Quan Họ Bắc Ninh folk songs

The location of Quan Hoat is in the northeast of Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. Quan Hoat is a kind of duet singing performed amongst villagers along the Ko River side in the provinces of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang. Through the dedication of many generations, Quan Hoat is a collection of hundreds of songs. They are characterized by soft, romantic, and attractive rhythms. It is formally called Quan Hoat Bac Ninh folk singing. Through tunes, rhythms, and use of words, Quan Hoat has its own particular characteristics and differences in comparison with other folk songs of the Viet people. The art of a Quan Hoat performance is singing in pairs. Each song is composed of two males and two females singing together, one to lead and one to support. For a pair to be regarded as talented, not only must they be skilled in softening ligature sound or bouncing a modulated sound, but also have to keep their two voices in tune with one another. This is one difficult requirement so that not everyone who sings Quan Hoat can take part in a Quan Hoat performance. Quan Hoat has many forms of performance. The most important cultural and art expression is the exchange of singing between two friend villages. This is an excellent custom which is like a competition and can last for a night. It is called period singing or night singing. One period is divided into three steps. The first step is standard singing or hot song to start and keep the voice for the meeting. They are the oldest songs of Quan Hoat that have been maintained to this day. Both the host and guest have to overcome this step. The second step includes many songs varying in tune type. These are duets prompted by sudden inspirations. This is the main step in creating the feeling for the meeting. The challenging partner usually changes the topic and rhythms to make the matching partner express their talent and skill. The second step can last for an unlimited amount of time and depends on the matching ability of the two partners. The third step includes farewell songs to express feelings between close friends when they have to leave. The most exciting point of a Quan Hoat performance is when villages hold their traditional festivals in the spring and autumn. This is an opportunity for Quan Hoat brothers and sisters to express their feelings for their community and artistic ability. They sing in the sacred spaces of the villages to ask for good luck and happiness. They sing near temples and pagodas to make friends. To satisfy the expectation of local people, all authorities in the provinces of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang as well as the Vietnamese government have held many conferences to seek effective solutions to safeguard and promote the values of Quan Hoat singing. The government has subsidized and supported the collection and performance of Quan Hoat troops in the province. One of the solutions that has gained support from local residents is to hold periodic Quan Hoat singing competitions. To maintain the reputation of Quan Hoat villages and to train new singers in order to win competitions, the transmission of Quan Hoat singing to the younger generations has become popular in recent years. In the whole region, there is an increasing number of Quan Hoat singing clubs in villages which are run by the local communities. Quan Hoat is on the way to revival.