''Nhạc dân tộc cải biên'' is a modern form of Vietnamese
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
which arose in the 1950s after the founding of the
Hanoi Conservatory of Music in 1956. This development involved writing traditional music using Western
musical notation, while Western elements of
harmony and
instrumentation were added.
[Arana, Miranda (1999). ''Neotraditional Music in Vietnam''. Kent, Ohio, United States: Nhạc Việt/The Journal of Vietnamese Music.]
The genre is sometimes criticized by purists for its watered-down approach to traditional sounds.
Etymology
In Vietnamese, ''
nhạc'' means "music," ''
dân tộc'' means "nationality," and ''
cải biên'' means "renovated."
References
Vietnamese music
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