Meritorious Artisan, Tran Huu Canh
Born in 1952, Meritorious Artisan Tran Huu Canh, in Quan Nhan Street, Nhan Chinh Ward, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi, has been famous for more than 20 years with cheo, van and chau van singing.
Meritorious Artisan Tran Huu Canh knows to sing cheo at an early age and joined the local art team. Growing up, he attended the theater arts school in Hai Duong and volunteered to join the army. Going through the fierce battlefields of Quang Tri, Binh Tri Thien, Hue, and Saigon, his singing also resounded everywhere, encouraging the fighting spirit of cadres and soldiers to overcome all difficulties of the fierce battle. After the Liberation of the South, due to poor health, Mr. Canh was restored to his hometown, Hai Duong, to make a living. His van and chau van songs in the old days were drowned in the worry of food, rice, and money. In 1999, Mr. Canh went to Hanoi. New environment, new friends, worries about food and money could not overwhelm his passion for singing and adoration. Although being late, Mr. Canh was fortunate to directly learn from artisans and artists such as Kim Sinh, Ngo Van Dam, and Tao Mat (cheo playwright). He also studied with Mr. Thanh, who taught the Nguyet lute at the Club of Vietnamese folk songs performance, Radio The Voice of Vietnam.
As a thanh dong, he incarnated very skillfully, matching the style of each character in the plays. Acting majestically but luxuriously when performing Cung van, he skillfully applied appropriate instruments and rhythms such as: Thỉnh, phú, dọc, cờn, xá thượng, bài sai, xá bắc, nhịp một... to suit the roles of kings, queens, cô, cậu, etc.
Meritorious Artisan Tran Huu Canh and co-worker practice at home
Not only performing van and chau van singing, Meritorious Artisan Tran Huu Canh also participates in teaching this traditional art. Up to now, the Meritorious Artisan Tran Huu Canh has successfully taught dozens of students, including 1 student who was awarded the title of Meritorious Artisan this time. He also taught 5 classes of Cheo singing, Van singing and Chau Van in the North and the South. His students still remember the image of a funny, enthusiastic teacher with skillful lessons such as singing the plays named Cô Đôi Thượng Ngàn, Cô Bơ, Ông Hoàng Bẩy, Hoàng Mười, Cậu Hoàng Bơ, etc., and other cheo and van songs such as: Tình Xuân xin gửi nơi quê, Xuân về trên đất Thăng Long, Chân quê, Ngồi buồn nhớ mẹ ta xưa, etc.
Due to the characteristics of folk music, van & chau van singing are oral traditions, so when composing lesson plans, the Meritorious Artisan Tran Huu Canh is very careful in teaching students to understand, especially the technique of internal and external beats, the structure of the melodies must reveal the character’s style and personality… For example, plays named Chau De Nhi, or Co Bo. Especially, it is necessary to distinguish for learners the difference between the timbre of van & chau van singing and that of Cheo, Quan ho singing, etc.
For more than 20 years of training, learning and practice, for the Meritorious Artisan Tran Huu Canh, van & chau van singing or teaching are all his joys.
He is also very happy that the practice of the Vietnamese belief in Mother Goddesses Worship has become the representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2016. From here, thanh dong like him loves and lives fully with traditional singing and adoration of the nation.
The Meritorious Artisan Tran Huu Canh’s passion for van & chau van singing has helped him achieve many successes: In 2004, he won the First Prize in Cheo singing of the Club of Vietnamese folk songs performance, Radio The Voice of Vietnam. In 2010, he represented Hanoi UNESCO Club to attend and win a Silver Medal with the performance of Chau De Nhi at the Van and Chau Van Singing Festival organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. He also received many Certificates of Merit for his contributions to this folk art, such as: Certificate of Merit issued by the Central Executive Committee of the Vietnam Association of Psychological Science – Education, Medal for the Cause of Vietnam’s National Music of the Vietnam Music Arts Development Center.
Currently, the Meritorious Artisan Tran Huu Canh is the Head of the Three Regions Folk Art Team under the Center for Vietnamese Poetry and the Head of the Department of Popular Arts – Vietnam Music Arts Development Center. In 2021, he was proposed to be considered for the title of People’s Artisan.
Thanh Quy