CA TRU

Song poetry of the North

Lê Xuân Diêu : chanteuse, cliquette phách ca trù
Thanh Hoaì : chanteuse, cliquette phách ca trù
Lê Yuân Diêu : luth dàn dáy
Nguyên  Minh Chí : tambour trông trâù

Dating back to the fifteenth century, the song of Ca trù was originally a ceremonial and entertaining music. An ensemble of Ca trù consists of a singer, who accompanies his or herself with a small bamboo percussion instrument (phách), and two other instruments: a long-necked lute (dàn dáy) and a small drum (trông trâù).

The vocal techniques call for breathing control, vibrato and striking vocal ornamentation. The sung texts draw on the works of great classical Vietnamese poets.