From the past till now…

Characteristics.

Unlike the simple lullabies, which were inspired by daily works, quan howas always searching for new content and new reforms. Virtually, allsongs heard in festivals express personal subject like addressing thebeautiful nature and the satisfaction after harvesting crops together.Love in quan ho is not sad and pessimistic as it is inlullabies (ru) or in calls (hò). On the contrary, the tune of this typeis rich in tunes and rhythms because it received all the influences oflullabies, poem recitation, etc.

There are four major airs in quan ho singing:

• Giọng sổng (transistor air)
• Giọng vặt (diverse air)
• Giọng hãm (recitative air)
• Giọng bỉ (tunes borrowed from other sources)

Themost popular quan ho songs, "qua cau gio bay", "treo len quan doc"(also known as "ly cay da"), "se chi luon kim", were sung in Giọng vặt.(transistor air)

If you did listen or watch a quan ho performance,you will see that it is an antiphonal singing tradition in which menand women take turns singing in a challenge-and-response fashiondrawing on a known repertoire of melodies. In general, an initial"challenge phrase" (câu ra) is sung by a pair of female singers, followed by a "matching phrase" (câu đối)from the men, which repeat the melody of the challenge phrase. Once theorder is reversed, the men will issue their own challenge phrase with adifferent melody.

Oneof the quan ho features that have endured through time is the properverbal and poetic introduction to every tune. Quan ho singers are notonly appreciated for their singing ability, but also for their skill inleaving an impression of their gracefulness and literary adeptness onthe audience. Usually, one of the singers will say something to praisethe opposing pair and express how fortunate her/his pair has been to beallowed to sing with them before reciting the verses of the song. Notonly provides listeners with the basic content of the song, therhetoric used in the introduction contribute to create the impressionof a theatrical act.

Thesingers also imitated the musical sound, the sound of rice grinding,crying as well as replying in the tunes that their opposing pair hadused. The singing ends with songs in the farewell category- a featurethat has never been changed as a sense of a completion.

Instrumental accompanimentis welcomed by quan ho singers in some villages. The mono chord is themost common instrument, followed by the bamboo flute and the36-stringed hammered dulcimer.

Trying to make cultural sense of the quan ho tradition as it is practiced today is not an easy task. Quant hosinging has undergone several changes with regard both to its contextand content as its practitioners continue to search for ways to put thepuzzle together, while realizing that missing pieces may never befound. Yet, the Bac Ninh locals believe that quan ho singing has always been the window through which outside people can see who they really are- the director of the quan ho troupe maintains.