Then Song
Long Poems consist of several chapters with
different contents and lengths. The longest poem ever collected was 4,949
sentences with 35 chapters. The then
song is a general performance of music, singing, dancing, and making gestures
in different circumstances. In the ceremony procession, not only must the
artist carry out religious activities, but the actor must also sing, play
music, dance, and show gestures to demonstrate the meaning of the sentence he
is singing. Sometimes the artist also performs other activities.
Music is the main element that completely penetrates
the performance. Sometimes the music is accompanied with song, and at other
moments the music serves as a background for dance or connecting parts of a
song. The main musical instruments in a then
performance are the tinh tau
(a traditional stringed musical instrument resembling a guitar) and a
chain of shaking instruments. Sometimes the band also has a bell.
All people in the Tay, Nung community, regardless of
their age, sex, and religion, are fond of the then song. Some groups such as the Kinh living in the same region
have also incorporated this kind of art form into their spiritual lives.
