A performance featuring xam, the music of blind street performers, alongwith contemporary music genres, took place at the Hanoi Opera House onJanuary 20.
Entitled Xam and Life, the show aimed to revive xam, atype of Hanoi street singing from the old days. It told stories of thelife of the xam – its ups and downs, and how xam reflect on their lives,according to musician Nguyen Quang Long.
"I and other artists ofthe Xam Ha Thanh Group always thought about promoting this type ofsinging to the public, to save it from being erased from our culture,"Long said. "After many years working with tenacious effort, we haverevived some xam songs and created some new tunes to share."
Duringthe first part of the concert, the artists presented classic xam songsthat had been popular in northern Vietnam in the early 20th century,said Hoang Chuong, Director of the Centre for Research, Preservation andPromotion of Vietnamese Traditional Culture. Chuong is also generaldirector of the performance programme.
For nearly a century,starting in 1900, tau dien (tram) roamed the streets of Hanoi filledwith live entertainment. Xam tau dien singers – mostly travelling, blindartists accompanied by dan nhi (two-string violins) or dan bau(monochords) – would charm commuters on a daily basis.
Apart fromxam tau dien, the wandering artists also produced xam cho (marketperformances). They sang humorous songs that advertised products theywere selling, such as toothpicks, balm and herbal medicines.
Throughthe songs' content and their choreography, xam artists told storiesabout their tragic lives, or the misery of the poor, and evoked sympathyfrom their audience.
When the streetcar lines were abandoned in the late 1980s, this type of street singing fell into obscurity.
Inthe second part of the show, the artists introduced contemporaryxam-inspired songs, composed based on old rhythms used on the street.
"Contemporaryxam singing helps enrich the collection of xam songs and make xam moreaccessible to the audience," Long said. "Xam isn't only a music of the20th century – it can reflect all of society's problems."
It was asurprise for audience at the final chapter of the show, where theartists daringly combined xam tunes with jazz, hip-hop and beatbox.
Endingthe programme, the organiser awarded scholarships to some young artistswho have shown passion for learning about, preserving and promoting xamsinging.-VNA
Entitled Xam and Life, the show aimed to revive xam, atype of Hanoi street singing from the old days. It told stories of thelife of the xam – its ups and downs, and how xam reflect on their lives,according to musician Nguyen Quang Long.
"I and other artists ofthe Xam Ha Thanh Group always thought about promoting this type ofsinging to the public, to save it from being erased from our culture,"Long said. "After many years working with tenacious effort, we haverevived some xam songs and created some new tunes to share."
Duringthe first part of the concert, the artists presented classic xam songsthat had been popular in northern Vietnam in the early 20th century,said Hoang Chuong, Director of the Centre for Research, Preservation andPromotion of Vietnamese Traditional Culture. Chuong is also generaldirector of the performance programme.
For nearly a century,starting in 1900, tau dien (tram) roamed the streets of Hanoi filledwith live entertainment. Xam tau dien singers – mostly travelling, blindartists accompanied by dan nhi (two-string violins) or dan bau(monochords) – would charm commuters on a daily basis.
Apart fromxam tau dien, the wandering artists also produced xam cho (marketperformances). They sang humorous songs that advertised products theywere selling, such as toothpicks, balm and herbal medicines.
Throughthe songs' content and their choreography, xam artists told storiesabout their tragic lives, or the misery of the poor, and evoked sympathyfrom their audience.
When the streetcar lines were abandoned in the late 1980s, this type of street singing fell into obscurity.
Inthe second part of the show, the artists introduced contemporaryxam-inspired songs, composed based on old rhythms used on the street.
"Contemporaryxam singing helps enrich the collection of xam songs and make xam moreaccessible to the audience," Long said. "Xam isn't only a music of the20th century – it can reflect all of society's problems."
It was asurprise for audience at the final chapter of the show, where theartists daringly combined xam tunes with jazz, hip-hop and beatbox.
Endingthe programme, the organiser awarded scholarships to some young artistswho have shown passion for learning about, preserving and promoting xamsinging.-VNA
