Product Description
Quach Thi Ho (1909-20010) was a designated 'People's Artist' of Vietnam. Even today she is revered as the greatest practicioner of Ca Tru (choral chamber music). Ca Tru originated from folk traditions and festivals, whereby two or three female singers would be accompanied by a male musician. At the beginning of the 20th century, the form of singing had moved from the countryside to the city. It became popular in the streets of Hanoi and Hue. The theatre owners however, hired just a few professional singers and many of the female singers (dao ruou) were left to serve the drinks and work as prostitutes in the bars where Ca Tru was performed. Quach Thi Ho bucked this trend, joining a Ca Tru troupe by the age of seven, and one of the most famous singers by the time she was twenty. She worked at the Van Thai Theatre for 24 years. Following the revolution in 1945, Ho helped to waive the debts of the other dao ruou workers in her theatre. Ca Tru theatres disappeared, its image tainted by its seedy past. Quanh Thi Ho worked hard to clean up the image and cement Ca Tru as a classical art form. She became internationally known in the 1970s, being awarded an honorary diploma by UNESCO's International Music Council. She travelled to North Korea and Russia to perform. This CD was recorded in 1962, and is issued onto CD from an original release on cassette.
