Music and love

Which came first, music or love? One thing is certain: love came before music .

For example, composer Le Hoang Long, heartbroken over Miss T.H., wrote "Evoking Old Dreams." And often, music comes after love, like composer To Hai with "Mountain Smile" because he loved Miss P., composer Nguyen Van Dong with his love for Gina in Honolulu which led to "Remembering a Spring Afternoon," composer Huynh Anh with "Rain in the Forest" for artist Thanh Nga, and many other composers… Without love, there would be no Sérénata by Tosselli. And there are also cases where music and love come together, like "Moonlight by the Stream" by Le Mong Nguyen.

Music and love are inseparable. Where there is music, there is love, and vice versa. But there is also a unique case in Vietnam: "There is music, but no love," which is: "...My life is lonely, so whoever I love will also be lonely / My life is lonely, so whoever I love will never succeed..." (The song "My Life Is Lonely" - Dai Phuong Trang).

In the past, music was the voice of the heart; you listened first, and then it touched your heart. Therefore, old songs, no matter how many years have passed, are unforgettable.

Love and music are indispensable in daily life. Love is a given, but who goes through life without hearing a song, or singing a few lines?

There are songs that just keep playing in my head. Sometimes I want a change of pace, but the music of Phạm Duy, Văn Cao, Trịnh Công Sơn, Đoàn Chuẩn, Cung Tiến, Phạm Mạnh Cương, Phạm Thế Mỹ, Lam Phương, Trúc Phương, Hoàng Trọng, Trường Sa, Hoài Linh, Lê Dinh, Anh Bằng, Minh Kỳ, Từ Công Phụng, Thanh Trang, Văn Phụng, Y Vân… are songs I hear every day. Sometimes I get bored listening to them too much, but honestly, I've been searching, wanting to listen to new music by new composers. There are some new songs, good ones, but too few, and I only heard them once on VT and haven't seen them played again.

As for old music, there are many, and many good songs. But there's one song that came to me in 1958: "Ngỡ Ngờ" (Astonishment) by Hoàng Trọng and Hồ Đình Phương. At that time, I didn't know anything about love; I was just a child. On stormy days, I herded buffalo; on calm days, I caught fish. I went to school in a village school on a hill called "Gò Cây Cốc," now Tân Thành commune, Hàm Thuận Nam district, Bình Thuận province. The school had four classes: fifth, fourth, second, and first, near the edge of the forest. Sitting in class, I could see birds nesting in the ancient trees, and the morning sun shone directly into the classroom. Back then, I wasn't astonished by the school or my classmates, but by a song, and it has stayed with me ever since, even now, living in Saigon. Listening again now, I wonder, does it seem that good music is music that plants seeds in the listener's heart, then sprouts, bears fruit, and blossoms, even without needing the right soil conditions?

I apologize to composer Hoang Trong and poet Ho Dinh Phuong, but I would like to ask you both a small question: Is "Astonishment" a musical piece that came after "Love"?

“…My heart longs to express itself through words / Through letters on fresh paper / Through countless fresh flowers / Through charming smiles / Through alluring eyes…/ A thousand songs I will forever remember / Each poetic thought harmonizes with love / Waiting to give it to someone / To build a long dream together / Then to walk towards the future…/ Little did I know that when fate led the way, my heart would be so surprised by the silence / Silently listening to the distant echoes of the wind / Bringing the evening to the end of the sky…/ My heart remains like a deserted stream / My love remains a blank sheet of paper / Though not yet imbued with dreams / Time erases the longing / My heart still clings to the threads of love…”.

In "Astonishing Tango," there's a touch of astonishment, a hint of hesitation… and a longing to express it through words.

An article to express gratitude to composer Hoang Trong and poet Ho Dinh Phuong.

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