Perspectives on Heritage Tourism - Seameo-SPAFA

<strong>Perspectives</strong> on Heritage Tourism
<strong>Perspectives</strong> on Heritage Tourism
While many cultural organisations, both national and international,
recognise the cultural value of Nhã nhạc, reviving and preserving
it remains a challenge in view of the lack of funding and limited
documentation. Only a few former artists versed in the Nhã nhạc
tradition are still alive, and they are now very old. The fewer skillful
Nhã nhạc practitioners left, the more difficult revitalisation
would be. Even if students wanted to learn Nhã nhạc and make a
career out of it, they would have to learn directly from teachers
the melody and rhythm as well as the distinct musical notes,
which cannot be learnt through usual musical notation. The
“traditional” or “classical” transmission technique presents an
obstacle for the youths who are only familiar with the prevailing
western solfège system.
Lantern dance of court music is well preserved
(documentary photo of Hue Monuments Conservation Center, 2008)
The preservation of Nhã nhạc involves not only education and
transmission but also the collection and research on remaining
Nhã nhạc materials. There is, however, the dearth of a network of
practitioners as well as qualified staffs who can research Nhã nhạc
preservation, collect historical documents, and archive existing
materials.
The overview of Khai Dinh king’s tomb and its surroundings
(documentary photo of Hue Monuments Conservation Center, 1999)
A project to revitalise court music was supported by the
Japanese Fund-in-Trust through the UNESCO office in Hanoi, and
was implemented by the Hue Monuments Conservation Center,
starting in 2005. In this project, performance skills were imparted
by master practitioners. Knowledge of the young generation,
including students and teachers, are also enriched through various
ways of disseminating Nhã nhạc.
62
63