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Nha nhac, Vietnamese Court Music - An Intangible Cultural
Heritage
On
November 7, 2003, UNESCO bestowed world heritage status on 28 relics
of nations as masterpieces of oral and intangible heritage of
humanity. Among the 11 masterpieces of Asia, nha nhac (royal music)
represents the first intangible legacy of Vietnam to have been put
on this list.
The UNESCO Council appraised Vietnamese royal music in the following
terms: “Vietnamese royal music represents an elegant and refined
music. It deals with the music performed in the imperial courts and
on different anniversaries, religious festivals, and on such
particular occasions. Of the different categories developed in
Vietnam, only the royal
music was national.”
Nha nhac (Vietnamese royal music) and its principles came
to
Vietnam under the Ho Dynasty
(1400-1407). The Ho Dynasty, however, only existed for a short time,
so nha nhac rapidly fell into oblivion. In 1427, Le Loi
defeated the Chinese Ming invaders and liberated the country.
However, nha nhac only began to develop in the reign of King
Le Thanh Tong (1460-1497) and reached its peak under the Nguyen
Dynasty (1802-1945).
Nha nhac
is genre of scholarly music. It attracted the participation of many
talented songwriters and musicians, with numerous traditional
musical instruments.
From now on, nha nhac will have opportunities to preserve,
develop and popularize to the public, inside and outside the
country.
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