20-year journey of world cultural heritage of Hue royal court music

After more than 1,000 years of development, Hue Royal Court Music has become a symbol of eternal cultural heritage not only of the Vietnamese people, but also of all mankind.

Recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage in 2003, Hue Royal Court Music has become a living testament to the beauty of traditional Vietnamese culture. (Source: MIA.vn)

The soul of national culture

Hue royal court music appeared in the early years of the Ly dynasty (1010-1225) and was used in ceremonies such as Dai Trieu, Thuong Trieu, Te Giao, Te Mieu... However, it was not until the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945) that this type of music really developed brilliantly, especially from the first half of the 19th century.

At this time, when he had just established his career in the South, King Gia Long's court soon knew how to use art to care for spiritual life. This was also the time when the name Nha Nhac was associated with the Hue royal court and developed according to the correct standards of the monarchy.

The reason why Nha Nhac is considered a symbol of the prosperity of feudal dynasties is because the lyrics, elegant singing and noble performance form converged and depicted the solemnity of the ceremony, as well as the majesty of the court aristocracy.

After the last feudal dynasty of our country officially ended in 1945, Hue Royal Court Music was in danger of fading away and being lost. However, our people, together with the international community, have made constant efforts to preserve the cultural beauty of Hue.

Through that, despite the ups and downs of the years, Hue Royal Court Music is still there, still intact with all its uniqueness, elegance and style as in the first days.

International reach

On November 7, 2003, UNESCO officially honored Hue Royal Court Music as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, which is also the first intangible heritage of Vietnam to be recognized by the world.

Unlike Ca Tru, which originated from the folk and then entered the royal court, Nha Nhac has a process of formation and spread in the opposite direction and is evaluated by UNESCO as the only music genre that has reached national stature among traditional music genres. This is not only a great honor for the Vietnamese people, but also opens up bright prospects for the tourism sector of the ancient city of Hue.

Not only gaining recognition from international organizations, Nha Nhac is also introduced to the public in many countries during tours by Vietnamese artists, thereby arousing the world's interest in the cultural beauty of our country's heritage.

In 1995, musician Ton That Tiet led the Phu Xuan Club and the Hanoi Ca Tru group to perform for the first time in France and Switzerland at the invitation of the French House of World Culture. In 2004, at the invitation of UNESCO, the Nha Nhac artists began a 2-week tour in the cities of Montreuil, Arras, Lyon, Marseille (France), Munich, Aachen (Germany) and Brussels (Belgium).

The troupe also performed at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. On this occasion, UNESCO awarded the Vietnamese representative a certificate recognizing Nha Nhac as an intangible cultural heritage of the world.

In addition, Nha Nhac is also an important bridge of cultural diplomacy, integrated into the framework of high-level delegation exchanges between countries. In particular, Nha Nhac has had the honor of performing twice for the Japanese King.

The first performance took place in 2007, accompanying the delegation of President Nguyen Minh Triet to Japan, the Hue Royal Traditional Arts Theatre was invited to the Japanese Imperial Palace to perform for Emperor Akihito. After the performance, the Emperor personally shook hands with each musician and expressed his thanks.

In 2017, during the state visit to Vietnam of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, the Japanese Emperor visited the ancient capital of Hue and enjoyed Royal Court Music for the second time.

During their visit to Vietnam in 2017, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited the Imperial City of Hue and enjoyed Royal Court Music for the second time. (Source: Tuoi Tre Newspaper)

Memorable milestones

2023 marks the 20th anniversary of Hue Royal Court Music being recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Therefore, Thua Thien Hue organized the Hue Festival which took place for 3 days (from June 16-18). Also on this occasion, the province launched the Hue Heritage Conservation Fund to preserve and promote Hue heritage and culture according to the general direction of the Party and State.

According to People's Artist Bach Hac, Director of the Hue Royal Traditional Arts Theatre, over the past time, the theatre has attached great importance to research and preserving the data system on Nha Nhac and other royal arts so that future generations do not have to go to great lengths to find them.

Classical repertoires, which are symbols of Nha Nhac, are always preserved in their original form by the theater, such as Tam Luan Cuu Chuyen, 10 Ban Ngu, Phu Luc Dich, Nam Ai Nam Bang . Nha Nhac is also the soul to attract tourists to visit and learn about Hue culture.

Discussing the orientation to preserve and promote the beauty of Nha Nhac in the coming time, Mr. Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Thua Thien Hue province, emphasized that we not only need to pay attention to investing in the performance environment, but also need to pay attention to training, in order to create a team of successors and improve the qualifications of Nha Nhac artisans and artists so that they can reach the level that our ancestors had.

Ministries and sectors need to have mechanisms and policies to nurture talents, enhance international exchanges and cooperation to bring Nha Nhac to the world, and have the opportunity to perform in many countries.

It can be said that the 20-year journey of Nha Nhac as a world heritage is truly a source of great pride for the people of Thua Thien Hue, the people of the whole country and our overseas Vietnamese, a vivid demonstration affirming the correct policy of our Party: Culture is the spiritual foundation of society, both a goal and an endogenous strength, an important driving force for the rapid and sustainable development of the country.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/hanh-trinh-20-nam-di-san-van-hoa-the-gioi-cua-nha-nhac-cung-dinh-hue-251631.html