The province now has 10 Ca Tru troupes with 138 artists. Of them, the Ca Tru troupe of Dong Duong village, Quang Phuong commune, Quang Trach district, and the troupe in Chau Hoa commune, Tuyen Hoa district, is holding classes for over 50 people, aged between 10-20.

Since Ca Tru was recognised as a cultural heritage in need of urgent protection by the United Nation’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in Oct. 1, 2009, Ca Tru troupes in Quang Binh have held over 30 free-of-charge performances to the public in order to raise people’s awareness on preservation of the singing.

‘Ca Tru’, also known as “hat a dao” or “hat noi” (ceremonial singing) which dates back to the 15th century, has also been listed among intangible global cultural heritage traditions in danger of disappearing.

Ca Tru, like many old and highly developed arts, has many forms. However, the most widely known and widely performed type of ca tru involves only three performers: the female vocalist, a lute player and a spectator (who also takes part in the performance).

The female singer provides the vocals whilst playing her “phach” (small wooden sticks beaten on a small bamboo box to serve as percussion). She is accompanied by a man who plays the “dan day”, a long-necked, three-string lute used almost exclusively for the “ca tru” genre. Last is the spectator (often a scholar or connoiseur of the art) who strikes a “trong chau” (praise drum) in praise (or disapproval) of the singer’s performance, usually with every passage of the song. The way in which he strikes the drum provides commentary on the performance, but he always does it according to the beat provided by the vocalist’s “phach” percussion./.

Source: VietnamPlus