Hue royal music represents UNESCO intangible cultural heritage

Hanoi (VNA) - "Nha nhac" or typical royal music of the former imperial city of Hue in central Thua Thien-Hue province will become one of the first 90 heritages included in UNESCO's list of Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

At a conference on preserving "nha nhac" recently held in Thua Thien-Hue
province, Francoise Riviere, UNESCO Deputy Director General for Culture said
that "nha nhac" will continue to benefit from the Convention 2003 for the
safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage which aims to raise the
awareness of the heritage importance at provincial, national and
international level.

The result was attributed to Vietnam 's efforts to preserve "nha nhac"
which was recognised by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible
Heritage of Humanity in 2003.

A three-year project to preserve "nha nhac" has been carried out since 2005
under the sponsorship of the Japan Trust Fund through UNESCO.

"The project has laid a foundation for studying, collecting, storing and
restoring typical pieces of "nha nhac", restoring costumes and finding
"nha nhac" artists," said Phung Phu, Director of the Hue Royal Relics
Conservation Centre.

The project has helped young generation get access to "nha nhac" and
introduce the music genre to not only other regions in the country but also
other countries in the world.

UNESCO praised the project for its significance of combining tangible and
intangible heritages - that is important in promoting the world's cultural
diversity.

According to Phu, an archive centre for this unique music genre will be
built soon.

Although its roots can be traced to the Ho dynasty (1400-1407), "nha nhac"
reached its zenith in Hue 's royal court under the Nguyen dynasty from
1802 to 1945. The music genre was originally found in the courts of royalty
and reserved for annual ceremonies and special events such as coronations,
funerals, and official receptions.-Enditem