Minh Man, a live treasure ofca Hue, a type of traditionalmusic that is as significantas ca tru in the north and don ca tai tu in the south, gave her last breath at her home in central Hue City in March, at 93.
Man’s passing was a loss to the art form as she was considered by many to be one of the best-ever vocalists of ca Hue singing as well as a prominent educator in the art, thanks to her profound knowledge in the field.
She was born Nguyen Thi Man in 1925 in an outlying village near Hue, the former imperial capital city. At 13, Man became a vendor and got chance to sing ca Hue. The singing community discovered her acute sense of rhythm and excellent vocals. At that age, she could sing the toughest rhythms that normally required a lot of practice. At that time, singers were looked down upon, due to the reputation of some of them being prostitutes. Man thus had a hard time pursuing her singing passion as she fought to gain trust from her father and reserve time for making a living as a vendor.
Fortunately, she rose to fame two years later as one of the best vocalists of the singing style and was selected to perform for the country’s last king, Bao Dai, several times. War and poverty put a hold on the singing form for decades and when it found a path back, the veteran artists, including Man, became significant once again. They not only played the key role in reminding audience of the heyday of ca Hue, but also trained the next generation in the art form.
This story is from the April - May 2018 edition of Vietnam Heritage.
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This story is from the April - May 2018 edition of Vietnam Heritage.
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