by a guild, led by a trùm, consisting of male instrumentalists, or kép, and female singers, or đào.[2] A guild consists of ten to fifteen performers,[1] but there are few remaining, increasingly aging, guilds and teachers of this primarily oral tradition.[2]
| Xoan singing | |
|---|---|
Xoan singing performance in đình | |
| Native name | Hát xoan |
| Stylistic origins | Folk music |
| Cultural origins | Phú Thọ Province |
| Xoan singing of Phú Thọ Province, Viet Nam | |
|---|---|
| Country | Vietnam |
| Reference | 01260 |
| Region | Asia and the Pacific |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 2017 (12th session) |
| List | Representative |
There are three types of xoan singing: honoring Hùng kings and Thành hoàng (village guardian gods); wishing for good crops, health, and luck; and festive courtship songs alternating male and female voices.[2] The texture is "spare"; perfect fourths are prominent; and instruments include drums and clappers.[2]
Hát is singing or acting and xoan derives from xuân ('spring').[1] In 2011, UNESCO inscribed Hát xoan in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.[2] In 2017, UNESCO removed xoan from that list and included it in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.[3]
