Unveiling the musical memories of composer Thanh Tung

The "Legacy of Love" exhibition (taking place at 16 Trang Tien, Hanoi from now until June 8th) opens up the memories of musician Thanh Tung, and glimpses within it a dossier of his musical legacy.

When Ms. Bach Duong, daughter of musician Thanh Tung, expressed her desire to find her father's old musical materials, a treasure trove suddenly appeared. More than 20 vinyl records and video tapes were borrowed from a collector. "More than 20 vinyl records bear his mark. He conducted, he arranged, he did so much, and they're all songs I heard as a child but didn't know were by my father. I heard them on the radio back in the 1980s, and they're still in my memory," she recalled.

Ms. Bach Duong stands beside the musical materials of composer Thanh Tung, which are being published for the first time.

PHOTO: TRINH NGUYEN

Of course, Ms. Duong and the late musician's children knew their father was a musician who left his mark on his era. But perhaps they couldn't have imagined that he would be so beloved by music listeners, and that so much documentation of his work would be preserved. The "Legacy of Love" project, launched three years ago to collect his musical legacy, has yet to gather and fully comprehend the number of related works.

"We haven't compiled a complete list yet. When the project started, I also went back to the unit where my father first worked. I heard that he composed hundreds of songs, but initially, we only found over 30. And each year we find 2-3 more of his songs because he moved around a lot. He was also a free-spirited person, so after writing a song or a program, he would just leave it in the local area," Ms. Bach Duong shared.

A wish for a documentary heritage

Therefore, the exhibition on musician Thanh Tung, along with the new collection of recordings provided by the collector, is a starting point in the journey of gathering his musical legacy. These are light songs, speaking of love with very personal emotions: "Lonely Star," "Seaside Street," "Spring Declaration of Love," "Drop of Sunlight on the Threshold, "..., different from the grand narrative of love for the country often seen in the 70s and 80s of the last century.

Musician Thanh Tung lived up to the lyrics of his song, raising three children alone for 25 years.

PHOTO: EXHIBITION ARCHIVE

Among the many autobiographical songs he wrote, there is one that expresses his own feelings after his wife's death – the work "Alone" . A handwritten copy of this work is also on display at the exhibition so that the public can better understand a man who loved freely, who spent many lonely nights "sitting alone remembering you…, I am alone again," a single father raising his children for decades.

Numerous photographic documents about him were also published, from Thanh Tung's childhood to his time studying to become a ship captain in North Korea, where his musical talent was discovered, leading him to study at the Pyongyang Conservatory of Music. There is also a portrait of his wife, whom he loved and remembered for a lifetime. He also worked at the Voice of Vietnam radio station. During that time, his arrangement of "The Green Canal " (by composer Ngo Huynh) was used as the theme music for television throughout the 1980s. Alongside Thanh Tung of light music, the exhibition showcases Thanh Tung of instrumental music, including film scores.

But perhaps, more than just an exhibition, the desire is to move from the "Legacy of Love" exhibition to a music archive for the late composer, which the family calls the Thanh Tung Foundation. This heritage archive that his children are creating stems from a desire to promote their father's musical legacy, and also from the encouragement they feel when the family of composer Hoang Van has had their father's musical assets recognized as a world documentary heritage. "The siblings are determined to do this completely for their father, for their children and grandchildren," Ms. Bach Duong shared.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/mo-ra-ky-uc-am-nhac-cua-nhac-si-thanh-tung-185260525223349399.htm