The great tree of the art of singing, Hoang Trong Kha, passed away.

Music researcher Nguyen Quang Long confirmed that Meritorious Artist Hoang Trong Kha - the keeper of the quintessence of Hat Van - passed away at the age of 101 in Hanoi on February 14, the 5th day of the Lunar New Year.

Cây đại thụ của nghệ thuật hát văn Hoàng Trọng Kha qua đời

Meritorious Artist Hoang Trong Kha performing an excerpt from "Van Cong Dong". (Photo courtesy)

Artist Hoang Trong Kha is considered a giant of the art of singing, with a series of contributions to preserving this traditional form of music.

Music researcher Nguyen Quang Long shared: "In the last days of 2023, Mr. Kha's health was weak, he could no longer play the instrument, sing, and even had difficulty talking.

Yet when talking about music and singing, about his life associated with the wonderful sounds of Hat Van, he gradually became more alert and talked more. Minh (artist Trinh Ngoc Minh - one of his students - PV) "suggested" a few words and he immediately sang along, and then Minh let him sing by himself.

Nguyen Quang Long said that every time he visited Meritorious Artisan Hoang Trong Kha, he often asked about playing instruments, singing, and passing on the profession. The most recent time, he asked for more information.

"Mr. Kha said that he used to have a lot of books, and he still has them now, but many of them have disappeared. Uncle Phuc (Mr. Kha's son - PV) took out a stack of books from the cabinet, brought them out, and then chose a few to give to him. They were all books written in Han Nom. He opened each book, scanned each page, pointed at each word, read them, and then translated and explained the meaning to us.

"Those are books stained with time, some of which he collected, some of which he copied himself. The content of the books includes ancient songs and prayers," researcher Nguyen Quang Long recalled.

Meritorious Artist Hoang Trong Kha was born in 1923 in Hanoi in a family with a musical tradition. He started learning to sing at the age of 10. He once said: "My father was a singer, and I was imbued with it since I was in my mother's womb. When I grew up, he taught me Chinese characters and taught me how to play musical instruments."

The five brothers in his family participated in a series of singing competitions in the inner city, creating a big buzz, and were nicknamed the "Five Tigers" group.

Before 1946, his family had to evacuate to his hometown. He joined an evacuation cai luong troupe and stayed until 1951 before returning to Hanoi, staying at the Chuong Vang troupe. He remained with cai luong until his retirement, along with the ups and downs and changes of the times...

Cung van only remains in the memories with the sad melodies of his generation. Although interrupted for a long time, the beauty of Chau Van culture is still intact in him, with the elegant and refined spirit of the people of Trang An, the delicate and refined way of pronouncing words.

Artist Hoang Trong Kha once explained: Hat Van is a form of music born to serve the Four Palaces belief, a Mother Goddess worship belief that has long been deeply rooted in the spiritual life of Vietnamese people. Through the ups and downs of history, Hat Van has demonstrated its ability to adapt to social changes.

In March 2012, musician Hoang Trong Kha was officially awarded the title of Folk Artist by the Folk Arts Association.

In December 2022, when Hanoi City held the ceremony to award the title of People's Artisan and Meritorious Artisan in the field of Intangible Cultural Heritage for the third time - 2022 to 66 artisans at the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam, Mr. Hoang Trong Kha was the oldest artisan in Hanoi to be awarded the title of Meritorious Artisan.

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