Cải Lương: A fusion of influences (2)

Emerging from a changing era, Cải lương is a creation of different influences. Let's discover how these influences unite and create such a unique part of Vietnamese culture.

Plot - how stories unfold on the stage

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In its early days, a Cải lương play generally followed the structure of Tuồng's play. Artists mainly focused on breathing new life into old tales and still walked on their familiar path when developing a new play. This is hardly surprising, for most of the Cải lương playwrights in this period were experienced Tuồng playwrights who wanted to revive and improve the art of stages.

However, as both artists and audiences began to devote more attention to social issues, Cải lương gradually incorporated elements of kịch nói - or Western dramatic style, a product of French colonization. Introduced to Vietnam in the late 19th century, this Western-style quickly gained popularity. Its ability to effectively convey social messages and promote specific ideologies makes the new Westernized style an ideal medium for Cải lương playwrights who sought to address contemporary issues and reflect societal changes. Hence, social Cải lương play, or contemporary Cải lương play, generally follows this style, while still largely representing the traditional culture.

A Cải lương performance in 1931 (Source: Wikipedia)

Cải lương themes are diverse. From Vietnamese old tales like The Tale of Kiều, Lục Vân Tiên, to foreign plays and film scripts, from the lives of historical heroes to the lives of contemporary people - those who struggled in a changing era - all can be an inspiration for Cải lương playwrights to devise a masterpiece. This somewhat represents the culture of Southern Vietnam, which is a delicate blend of influences from various parts of the world.

Music - accompanying friends of performers

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Like Tuồng, singing still plays a crucial part in Cải lương. Melodies used in Cải lương generally come from folk songs in Southern Vietnam, such as Vọng cổ (nostalgia), Tam Nam (3 Southern folk songs), etc. Later, performers started using French songs in Cải lương, mainly in social style Cải lương. In these performances, there are two types of music ensembles: the traditional Cải lương ensemble (Nhạc cổ) which plays folk melodies, and the modern ensemble (Nhạc tân) which specializes in French songs and jazz songs.

The traditional ensemble (front) and the modern ensemble (back) in a Cải lương performance

(Source: Báo người lao động)

The traditional Cải lương ensemble (Dàn Nhạc cổ) The traditional orchestra plays a key role in cải lương. This ensemble preserves the art form's traditional essence, contributing to Vietnamese music's cultural identity. It typically includes instruments such as zither, monochord, lute, two-stringed lute, bamboo flute, etc.

Although the modern ensemble (Dàn Nhạc tân) plays a secondary role, it is quite diverse in its instrumentation and has played an important role since the early stages of cải lương. Initially, it was not involved in the performances but instead used as an interlude or to fill space between scenes. The ensemble mainly featured brass instruments and a jazz drum set.

However, as cải lương incorporated new music styles, the modern ensemble began participating in the performances, primarily accompanying the singers of modern, foreign-inspired songs.

A Cải lương performance on the modern stage (Source: Đảng bộ thành phố Hồ Chí Minh)

By the late 20th century, the modern ensemble gained an equal role alongside the traditional ensemble. Musicians in the modern ensemble not only accompany singers of modern songs but also chime in the middle of a line to mark a notable scene in the play. Piano and organ also joined the modern ensemble in this period.

Today, the modern ensemble has incorporated even more contemporary instruments, particularly the electronic organ, which has become dominant on the cải lương stage. However, its overuse is criticized for distorting the traditional sound and spirit of cải lương.

The integration of traditional Vietnamese cultural elements with foreign influences, particularly Western modern culture, is a key factor in the enduring popularity of Cải lương into the 21st century. However, the rapid advancement of modern technology poses significant challenges to the survival of this traditional art form.

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