''Nhã nhạc'' (, , "elegant music") is a traditional music of

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. Vietnamese court music is very diverse, but the term ''nhã nhạc'' refers specifically to the Vietnamese court music performed from the

Trần dynasty The Trần dynasty (Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: Nhà Trần, chữ Nôm: 茹陳; Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: triều Trần, chữ Hán: ikt:朝ikt:陳, 朝wikt:陳, 陳), officially Đại Việt (Chữ Hán: 大越), was a List ...

of the 13th century to the

Nguyễn dynasty The Nguyễn dynasty (, chữ Nôm: 茹阮, chữ Hán: 朝阮) was the last List of Vietnamese dynasties, Vietnamese dynasty, preceded by the Nguyễn lords and ruling unified Vietnam independently from 1802 until French protectorate in 1883 ...

at the end of the 20th century.

Nhã Nhạc

Vietnamese court music was performed at annual ceremonies, including anniversaries and religious holidays, as well as special events such as coronations, funerals or official receptions, by highly trained and skilled court musicians. Along with the musicians, a number of intricate court dances also exist (''see Traditional Vietnamese dance''). Both musicians and dancers wore elaborately designed costumes during their performances. File:The-chamber-music-ensemble-performing-at-Queen-Nam-Phuongs-Dien-Tho-Palace.jpg, Imperial court musicians in 1937 File:The-orchestra-of-the-Nguyen-dynasty-court.jpg, Imperial musicians File:The-orchestra-of-Hue-Royal-Court-Music-in-the-past.jpg, Court lady musicians While the largest foreign influence on nhã nhạc came from the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

court of China, later on there were also adapted a few elements from the music of

Champa Champa (Cham language, Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ, چمڤا; ; 占城 or 占婆) was a collection of independent Chams, Cham Polity, polities that extended across the coast of what is present-day Central Vietnam, central and southern Vietnam from ...

, which the Vietnamese court found intriguing.

Instruments

Instruments commonly used for ''nhã nhạc'' include '' kèn bầu'' (conical oboe), ''

đàn tỳ bà The ''đàn tỳ bà'' or ''đàn tì bà'' (, Chữ Nôm: ) is a Vietnamese traditional plucked string instrument derived from the Chinese pipa, Garland Encyclopedia of World Music South East Asia p262 "The tỳ bà, a pear-shaped lute, first a ...

'' (pear-shaped lute with four strings), ''

đàn nguyệt The ''đàn nguyệt'' ( Vietnamese pronunciation: Help:IPA/Vietnamese, �ǎn ŋwiə̂ˀt"moon-shaped lute", Chữ Nôm: 彈月) also called ''nguyệt cầm'' (Chữ Hán: 月琴), ''đàn kìm'', is a two-stringed Vietnam, Vietnamese tradit ...

'' (moon-shaped two-string lute), ''

đàn tam The ''đàn tam'' (chữ Nôm: 彈三) is a three-stringed ("tam" means "three") fretless plucked Traditional Vietnamese musical instruments, Vietnamese musical instrument. It has a long fingerboard, and the body is traditionally partially covered ...

'' (fretless lute with snakeskin-covered body and three strings), '' đàn nhị'' (two-stringed vertical fiddle), '' sáo'' (also called ''sáo trúc''; a bamboo transverse flute), '' trống'' (drum played with sticks), and other percussion instruments.

Development during the Nguyễn dynasty

It is believed that ''nhã nhạc'' did not truly reach the pinnacle of its development until the

Nguyễn Dynasty The Nguyễn dynasty (, chữ Nôm: 茹阮, chữ Hán: 朝阮) was the last List of Vietnamese dynasties, Vietnamese dynasty, preceded by the Nguyễn lords and ruling unified Vietnam independently from 1802 until French protectorate in 1883 ...

, when it was standardized. The Nguyễn emperors declared it as the official court music, and it became an essential part of the extensive rituals of the royal palace.

UNESCO

''Nhã nhạc'' is still performed in the old capital of

Huế Huế (formerly Thừa Thiên Huế province) is the southernmost coastal Municipalities of Vietnam, city in the North Central Coast region, the Central Vietnam, Central of Vietnam, approximately in the center of the country. It borders Quảng ...

. 'Nhã nhạc of Huế court' () was recognised in 2003 by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

as a

Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity The Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity was made by the Director-General of UNESCO starting in 2001 to raise awareness of intangible cultural heritage—such traditions, rituals, dance, and knowledge—and ...

. Extensive efforts have gone underway to preserve this truly unique and highly developed art.

References

External links

UNESCO Hanoi websiteUNESCO page''Nhã nhạc'' recorded in Hue

Video

Thập thủ liên hoàn, a royal piece''Nhã nhạc'' performanceLion dance performance with ''nhã nhạc'' accompaniment
Vietnamese traditional theatre Music of Vietnam Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Vietnamese words and phrases Royal and noble courts {{music-genre-stub