Ca Hue is a term for Vietnamese chamber music that originated in the imperial court in the 1500s. It was originally played for Mandarin aristocrats and other elite and is played with mainly chordophone instruments. Below are several very informative websites that explain the history of Vietnamese chamber music, its melodies and techniques and the instruments used to play it.
Above is a picture of a musician playing the monochord instrument that is commonly heard in Ca Hue songs, the dan bau.
This is a great introduction to Vietnamese music website. From this website, I learned that ten centuries of Chinese rule have profoundly influenced the music of Vietnam and that most of the instruments used are from Chinese origin, like the 16-stringed zither and the 2-stringed fiddle. Although China has greatly influenced Vietnamese music, they still have maintained their creativity and invented three of their own unique instruments; the dan bau, the dan kay and the sinh tien. Vietnamese music has many genres, including Ca hue, which according to this website is considered music for entertainment purposes. Ca Hue is commonly instrumental and only played with string instruments including the zither, lutes, fiddle and transverse flute.
http://www.vietnamesemusic.us/NTP1.html
This is a great introductory website written by Dr. Phong Nguyen from the Institute of Vietnamese Music about how the traditional music of Vietnam has adapted and survived in the U.S. From this website I learned that there are two fundamental elements of Vietnamese music that is attempting to survive in U.S. culture such as the tonal nature of Vietnamese language and how it applies to the music and the nature of Vietnamese instrumental music.
http://www.vietnamtourism.com/disan/en/index.php?catid=6
This is a great website for understanding all of the different types of court and chamber music that originated in Vietnam. I found out all of the different time periods that were relevant in Vietnamese music history, and which dynasties were responsible for conceiving such melodies. From this informative website I learned that the Le Dynasty enhanced the use of instrumental music and then created the chamber music "Ca Hue."
http://vietmusic.pbworks.com/w/page/9130510/Introduction
This website covers all bases concerning the history, technique, and instruments of Ca Hue chamber music. From reading this website, I learned that in addition to Chinese influence on Vietnamese music, Vietnamese music shows signs of influence from Indian particularities. This Indian influence is most prevalent in Vietnamese chamber music and the drum playing technique and use of onomatopeia. From this website I learned that Ca Hue music is mostly played with chordophone instruments, instruments that make sound with the vibration of a string.
When scrolling down the page to "Sounds of the Pith" section, this website is greatly informative about what makes Ca Hue music special and unique among other Vietnamese genres. I learned from this website that Ca Hue is best performed by someone with a city of Hue accent. Also, that this music was played at the imperial courts for the entertainment of the Mandarin elite and has a slow, deep and gentle melody.
http://pages.infinit.net/musis/matsu_take_eng/8_AMG_Vietnam.html
This is a very informative website that describes exactly what influences the sounds and melodies of Vietnamese music, and about which countries surrounding Vietnam have the biggest impact on their music. I learned from this essay that the music of Vietnam is extremely diverse, and is divided into three regions, (South, Center, and North Vietnam), that each have their own unique types of music. This website also provides information on which instruments are typically played in Vietnamese chamber music, such as the commonly heard dan bau monochord string instrument.
http://www.rmf9.com/mdse/danbau.htm
This website is more in depth with explaining exactly which instruments are commonly heard in Vietnamese chamber music. The author goes into detail about the popular monochord, one string instrument, the dan bau and what it sounds like when it is played. From this website, I learned that the word bau means "gourd." This is because in the earlier days, dan baus were made out of bamboo, silk for the string and dried gourd. This website also features a short sound clip of a dan bau being played to get a good idea of what one sounds like. I also learned from this website that although the dan bau has only one string, it can emit all the sounds in the pentatonic scale!
http://hajimaji.wordpress.com/2009/07/29/ca-hue-from-vietnam/
This is a great website that explains the origin of Ca Hue music. I found out from this website that Ca Hue is a type of composed music that dates back all the way from the 1500's when the city of Hue became independent from Hanoi in the North. According to this website, Hue became a cultural center in which the music of Ca Hue developed and grew. This website features a song called "Tu Dai Canh" that people can click and listen to, which is one of the standard pieces of Ca Hue repertoire.
Above are common chordophone instruments that are used to play Ca Hue songs.
Examples of Vietnamese chamber music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qunLufau8qo
CD 2, Track 8 from the Soundscapes listening guide is a great example of Ca Hue. It is called "A Thousand Miles From Home."
