Stone xylophone... touching the rhythm of the heart

During the State visit of General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with a high-level Vietnamese delegation, to South Korea (August 10-13), at a cultural exchange event attended by leaders of both countries, People's Artist Thanh Hai (Sao Bien Folk Music and Dance Theatre - Dak Lak province) had the honor of performing on the stone xylophone, introducing the unique culture of Vietnam to international friends.

People's Artist Thanh Hai recounted that he had performed on stone xylophones and stone horns in South Korea many times during exchange programs between Phu Yen province (formerly) and its sister province Chungbuk, but this time was completely different: performing at the Blue House for the General Secretary and the President, along with their wives!

Before the leaders of the two countries, People's Artist Thanh Hai performed an opening act with an impromptu rendition of the Tây Nguyên mountains and forests, followed by the heroic spirit of Vietnam with the song "Dòng máu Lạc Hồng" (The Bloodline of Lạc Hồng), and concluding with the famous Korean folk melody Arirang.

When the performance ended, the applause from the distinguished guests was prolonged, filled with admiration and delight. The sounds of the stone instruments from millennia past resonated and echoed. General Secretary To Lam and his wife personally gave a detailed introduction to the Tuy An stone xylophone (8 bars), the set of stone xylophones with the most accurate scale, dating back 2,500-3,000 years, and provided an overview of Vietnamese stone xylophones.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and his wife enjoyed trying out the stone xylophone with mallets in the presence of General Secretary To Lam and his wife. Photo: Provided by People's Artist Thanh Hai.

When the Tuy An stone xylophone, performed by People's Artist Thanh Hai, resonated at the Blue House (South Korea), after applause from the leaders of both countries, we understood: The cultural story of Vietnam, told in the language of stone and of our ancestors, has touched the hearts of the world today.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and his wife were delighted by the clear, melodious, and sometimes deep, resonant sounds emanating from the rough, rugged stone xylophones. In particular, the Vietnamese stone xylophone could even play the famous Korean folk song Arirang. “The South Korean President and his wife were so delighted that they even tried playing the stone xylophone themselves. I happily guided the leaders of their country in playing the Vietnamese stone xylophone, filling them with happiness and pride,” People's Artist Thanh Hai happily recounted.

People's Artist Bui Thanh Hai is the person who persistently brought the stone xylophone to the big stage and beyond the borders of Vietnam.

Graduating with a degree in Music, specializing in trumpet, Thanh Hai quickly demonstrated his ability to "touch" many musical materials: drums, keyboard, guitar, harmony - orchestration, and dance music composition… At the Sao Bien Folk Music and Dance Theatre, he is not only a musician but also a silent conductor, designing the sound space for programs of all sizes.

For artist Thanh Hai, the stone xylophone is not just a musical instrument but also a prehistoric heritage imbued with the spirit of the mountains and rivers. He persistently studies scales, striking techniques, mallet placement, and how to control sustain and mute the sound of the stones to ensure they are both accurate and expressive. In Sao Bien's signature performances, such as "The Voice of the Stone," "The Soul of the Stone," and "My Hometown Festival," he combines the stone xylophone with percussion, strings, wind instruments, and even electronics to create multi-layered compositions that generate resonant climaxes. The sound of the stones is no longer "monotonous" but becomes a spectrum of nuances: sometimes clear and pure, sometimes sharp and edgy, and sometimes rich and resonant.

In 2019, Meritorious Artist Bui Thanh Hai was awarded the title of People's Artist by the State for his outstanding contributions to the preservation and promotion of traditional Vietnamese music in Dak Lak in particular and Vietnam in general.

But perhaps Thanh Hai's greatest achievement lies in the "reach" of stone instruments. Over the years, he and his colleagues have taken stone xylophones and stone horns beyond the local stage to regional and international cultural and artistic spaces. Performances, exchanges, and exhibitions in Laos, South Korea, and other countries have helped foreign audiences experience a Vietnam that is both ancient and contemporary.

Each time the stone xylophone steps onto the stage, the audience seems to hear the sound of waves crashing on the shore, the wind blowing across Mũi Điện, the rhythmic rowing of fishermen, the rhythmic carrying of people to their fields in the undulating mountains, the echoes and resonances from ancient times. Furthermore, he directly encourages his colleagues to experiment with combining the stone xylophone with double drums, gongs, H'Mông flutes, electric guitars, or synthesizers… Therefore, the programs he directs always have an “open” structure: rich in folk traditions without being outdated, deeply modern without losing their roots.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/van-hoa-du-lich-van-hoc-nghe-thuat/202508/dan-da-cham-nhip-trai-tim-39e02c5/