Viet Nam: Ca Tru and Quan Ho: Traditional Music

The northern Vietnamese vocal song traditions of ca trù and quanh?are the focus of this recording. Ca trù, literally translated as “song with little tokens,” is a genre of Vietnamese chamber music sung only by female vocalists with instrumental accompaniment. Ca trù singing was inscribed on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding in 2009. This 1976 recording was made in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam by noted musicologist Tr?n Van Khê. The ca trù songs, including classics in the repertoire, are sung by Quach Thi Hô, one of only a small number of ca trù singers at the time. Additional tracks are examples of quan h? songs. Quan h? is a genre that originated in Bac Ninh province (now called Ha Bac), about 30 kilometers from Hanoi. Sung by both men and women with instrumental accompaniment, the songs are passed orally from generation to generation.

Track Listing

101	Bác Phan Quach Thi Hô, Dinh Khàc Ban, Truc Hiên Nguyên Nhu Lâm	03:10
102	Two thê: Muou / Hát Noi Quach Thi Hô, Dinh Khàc Ban, Truc Hiên Nguyên Nhu Lâm	07:12
103	Ty bà hành Quach Thi Hô, Dinh Khàc Ban, Truc Hiên Nguyên Nhu Lâm	13:17
104	Goi Do (I Call the Passer-by) Hai Cai, Phuong Dua, Van Tich, Manh Thang	03:51
105	Coi-Giâu (The Tray of Betel) Ba Manh, Tu Van, Son Ma, Van Tich	01:26
106	Duong Ban Kim Loan (The Road of Friendship) Nam Dang, Sau Ha, Huynh Bat, Son Ma, Công Huynh, Van Tich	03:10
107	So Câu Nhu Y (What One Desires Has Come True) Ba Manh, Tu Van	03:07
108	Dêm Qua Nho Ban (Last Evening I Thought of My Girlfriend or Boyfriend) Ba Trong, Hai Cai, Công Huynh, Nguyen Ngoc Trac	04:40
109	Gia Ban (Farewell Song): Nguoi oi nguoi o dung vê (Friends, Stay Here, Don’t Go Home Now) Hai Lam, Ba Trong, Hai Cai, Tu Van, Phuong Dua, Nguyen Ngoc Trac, Công Huynh, Van Tich, Manh Thang, Huynh Bat, Son Ma	03:42
110	Gia Ban (Farewell Song): Ke bac nguoi nam (Some Are in the North, Some in the South) Hai Lam, Ba Trong, Hai Cai, Tu Van, Phuong Dua, Nguyen Ngoc Trac, Công Huynh, Van Tich, Manh Thang, Huynh Bat, Son Ma	03:12