Introduction
Vietnamese music has had a rather long history. Since ancient times, the Vietnamese have had a strong inclination for music.
For the Vietnamese, music is considered to be an essential need;
therefore, numerous musical instruments and genres intended for
various purposes have been developed. Vietnamese people use music to
express their innermost feelings, to encourage themselves while
working and fighting, to educate their children in good traditions
and national sentiment, to communicate with the invisible, and to
sublimate their aspirations for a happy life.
The simple and primitive instruments, as well as the more
sophisticated ones, have been preserved to form a rich musical
treasure. Numerous forms of songs and music have also been created
and retained. They include lullabies, children’s songs, ritual
songs, festivity songs, various work songs, courtship songs, riddle
songs, melodies, and poem narration. There are also songs and music
for groups, as well as for traditional theatre.
Vietnamese traditional music is diverse due to the various genres
that took shape during different periods of history. Songs of the
same genre often differ very much in melody and expression from
ethnicity to ethnicity. As a result, lullabies, for example, of the
Kinh differ from those of the Muong.
Traditional music has played an important role in the lives of the
Vietnamese. Currently, music still occupies a considerable position
in the spiritual lives of the Vietnamese. Some genres of music still
exist in rural areas, while others were brought to the stage to meet
the demands of the population.
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Source: VNAT |
