Theatre compiles anthology

The Royal Hue Traditional Arts Theatre has completed an anthology of
traditional arts, including nha nhac (court music), tuong (classical
theatre) and royal dances, plus a profile of artists.

Theatre director Truong Tuan Hai said 20 practitioners of the traditional arts lived in Hue or its surrounds.

The anthology had been compiled from staff research and field trips to
meet artists who performed for members of the Nguyen dynasty, he said.

The research took more than a year and the invaluable material
collected was compiled into a 250-page profile of the artists and a
glossary of the works they perform.

It includes 22 90-minute tapes and 45 20-minute DVDs of their performances.

The artists surveyed include Tran Kich, who served the court in the
early 20th century, and helped record 30 pieces of royal music.

Although its roots can be traced to the Ho dynasty (1400-07), court
music reached its zenith at Hue's royal court during the Nguyen
dynasty from 1802 to 1945.

Various international
organisations have supported the city in preserving royal music. The
Republic of Korea recently helped remake bronze bells and stone
instruments, crafts that are still popular today.

The set
of bronze bells and stone instruments will be finished by the end of
this year and will be used in the Xa Tac worshipping ceremony dedicating
gods of land and agriculture at the beginning of next year and at the
Nam Giao worshipping ceremony dedicating heaven during the Hue Festival
next year.

Between 2005-08, the Japan Trust Fund, through
UNESCO, gave 154,900 USD for a project to study, collect, store and
restore the court music.

This has helped the younger generation gain access to court music and introduce it to other regions and countries.

Court music was originally found in the courts of royalty and reserved
for annual ceremonies and special events such as coronations, funerals
and official receptions./.