Folk songs of Giarai minority

 Audio sample

 

 

1. Ensemble Gongs
Piece of music:Ting Teng
Performed by:Group of Gong artists

 

6. Sing a duet
Song: Rơ Plơi
Performed by: Ksor Hnao, Paih H’Ben
Accompany by Get Plôi: Ksor Ayung, Siu Hnai, Ksor Ping
Ting ning: Ksor Ba, Rcom Nguich; Gor: Ksor Pyan

2. Male and female repartee singing
Song: Pokǎ Pơsit
Performed by: Ksor Bik, Ksor H’Kheh

7. Solo K’ný
Piece of music: Pơha Muckrǎm
Performed by: Rcom Tih
Accompany by Ting ning: Ksor Nguich

3. Solo T’rưng
Piece of music: Bên suối (by stream)
Performed by: R’com Tih
Accompany by Mông mong and drum: Ksor Bik, Y Yớih, Ksor Pyan, Rahlan Jak, Ksor Hnao

8. Solo T’rưng
Piece of music: Pơke (the gecko)
Performed by: Rcom Tih
Accompany by Mông mong and Gor: Ksor Bik, Y Yơih, Ksor Pyan, Rahlan Jak, Ksor Hnao

4. Sing a duet
Song: Pơkǎ
Performed by: R’com Kut, Ksor H’Bla
Accompany by Get Plôi: Ksor Ayung, Siu Hnai, Ksor Ping
Ting ning: Ksor Bu, Ksor Hnao; Gor: Y Yóih

9. Iâu Mǎ Brua (Felling happiness in working)
Performed by: Singers of Giarai minority

5. Duo Ting ning
Piece of music: Pơthi
Performed by: Ksor Hnao, Ksor Nguich
Accompany by Get Plôi: Rcom Hyonh, Ksor Ayưng, Ksor Ping
Gơr: Siu Hnui

10. Ensemble gongs
Piece of music: Ceng Pothi
Performed by: Giarai minority’s artists

 

With 250,000 people, Giarai is the most populous minority in the Central Highland of Vietnam. Giarai's language is categorized into Malayo-Polynesian family.

Ting Teng (No.1) is a title given to a musical piece of gong. Gong music closely attaches to the Highland inhabitants. Most wealthy families have gong set that usually consists of 8 to 15 units including bossed gongs and flat gongs of various sizes. Diameter of the biggest gong varies from 60 up to 70 cm, while diameter of the smallest gong is around 20cm. Included in the orchestra also is a big drum and a pair of small cymbal. Stick to play the flat gong is a soft wooden piece of 10cm length and 4 cm diameter. Wooden stick to play the bossed gong is longer at around 20cm and is covered at one end with cloth or rattan. Gong music is exclusively performed by men and during festivals and ceremonies. It can be said that Gong music is a part of ritual, in which, each rite corresponds to a specific musical piece. Ting Teng is the principal musical piece played in buffalo-killing ceremony to make merry on a military triumph.

Poka Posit (No.2), Poka (No. 4), Ro Ploi (No.6) and Iau Ma Brua (No.9) are titles of songs that are made up by the singers themselves. Giarai young people are very fond of singing. In all times and at everywhere, they can extemporaneously sing on folk tunes. Especially, during festive nights, they usually sing in chorus or sing quizzes. Quiz singing is a game as well as a kind of antiphonal singing between male and female, in which, a side sings questions and the other sings replies. The singing then proceeds and gradually centres round love theme. As midnight comes, the singing is getting more captivating. Joining with singers are instrumentalists that play accompanying singing with Ting ning. Sometimes, singers themselves play the instruments.

Ben suoi or By the river (No.3) and Pokke (No.8) are music of T'rung. T'rung is very popular among Central Highland communities. T'rung is made of hornless bamboo tubes of various sizes, of which, each bamboo tube is closed at one end and slanting sharpened at the other end. The long tubes give bass tones while short tubes produce high tones. The tubes are linked together with strings. When playing, Giarai instrumentalist ties string ends on one side of the instrument around his belly while binding the other end of the strings to a branch of tree. He then would play the instrument by knocking on tubes with 2 short sticks. Milpas are always full of T'rung sounds as Giarai people play T'rung at their leisure time after tense working hours, and also for the purpose of driving away wild animals and birds. Today, T'rung has been introduced to professional performance.

Pothi (No.5) : This solo piece performed with Ting ning is considered an imitation of gong music in Bo nha mo ceremony (a so-called Po thi ceremony to mark the relatives' final caring of the dead's soul at his tomb after a certain period of death). Ting ning is a plucking chordophonic instrument that is made from a hornless bamboo tube of 50 - 70 cm in length and 5 - 7 cm in diameter. On the body of such a two-close-end tube, there are about 10 or 12 holes pierced making rooms for tuning pegs to be driven into. One end of each string is tied to tuning pegs while the other end is connected to some pin located at the base of the instrument where a half of a dry gourd is attached and served as a resonator. In some cases, another half of dry gourd is also symmetrically attached. Every three strings making a group and are hung along the tube. When playing, instrumentalist rests the base on his belly and places the instrument forwards while plucking the strings. Ting ning is played by men during agricultural leisure time in solo performance to imitate gong music, or accompanying singing and other instruments.

Poha Muckram (No.6) is a solo piece of K'ny accompanied by a Ting ning. K'ny is a bow chordophonic instrument having a simple construction. K'ny is made from a small hornless bamboo tube of 2 - 3 cm diameter and 30 -70 cm long. A small wooden pin served for hanging string is attached at one end of the instrument. The other end of instrument is home to a tuning peg. There are 4 frets on the body. K'ny has only one string. Bow is a flat hornless bamboo slab. There is no resonator. A round reed made from buffalo horn is tied with one end of a silk thread whose another end is connected with the instrument. When playing, instrumentalist holds the reed in his mouth, and stretches the silk thread to an appropriate length while playing the instrument with the bow. The produced sounds of the string impact on the silk string consequently making the reed vibrated. Palate of the musician thus would become a resonator. The musician both plays and sings at the same time producing various timbres. K'ny is the favourite instrument of young men playing solo or in ensemble with other instruments.

Cong Pothi (No. 10): is a piece of gong music performed in Bo nha mo ceremony known as Pothi ceremony among Giarai people. Annually, when the dry season comes and the harvest finishes, Giarai people prepare materials to build a new sepulchre and hold a ceremony to mark the relatives' final caring of the dead's soul at his tomb after a certain period of death. Pothi is regarded as the greatest, longest and merriest event among festivals of Giarai people. Participating in the festival not only are gong orchestras of the host village, but also orchestras of neighboring villages. The sounds of gongs go far and wide mountains and forests, and animate the whole sepulchre area where quietness and desolation pervade all year long. Musical pieces of gong music in Pothi mainly imitate melodies of folk tunes.

(CD)