Văn ToànRice drum and monochord create a sensation on television
In the recent program "Anh trai vượt ngàn chông gai" with the theme "Người thiếu niên thuở nào" broadcasted on VTV, the two generations of talents, including NSND Tự Long, Soobin Hoàng Sơn, and Cường Seven, had a performance of "Trống cơm" that impressed the audience.
The well-known folk song of Vietnam with a newly arranged melody combined with traditional elements such as the folk songs of the North, the sound of rice drum, and the monochord.
The performance of "Trống cơm" on the stage of "Anh trai vượt ngàn chông gai" left an impression by combining traditional cultural features with modern elements (Photo: Organizing Board).
On social media channels, the video of the "Trống cơm" performance was also widely shared and received praise from the audience.
"The performance conveys history and culture in a way that is easy to understand and imagine for young people or those who have not fully felt the history and culture of Vietnam"; "Thanks to performances like this, young people like me feel even more love for the flow of history and culture of our ancestors";
"Trống cơm deserves to be a testament to the fact that folk music can still attract young people. Even when standing next to modern rhythms and instruments, the drum still stands out and shines in this performance"; "The song 'Trống cơm' is explosive, creative, both traditional and modern, making an impression from the melody to the performance"... are some comments from the online community.
So what makes a familiar folk melody performed on a modern stage, in an entertainment show, become a sensation and a phenomenon like this?
Speaking to Dân trí reporter, cultural researcher and television director Ngô Hương Giang expressed that it has been a long time since "Trống cơm" has had the opportunity to be revived and bring a new spiritual life like on the stage of "Anh trai vượt ngàn chông gai."
The specialist believes that the "Trống cơm" performance has created a positive and viral effect in recent days. First and foremost, the innovative element of the mashup of "Trống cơm" between the new lyrics and the nostalgic part with the influences of folk songs and chants of the North was shouldered by NSND Tự Long.
Especially the rap segment by Cường Seven, the sound of the rice drum by "talented artist" Tự Long, and the sound of the monochord by Soobin Hoàng Sơn.
"All these create multi-faceted emotions of a song with deep spiritual and cultural influences of the Vietnamese region, with a tempo that is both fast and slow, both high and low-key, both climaxing and soothing like a lullaby, both strong through the rap lyrics and graceful and rustic like a folk song, chant.
This musical emotion is not something that every singer or musician can express. It is the delicate, tight, and smooth combination of the musical and lyrical joints," cultural researcher Ngô Hương Giang said.
According to the director of "Giải mã văn hóa" - a program that has aired on VTV - another factor that made the "Trống cơm" performance "explode" is the stage and choreography seems to want to push the song to its emotional peak.
The dancers are not only a description or illustration of the song but also create dynamic effects like a wave pushing the performers to the highest possible performance level.
"The viral success of the song is also because this program in general and the performance of the song 'Trống cơm' in particular are performed by famous artists.
Those famous singers/artists themselves are already a very viral 'color'. When these viral colors are combined on the same stage, it will naturally create a complete viral musical picture," he shared.
Sharing the same opinion, communication expert Nguyễn Ngọc Long said that the hot "Trống cơm" performance is also partly due to the attraction of this program to audiences of all ages. On the other hand, the performance is by artists who are currently of great interest, thus, receiving more acceptance.
"And most importantly, to create such a strong viral and positive effect of that performance is that the artists have found a way to spread national culture in the language of modernity, the language of young people.
This is very important because it opens up for us the hope and confidence that we can completely preserve the values we have, the values of our national, traditional culture, the ancient values.
And the success of 'Trống cơm' is not a matter of luck," the expert emphasized.
NSND Tự Long performing the rice drum, flag dance in the show "Anh trai vượt ngàn chông gai" episode 4 (Photo: Organizing Board).
Musician Thụy Kha - a music researcher and critic - also expressed interest in the "Trống cơm" performance of the "talented artists" in the show "Anh trai vượt ngàn chông gai."
According to him, the rice drum is a musical instrument that has been around for a long time, the name 'trống cơm' originates from the action of adjusting the pitch by rubbing glutinous rice on the two sides of the drum.
Previously, our ancestors mainly used the rice drum in the Kinh Bac region, with a cheerful tune and playful lyrics for days returning from work, festivals, and leisure.
"This folk tune has long carried deep national cultural significance, closely associated with daily life, deeply ingrained in the cultural and spiritual subconscious of the Vietnamese people for generations.
And when it resonates on a modern stage with a fresh performance style, a youthful language that does not detract from the national values and the essence of the song, its acceptance, fondness, and spread are easily understandable," musician Thụy Kha said.
When national culture "infiltrates" into the youth and entertainment shows
With the fresh fusion of "Trống cơm," director and cultural researcher Ngô Hương Giang expressed that once again the element of traditional cultural identity has been revived in modern spirit through new generations of artists blending technology with the rustic familiar folk influences.
"All of these create a multi-colored music picture, reflecting the spirit of 'adapting to change while preserving art on the foundation of past heritage.' At the same time, it conveys the message that between young artists and veteran artists, it seems that there are no barriers when faced with the values of national culture," he said.
Prior to "Trống cơm," the transformation into the master Hà Thị Cầu by Hoài Lâm in episode 11 of the "Gương mặt thân quen" program that took place 10 years ago (evening of June 7, 2014) also captivated the audience. The image of a young man with blackened teeth, wearing a quadruple ensemble, a bird-beak scarf, and playing the monochord and singing "Xẩm thập ân" once received praise from the judges.
The element from traditional culture has also become a trend that many young singers choose in their music productions. Examples include "Tứ phủ," "Bánh trôi nước," and "Để Mị nói cho mà nghe" by Hoàng Thùy Linh, Hòa Minzy with "Thị Mầu," and Chi Pu with the MV "Cung đàn vỡ đôi."
Prior to this, singer Bích Phương also dedicated herself to the project "Việt Nam - Việt Nam," consisting of a series of 3 songs with traditional music influences combined with current global music trends such as Tropical house or Future bass.
Communication expert Nguyễn Ngọc Long believes that the audience's tastes have changed and become much more sophisticated. Mr. Long further shared: "The public and viewers today always reject 'dirty culture, harmful culture,' no longer interested in dramas, tricks. That is a good thing, and that is what has influenced the way programs are produced by production units."
Musician Thụy Kha also hopes that young artists will continue to create performances that are deeply rooted in the historical and cultural heritage of the nation. "Cultural values are very important. Because if we brush it away, do not carefully preserve it, everything will be easily lost...," he said.
