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Ca trù

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Genre

Ca trù is sung poetry from the north of Vietnam. It arose at court and from the fifteenth century spread to inns, village halls and the homes of scholars. The female singer herself taps the rhythm with sticks on a bamboo board, the phách. A man accompanies her on the đàn đáy, a three-stringed long-necked lute, and a connoisseur gives his judgement on the trống chầu, a small drum. After 1945 the art almost disappeared.

Listening

Listening tip. Quách Thị Hồ, the singer who helped keep ca trù alive after 1945, sings a hát nói here with lute and drum, the most important form. Can you hear the dry taps of the phách beneath her voice? And when does the listener's drum sound?

See also

Categories: Genres