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

According to information from music researcher Nguyen Quang Long, Meritorious Artist Hoang Trong Kha passed away in Hanoi on February 14 (the 5th day of the Lunar New Year).

Mr. Nguyen Quang Long shared: "In the last days of 2023, Mr. Kha's health was weak, he could no longer play the guitar, 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, his face brightened, he talked more, Minh (his student) sang a few words and he immediately sang along, and then Minh let him sing by himself.

The researcher also said that artist Hoang Trong Kha practiced the art of singing in the ancient style. He played the instrument very disciplinedly, strictly following the rules, according to the style of each region. He was also dedicated and strict with his students, teaching them how to sit and how to cross their legs.

Every time he visits Meritorious Artisan Hoang Trong Kha, Nguyen Quang Long often asks about playing instruments, singing, and passing on the craft. The most recent time, he asked for more information, because the artist has many books on the art of singing.

Image of Meritorious Artist Hoang Trong Kha performing an excerpt from "Van Cong Dong". (Photo: Vietnam Singing Forum).

"Mr. Kha said that he used to have a lot of books, and he still has them now, but many of them have disappeared. His son, Mr. Phuc, took out a stack of books from the cabinet, picked out a few, and gave them to him. They were all written in Chinese and Nom characters. He opened each book, scanned each page, pointed at each word, read it, and then translated and explained the meaning to us.

"These are books that have been stained by 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 shared.

Meritorious Artist Hoang Trong Kha was born in 1923 in a family with a musical tradition in Hanoi. His father was a singer, so he started studying at the age of 10 and in less than a year he was singing and playing with his father. The 5 brothers in his family then participated in a series of singing competitions, causing a big stir, and were known as the "Five Tigers" group.

In 1946, when he and his family evacuated to his hometown, Hoang Trong Kha applied to join a cai luong troupe. He returned to Hanoi in 1951 and joined the Chuong Van cai luong troupe. He remained with cai luong for a long time, and only returned to perform chau van after his retirement.

In March 2012, musician Hoang Trong Kha was awarded the title of Folk Artist by the Folk Arts Association. In December 2022, during the awarding ceremony of the titles of People's Artist and Meritorious Artist in the field of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hanoi, Mr. Hoang Trong Kha became a Meritorious Artist.

Le Chi

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