Cai luong
Encyclopedia
Tuồng cải lương or cải lương in short, which can be roughly translated as "reformed theater" or "renovated theater" in English, is a form of modern folk opera in Vietnam
. It blends southern Vietnamese folk songs, classical music, hát tuồng (a classical theatre form based on Chinese opera
), and modern spoken drama.
in the early 20th century, and blossomed in the 1930s as a theatre of the middle class during the country's French colonial
period. Cải lương is now promoted as a national theatrical form. Unlike the other folk forms, it continued to prove popular with the masses as late as the 1970s and the 1980s, although it is now in decline.
Cải lương can be compared to a sort of play with the added aspect of Vọng cổ (this term literally means "nostalgia for the past", it is a special type of singing with the background music often being the đàn tranh zither or the đàn ghi-ta (Vietnamized guitar). In a typical cải lương play, the actresses and actors would use a combination of regular spoken dialogue and vọng cổ to express their thoughts and emotions.
Cải lương normally highlights/praises Vietnamese moral values. There are mainly two types of cải lương: cải lương tuồng cổ (ancient) and cải lương xã hội (modern).
Cải lương xã hội consists of stories about modern Vietnamese society. The plots deal with romantic love story blended with family/ social relationships. The stories also explore cultural norms, social norms, and other aspects of Vietnamese society, e.g. Đời Cô Lựu, Tô Ánh Nguyệt. This type can be somehow described as tragedy, but happy ended. However, a few cải lương xã hội such as "Ra Giêng Anh Cưới Em" are comedic and light.
Cải lương tuồng cổ. The actor/actress dress old fashion costume. The plot is based on tale, legend or hictory story of the feudal system, where kings and warriors still existed. For example Bên Cầu Dệt Lụa, Lục Vân Tiên, Tiếng Trống Mê Linh etc. Many plots come from huge source of Chinese historic/ancient legends. Lương Son Bá-Chúc Anh Đài is based on the Chinese legend of butterfly lovers
. In Cải lương tuồng cổ, Hồ Quảng a kind of Chinese opera
may be mixed. Hence, some Cải lương tuồng cổ may be called Cải lương Hồ Quảng, which is more like a musical. In addition to regular speech, ca cải lương, and Vọng cổ, several melodies are incorporated into the play . These melodies are reused through different plays, however the words are changed to fit the context of the plays. Cải lương tuồng cổ can be characterized by beautiful, elaborate costumes comprising beautiful and colorful dress pieces; large, beautiful glittery hairpieces; elaborate warrior armor; and elaborate warrior head pieces.
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. It blends southern Vietnamese folk songs, classical music, hát tuồng (a classical theatre form based on Chinese opera
Chinese opera
Chinese opera is a popular form of drama and musical theatre in China with roots going back as far as the third century CE...
), and modern spoken drama.
History and description
It originated in Southern VietnamSouthern Vietnam
For the former country, see South VietnamSouthern Vietnam is one of the three regions within Vietnam .The largest city in the South is Ho Chi Minh City, the nation's largest city....
in the early 20th century, and blossomed in the 1930s as a theatre of the middle class during the country's French colonial
French colonial empires
The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
period. Cải lương is now promoted as a national theatrical form. Unlike the other folk forms, it continued to prove popular with the masses as late as the 1970s and the 1980s, although it is now in decline.
Cải lương can be compared to a sort of play with the added aspect of Vọng cổ (this term literally means "nostalgia for the past", it is a special type of singing with the background music often being the đàn tranh zither or the đàn ghi-ta (Vietnamized guitar). In a typical cải lương play, the actresses and actors would use a combination of regular spoken dialogue and vọng cổ to express their thoughts and emotions.
Cải lương normally highlights/praises Vietnamese moral values. There are mainly two types of cải lương: cải lương tuồng cổ (ancient) and cải lương xã hội (modern).
Cải lương xã hội consists of stories about modern Vietnamese society. The plots deal with romantic love story blended with family/ social relationships. The stories also explore cultural norms, social norms, and other aspects of Vietnamese society, e.g. Đời Cô Lựu, Tô Ánh Nguyệt. This type can be somehow described as tragedy, but happy ended. However, a few cải lương xã hội such as "Ra Giêng Anh Cưới Em" are comedic and light.
Cải lương tuồng cổ. The actor/actress dress old fashion costume. The plot is based on tale, legend or hictory story of the feudal system, where kings and warriors still existed. For example Bên Cầu Dệt Lụa, Lục Vân Tiên, Tiếng Trống Mê Linh etc. Many plots come from huge source of Chinese historic/ancient legends. Lương Son Bá-Chúc Anh Đài is based on the Chinese legend of butterfly lovers
Butterfly Lovers
The Butterfly Lovers is a Chinese legend of a tragic love story of a pair of lovers, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai , whose names form the title of the story...
. In Cải lương tuồng cổ, Hồ Quảng a kind of Chinese opera
Chinese opera
Chinese opera is a popular form of drama and musical theatre in China with roots going back as far as the third century CE...
may be mixed. Hence, some Cải lương tuồng cổ may be called Cải lương Hồ Quảng, which is more like a musical. In addition to regular speech, ca cải lương, and Vọng cổ, several melodies are incorporated into the play . These melodies are reused through different plays, however the words are changed to fit the context of the plays. Cải lương tuồng cổ can be characterized by beautiful, elaborate costumes comprising beautiful and colorful dress pieces; large, beautiful glittery hairpieces; elaborate warrior armor; and elaborate warrior head pieces.
See also
- Vọng cổ
- Music of VietnamMusic of VietnamTraditional Vietnamese music is highly diverse and syncretistic, combining native and foreign influences. Throughout its history, Vietnam has been heavily impacted by the Chinese musical tradition, as an integral part, along with Korea, Mongolia and Japan....
- Culture of VietnamCulture of VietnamThe Culture of Vietnam, an agricultural civilization based on the cultivation of wet rice, is one of the oldest in East Asia; the ancient Bronze age Dong Son culture is considered to be one of its most important progenitors...
- History of VietnamHistory of VietnamThe history of Vietnam covers a period of more than 2,700 years. By far Vietnam's most important historical international relationship has been with China. Vietnam's prehistory includes a legend about a kingdom known as Van Lang that included what is now China's Guangxi Autonomous Region and...
- Cao Van LauCao Van LauCao Văn Lầu , also known as Sáu Lầu , was a Vietnamese musician.He was born on 22 December 1892 in Long An province, French Cochinchina. At the age of 4, he moved to Bac Lieu and spent all his life there. In Bac Lieu, he studied Hán tự with a monk and then attended a French primary school...