The keeper of the folk song of Bai Choi of Quang region

GAME — Artist Trinh Tam (right) during a media performance. Photo: HOANG LIEN

Passionate about the art of Bai Choi

Visiting the small house of artisan Trinh Tam in mid-May, listening to him hum folk songs and bai choi from Quang, my heart suddenly calmed down.

Artist Trinh Tam said that he was born and raised in a farming family, but from a young age he knew folk songs and bai choi through watching local festivals with famous works such as: "Doi chim cheo beo"; "Thoai Khanh - Chau Tuan"; "Dem ly nghe nhan cach suoc"...

From then on, he began to be passionate and learned to sing along. He did not know when the folk songs and the folk songs of Quang Nam became indispensable in his daily life, attached like flesh and blood...

Without any professional training, but with a passion for folk songs, Bài Chòi and an innate talent, in addition to working in the commune, Mr. Tam takes the time to collect and compose new songs and participate in performing at mass cultural and artistic activities in and outside the locality.

Not only knowing the folk songs of Quang Nam, Mr. Tam is also fluent in singing all 30 cards and knows how to use many different lyrics of the same card.

According to Mr. Tam, singing Bai Choi is not difficult, but the difficulty is knowing how to sing with vibrato to touch the hearts of listeners. Not only that, singing Bai Choi also has many unique melodies and rhythms. Sometimes it is passionate and emotional, sometimes it is exciting and urgent... to convey the content of a complete story.

At each time, it is necessary to add different melodies and nuances and integrate local cultural and musical elements to enrich the Bai Choi melodies.

To bring folk songs and Bài Chòi closer to the public, in April 2011, Mr. Tam founded the Đại Phong Commune Folk Song - Bài Chòi Club with 20 members. The club members are of different ages and occupations, sharing the same passion and desire to contribute to preserving and spreading good traditional cultural values to the community.

“Many times, the members of the club spend their own money to sing, bringing joy to the listeners. The applause and appreciation from the audience has made the passion for Bài Chòi of the members burn even more,” Mr. Tam shared.

Along with the Folk Song - Bai Choi Club of Dai Phong Commune, the Folk Song - Bai Choi Club of Dai Loc was established in 2015 with 10 members. Under the guidance of artist Trinh Tam, the Club not only maintains regular monthly activities but also participates in performances for holidays and Tet.

Mr. Tam is both a scriptwriter and director, taking on the role of the male announcer at card-playing festivals. He is also a leading actor who can play many roles with skillful acting skills.

Give it your all

In 2017, Mr. Trinh Tam was honored to receive the title of Bai Choi Artist by the State. Artist Trinh Tam, along with members of the Folk Song - Bai Choi Club, participated in many competitions, performances, and cultural and artistic festivals organized by Quang Nam province and achieved many outstanding achievements.

GAME 1 — Artist Trinh Tam (right). Photo: THUY LIEN

Typical: Gold medal in the first Quang Nam province folk song competition in 2015; Second prize for the entire delegation in the first Bai Choi singing competition organized by the Quang Nam provincial Cultural Center in 2020...

Artisan Trinh Tam also made important and positive contributions to the propaganda of the Party's policies and guidelines and the State's laws and policies through folk art and bai choi.

From 2019 to present, with his smooth voice, charming acting style mixed with a bit of humor, he has conveyed important content to the masses in legal propaganda sessions.

“The village roads are winding/ speeding and overtaking recklessly will bring bad luck. Everyone, please stop now/ speeding and overtaking recklessly will bring bad luck. Everyone, please remember one thing/ follow the traffic laws, don't recklessly drive and ruin your car” - Mr. Tam improvised.

Along with that, he immediately called out a card game associated with traffic safety laws. Just like that, with an easy-to-listen, easy-to-remember method, the seemingly dry content of the laws became soft, easy-to-listen, easy-to-remember, and easy-to-absorb.

Artist Trinh Tam is often invited to teach at folk singing training classes in localities, some clubs and many schools. For him, preserving and conserving folk art and bai choi is not only a passion but also a responsibility of individuals and the whole community...

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/nguoi-giu-lua-dan-ca-bai-choi-xu-quang-3156304.html