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Amateur music is a distinct folk music genre in association with the Southern people and culture. Derived from ritual music and Hue imperial court music mixed with folk chants and popular songs of the Southern delta, the Southern amateur music was recognized by the UNESCO as a Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013. Despite its widespread establishment and development across 21 southern municipalities, Bac Lieu is still regarded the birthplace of the amateur music.
The memorial area spans more than 12,000sqm in total and includes the Moon shaped lute monument, statue of Cao Van Lau composer, musical instrument garden, the tomb of the late composer and his family, display hall and performance hall.
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Visitors to this monumental area essentially drops in the Moon shaped lute monument whose bamboo pipe represents the moon shaped lute, an integral musical instrument of the amateur music. Around the monument lies 20 original repertoire along with the statue of Cao Van Lau composer playing guzheng cord, and the repertoire of the “Nostalgic nocturne for the husband” carved on the rock. The next one is the musical instrument garden that features ones deployed in the amateur music, including the erhu, guzheng zither, single string zither or the unique sunken fretted guitar…
Crossing the spacious courtyard, visitors then enter the display hall to listen to presentation of the life and career of Cao Van Lau composer and overall evolution of the amateur music genre in Bac Lieu. Last but not least, they stop at the performance hall to enjoy amateur music performances by local artisans.
Bac Lieu ranked the Memorial Area of the Southern Amateur Music and Composer Cao Van Lau as a 4-star OCOP tourist site in late 2020. It’s a brand new approach that demonstrates the authorities’ rapid upgrades of one of the appealing and notable tourist destinations of the province.
Thanh Hien
(Source: Vietnam Today 10/2021)