Xam is like a music news channel, where listeners can see the painful issues in society. "In the past, people used Xam tunes to discuss the story of fighting against illiteracy, but now the issue of fighting corruption is included in Xam tunes to suit the times. That's where Xam 'lives' and is relevant," People's Artist Thanh Ngoan shared.
People's Artist Thanh Ngoan has been attached to folk melodies since she was only 9 years old.
Is it really necessary to renew Xam?
In the past, the lyrics system consisted mostly of folk songs, proverbs, and profound metaphors, mainly using Nom and Han scripts. Most of the Xam listeners were older people with more life experience who could understand the lyrics in the songs. At present, the complexity of the lyrics system has been reduced to suit a wider audience.
In addition to the new content, the artist also diversifies the musical instruments for the Xam songs, not only the two-stringed fiddle, drum or senh, but also the monochord, drum, flute and cymbal...
Xam singing sessions in the past could last from morning to afternoon, a "long-term" art form for both the audience and the Xam singer.
The transformation of Xam must be mentioned in 2005, when many Xam singing competitions were held, Xam began to "change" to suit the taste of the audience. The basic requirement for a Xam song is first of all to have a clear structure. The Xam singer also needs to tell a shorter story, not as long-winded as before.
In the final round of the 2020 Hanoi Voice Contest, Ngoc Ha Myo brought a new performance based on the work “Xam Cho Dong Xuan”. She performed a new arrangement with a youthful spirit by interweaving rap, arranging with electronic music, combined with the variety of tones of many different musical instruments. The performance is considered one of the notable events in the folk singing genre.
The young female singer often combines Rap, EDM and Xam.
Sharing his opinion on Ngoc Ha Myo's performance, People's Artist Thanh Ngoan said: "Under the guidance of Researcher Nguyen Quang Long, the young people developed the presentation based on the original 'Xam Cho Dong Xuan'. This can be considered a trendy approach, also a bridge between Xam art and young people. In essence, this is not really a Xam song."
She emphasized that despite the changes, traditional Xam culture must still be considered a guideline for development. "If people only listen to Xam in a new way without thoroughly understanding the original Xam, they will easily be confused about the core spirit of Xam songs," she added.
Dao Bach Linh - the last descendant of Xam singing artist Ha Thi Cau.
Agreeing with her point of view, artist Linh Xam (Dao Bach Linh) said: "It is necessary to understand the core spirit of the original Xam, considering it a solid foundation to 'paint' the performances. So that when enjoying these works, viewers will understand that it is the spirit of Xam, not a completely different genre."
To be recognized, Xam must have a life in the community.
Although there are few melodies, Xam is still a valuable artistic development that our ancestors left behind, one of the spiritual foods for those who love folk music; at the same time, it is a way for poor blind beggars to make a living through singing.
Club members regularly participate in art competitions, performances,...
Head of the Hai Phong Chieu Xam Club, artist Linh Xam shared: "After 4 years of researching and pursuing my passion for singing Xam, I decided to establish a Xam group in my hometown Hai Phong in 2009. After a year of operation, more and more people gradually learned about singing Xam, and the local government supported and created conditions for its development.
At the end of 2012, Chieu Xam Hai Phong was officially established. I went to Hai Phong School for the Blind to talk with the principal. Receiving support, I returned to teach students regularly 2 sessions/week. The club had its first members who were blind. To this day, even though they are married and have children, they still regularly participate in the club.
Nowadays, many Xam singing competitions are held, many Xam singing clubs have appeared. "That is a positive signal, worth noting and needs to be promoted more", People's Artist Thanh Ngoan shared. However, she also believes that, in order to preserve Xam, artists working in the professional field also need to popularize the original Xam to the audience, to avoid "copying and misreading" leading to its loss.
Artist Linh Xam believes that it is necessary to focus on the training quality of Xam singing clubs.
The head of the Hai Phong Xam Club believes that the most important thing is still to focus on quality. "Currently, many clubs are opening up en masse, operating based on a number of existing recordings and CDs, but they do not understand the nature, meaning, performance and true spirit of Xam. Therefore, it is necessary to teach and popularize Xam singing knowledge from genuine Xam singing artists to preserve and conserve the beauty of Xam before promoting and renewing it," Linh Xam commented.
According to information, the Provincial Party Committee and the People's Committee of Ninh Binh province have a policy to restore the local art of Xam singing and have assigned the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Ninh Binh Cheo Theatre to directly implement it so that UNESCO can recognize it as an intangible cultural heritage. "To do that, Xam singing must have a certain life in the community," People's Artist Thanh Ngoan concluded.
