VIEN CHAU - a lifelong career in singing

On the evening of November 4, at the City Theater, the Department of Culture and Sports and the Ho Chi Minh City Theater Association organized a portrait art program of People's Artist and composer Vien Chau with the theme "Vien Chau's lifelong career as a singer".

Great cultural house of the South

The program aims to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth (October 21, 1924 - October 21, 2024) of a talented artist who both played the zither and composed; bringing together many famous artists of the reformed theater, performing his famous ancient songs and excerpts.

The author of the article and the late Professor, Dr. Tran Van Khe, the late People's Artist Vien Chau (right) in the program "Southern Melodies" in 2007 at the City Theater (HCMC). Photo: MINH CHAU

With nearly 70 years of dedication to the cai luong stage, the name of composer, People's Artist Vien Chau - also known by experts as musician of the zither Bay Ba - has won the hearts of people with more than 2,000 vọng cổ pieces and 70 famous cải lương scripts. He is also the one who gave birth to the song "Tan Co Giao Duyen" and "Vong Co Hai" - two composition trends that have been loved by the public for more than 7 decades.

His real name is Huynh Tri Ba (also known as Bay Ba), from Don Chau commune, Tra Cu district, Tra Vinh province. Music lovers often say to each other: "Uncle Bay Ba was born to make the art of Cai Luong more colorful". During his lifetime, Professor and Doctor Tran Van Khe affirmed that composer Vien Chau was a Southern cultural figure. Because through the art of Southern amateur music and Cai Luong stage, the lyrics in hundreds of vọng cổ songs, from individual songs to literary scripts, he promoted the image of the country, people, specialties, places and the hearts of the people who stick to the fields, protect the land, and build an increasingly prosperous community life.

In the art world of cải lương in the 1960s, the famous trio of musicians, including Văn Vĩ (guitar), Bảy Bá (zither), Năm Cơ (zither), were loved by audiences because their talents were demonstrated through many tapes and discs and in the traditional music orchestras of the cải lương stages in Saigon at that time. The famous music and record companies at that time planted in people's hearts many beautiful melodies, originating from ancient songs and cải lương scripts with the participation of the traditional music orchestra of the three musicians, and the sound of Viễn Châu's zither was unmistakable to anyone else.

People's Artist Ngoc Giau said: People's Artist Vien Chau was also the one who adapted the vọng cổ song from the remaining 6 sentences: sentence 1, sentence 2, sentence 5 and sentence 6 to suit the space and time in the performances. He was also the one who combined the two schools of ancient music and modern music to create the song "Tan Co Giao Duyen" which was well received by the public since 1960. He was also the one who composed the humorous vọng cổ song - using images to satirize bad habits and vices, creating simple laughter and sharing, feelings with profound educational lessons.

Late People's Artist Vien Chau and People's Artist Le Thuy

According to People's Artist Le Thuy, because People's Artist Vien Chau was born and raised in a land full of hardship and suffering, feeling and understanding the heavy life through his mother's lullabies and the melodies of the countryside, the lyrics in his vọng cổ songs and in his cải lương scripts are always soft and close to all classes of people.

“With his experience in observing, Mr. Bay Vien Chau thoroughly understands the strengths of each artist. From there, he composed vọng cổ songs that are suitable for the voice quality so that the artists can develop their unique natural breath. He assigned me the responsibility of performing the first vọng cổ giao duyên song in 1960, which was “Chang là ai?”, which he composed from the song of the same name by musician Nguyen Huu Thiet. After that, he discovered the trend of writing vọng cổ comedies, artist Văn Hường became famous from then on with the name “Tu Ech”, followed by many composers and artists who made a living with the trend of performing vọng cổ comedies” – People’s Artist Le Thuy informed.

Late People's Artist Vien Chau (left) Photo: THANH HIEP

A great personality

Composer Vien Chau has contributed to creating the names of many generations of talented artists such as: Ut Tra On, Huu Phuoc, Tan Tai, Minh Canh, Ngoc Giau, Ut Bach Lan, Le Thuy, Minh Vuong, My Chau... He also composed many humorous vọng cổ songs, helping famous artists such as: Van Huong, He Sa, Tu Rom, Kim Quang, Giang Chau...

More than 2,000 vọng cổ songs by People's Artist Viễn Châu can be divided into main thematic groups such as: Love for homeland and country - "Anh đi xa cách quê ngheo", "Que em trong nghia trong tình", "Song nước Tiền Giang"...; love between couples - "Nhịnh anh bán mật", "Lân và Điệp's love story"...; stories of distant fragrance - "Huyền Trân công Chúa", "Tân Quỳnh Crying for Friends"...; sad and happy stories on stage - "Sau vương ý nhạc", "Song âm ming tiếng đồng", "Sau bac mat nhung nghe", "Nghe sĩ với cay đàn"...; vọng cổ comedy - "Anh rui danh chiu chu", "Tu Ech đi cho Tet", "He Sa đi Tây", "Vo bạn tui gì"...

Regardless of the topic, People's Artist Vien Chau's lyrics are simple but rich in emotion, poetry and imagery, so they are easy to remember and easy to touch people's hearts, creating a widespread popularity among many different classes of people - from learned intellectuals, wealthy capitalists to cyclo drivers, construction workers, street vendors or farmers with muddy hands and feet. Over the past seven decades, from formal stages, competitions, mass art performances, amateur music festivals, and even in tea and wine parties, People's Artist Vien Chau's vọng cổ songs have been sung, lingering and captivating people's hearts.

Among his more than 70 cai luong scripts, the most famous are “The love story of Lan and Diep”, “Hoa Moc Lan”, “The love story of Han Mac Tu”, “The broken petals of the forest”, “One day being king”, “Motherhood”… People’s Artist Vien Chau was invited by the major cai luong troupes Kim Thanh – Ut Tra On (1955 – 1958), Thanh Tao (1958 – 1959), Thanh Minh – Thanh Nga (1962 – 1966), Da Ly Huong (1969), Tan Hoa Lan (1969 – 1971)… to participate as a “tuong teacher” (now called a director – PV) to directly stage new plays.

“With a delicate writing style, each sentence and lyric contains many feelings, Uncle Bay Vien Chau wrote the song “Eastern Rain and Sunshine” for me to compete in the 1964 Khoi Nguyen vọng cổ contest and won first prize” – People's Artist Minh Vuong emotionally said.

“He was a great personality, a typical composer, a talented artist, but his life was extremely simple, close, and unpretentious. He left behind a monumental career in the fields of composition, directing, performing and training, deserving to be honored as one of the “forefathers” of Southern reformed theater” – People’s Artist Ngoc Giau affirmed.

“He was a bright star in the stage sky in particular, and the Southern literature and art scene in general, throughout the second half of the 20th century. His artistic career is an achievement that all true artists must admire. It is no coincidence that the theater press before 1975 gave him the title “King of vọng cổ songs” and in 2006, the Vietnam Guinness Organization (VietKings Values ​​2005-2017) confirmed the record of composer Viễn Châu as “The person who wrote the most vọng cổ songs”. He was awarded the title of People's Artist by the State and the Third Class Labor Medal” – Meritorious Artist Ca Lê Hồng said.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/vien-chau-tron-doi-nghiep-cam-ca-196241102201838377.htm