When talking about the Hoai Trung Quan family, it is impossible not to mention the banyan trees in the Quan ho playing profession, because they have spent nearly their entire lives preserving and breathing passion into each song. These are senior artisans such as Mr. Nguyen Thi Tu, Mr. Nguyen Thi Hap, Mr. Duong Van Quyen, Mr. Duong Van Trong or more recently, Mr. Nguyen Thi Tiep… They are famous for their discipline and understanding. about Quan ho.
And now, in the next generation, the eldest, artisan Vu Thi Luu (99 years old), cannot walk, sometimes remembering and sometimes forgetting. A little younger are the two sisters, the daughters of Mr. Nguyen Thi Tu, the older sister, artisan Duong Thi Tuong, has turned 90, and the younger sister, artisan Duong Thi Tiem, has also turned 88. All three are All were recently awarded the title of Quan Ho Folk Artist in May 2022 by the People’s Committee of Bac Ninh province. That is also the remaining class of elderly artisans of Hoai Trung village who hold the soul of Quan ho verses.
Passionate about the “ancient” quality of Quan ho
Just after eating, Mr. Tuong (Artisan Duong Thi Tuong) slowly walked towards the table where Thang and I were sitting. He is old and has difficulty walking, but he is still cheerful and loves life because compared to the old people, his back is not hunched and most importantly, he can still sing.
“If you’re old, you won’t be shackled. The shackles are very painful, it’s hard to walk,” Mr. Tuong said with a smile.
“Pour me some tea, Thang” was the first thing he said when he sat down at the table to receive guests. Then, during the visit, I also saw elegant gestures, both friendly, welcoming guests, and like family members. He sang the song: “Hoping for you is like a fish hoping for rain/Hoping for you like a hungry lunch/Hoping for you for many months/Today you have the heart to come visit again.”
Quan Ho folk artist Duong Thi Tuong (90 years old). Photo: Pham Thu
From Mr. Tiem (Artisan Duong Thi Tiem) to Mr. Tuong, I saw more and more clearly the exemplary character in every word and every politeness that went deep into the lifestyle of Quan Ho players. He smiled and said: “I am now an ancient person, hard of hearing. I have to listen carefully to hear everything anyone says. But I can still sing.”
So I was generously given a few songs by the old man: “…The cool wind spreads the sound/ Suddenly I don’t see guests from the city coming to visit/ Tomorrow when they come back, I’ll send a message to Truong Dai/ The spring branch decided to give it to the professional…” .
At the age of 90, he said that sometimes he was still out of breath, but his charisma when singing made everyone from his children, grandchildren, and Quan Ho juniors around him who listened with admiration. Mr. Thang excitedly told me that that was the quality of ancient Quan Ho. Not every ancient person can sing ancient Quan ho, but the person who can sing the ancient Quan ho quality must definitely be an ancient person. Mr. Thang compares the person who can sing that ancient Quan ho quality to an old tree, which must absorb the traces of time to have rough spots. Ancient Quan Ho also needs time for the player to “absorb” and naturally become “ancient”, naturally manifesting, but learning cannot be ancient.
The more he sang, the more he wanted to sing and the more he didn’t want us to leave. Like the longing of the Quan Ho people that he told me after each song. Those are the words of love that have not yet been fully expressed to each other before having to say goodbye to you full of longing and longing. Then, when returning to everyday life, the Quan Ho people never forget their memories of each other; and a longing for the day we meet again to continue confiding together.
His son said: “That shows how passionate you are about Quan Ho. If you sit here with me, you will be able to sit all night long.” Before saying goodbye, he did not forget to tell Thang to come and sing with him often, so that he could sing more often and also so that he could remember the Quan Ho verses.
When they arrive, their illness will be “cured”
Saying goodbye to Mr. Tuong but still having many lingering questions, Mr. Thang continued to take me to visit artisan Vu Thi Luu (99 years old), the oldest artisan in the village. Completely different from the original plans, just coming to visit and take pictures of him; Because he is nearly a hundred years old, he can only lie in bed, sometimes remembering and sometimes forgetting, so wanting to talk to him is very difficult. As soon as Mr. Thang opened the door, he tried to get up: “Is that Thang?”.
The way he stood up and recognized Mr. Thang made everyone surprised and happy. It was a coincidence, also a blessing, because he could still sit up straight and speak clearly, even though the number of stories he could remember and tell was not too many.
His descendants said, “as soon as I hear Quan Ho coming, I will be fine.” Mr. Thang is not surprised that people are passionate about Quan ho “usually”.
Quan family folk singer Vu Thi Luu (99 years old). Photo: Pham Thu.
“In the past, the children and grandchildren didn’t know, they kept saying that they were pretending, but it was the Quan Ho fire. Old man Quyen (Mr. Thang’s grandfather) was the same way, he was sick all day, but whenever the Quan family came, he died. “I’m healthy, maybe I can sit all day. But it’s not like Quan Ho comes, after a little sitting, he wants to lie down,” Mr. Thang said with a smile.
Holding the certificate awarded to him as an artist, Mr. Thang began to remind him of old stories.
When he was young, his family was poor, so Mr. Luu was not allowed to go to Quan ho. When he was about 16 years old, he worked as a maid at Mr. Duong Van Kinh’s brothel (an ancient living house) in the village. But thanks to that, he was able to listen to songs from his brothers and sisters and know them by heart. Just like that until later, while studying more and going on exchanges, he remembered hundreds of ancient Quan Ho songs.
He is the longtime singing partner of Mr. Duong Thi Tiep – the person who taught the Bac Ninh Quan Ho Troupe in 1972-1973.
“One year, participating in the Elderly People’s Singing Festival, Mr. Luu and Mr. Tiep sang the song ‘Good People’. The two men sang very well, the late musician Duc Mieng had to say that the two Mr. Hoai Trung’s singing was typical of the competition that day. today,” Mr. Thang recounted.
“When I was young, Mrs. Tiep and I went everywhere together. Now (the singing voice) is completely ruined,” said Mr. Luu, smiling.
A life of hardship takes Quan Ho verses as joy
I ended my visit to Hoai Trung Quan village at the house of Artisan Duong Thi Tiem. Mr. Tiem is still healthy, walking with some difficulty but still very alert.
Still having a cup of tea in the style of Quan Ho inviting guests. Then he hummed a few verses to start the story: “Whenever guests come to visit/I’ll light a charcoal fan to make tea/I invite you to drink/This tea is so precious/Please give me a cup for each person…”.
Every sentence, every word is round and clear. At the age of 88, time seems to have forgotten his still beautiful voice. But behind those joyful Quan Ho songs, there are hidden painful memories of life.
Born into a family with the Quan Ho tradition, whose mother was a famous artist Nguyen Thi Tu. At the age of 12, he and his sister (Mr. Tuong) were taught meticulously by their mother how to play as well as many Quan Ho sentences. Over time, she gradually became the second sister of Quan Ho, very disciplined and disciplined. Unfortunately, the years of war have prevented his generation from having the same Quan Ho activities as previous generations.
Quan Ho folk artist Duong Thi Tiem (88 years old). Photo: Pham Thu.
When she got married, her husband joined the resistance war and died in Quang Tri in 1971. She alone worked hard to raise 3 children (2 girls and 1 boy) and her husband’s younger brother. Later, her brother-in-law also joined in defending the country and also sacrificed his life. But the painful memories of his life did not stop there. 11 years ago, her only son passed away in a traffic accident.
Completely opposite to her sister who is full of grandchildren and children, gathering together happily. Mr. Tiem’s old age had to endure a lot of loneliness. She lives with her daughter-in-law, and her other children and grandchildren only have the opportunity to visit occasionally.
He reminded him of his current old age with the poem “Happiness comes from the gateway / Sadness comes from the seventh intersection, sadness comes back”.
“Going out to do activities, singing and having fun. But when I come home, I see my husband passed away and my child died… Well, I’m too blind to go out into the rain. Accept it and live happily,” Mr. Tiem choked up.
88 years of life, looking back is like a blink of an eye. Many nights lying awake, Mr. Tiem remembered old stories as if they were just recently. All his life, joy probably only revolved around Quan Ho sentences because only Quan Ho could make his life more beautiful.
“All my life is hard and poor, but when I’m happy and have all the money left over, I’m old (laughs). Now sometimes I just sit and mumble to see which lines I remember and which ones I forget. Singing Quan ho is very fun, bro.” , sometimes I just wish I was 70-75 years younger, it would be nice,” Mr. Tiem shared.