Members of Hoang Mai Luu Group. From left to right: Huynh Van Tieng, Luu Huu Phuoc, Mai Van Bo. Photo courtesy
Until 1974, at the end of the year. I came from the South to Hanoi , heard that Mr. Tu - musician Luu Huu Phuoc - called Mr. Bao Dinh Giang, inviting me to his house. That day, he gave me a day in the Southwest.
I arrived in the morning, and Tu was at home to welcome me. We ate candy, drank tea, and answered a few questions about how the South was now. I also answered to make Tu happy. Actually, I did not know Tu's family in Can Tho , they were upper class, so he, Tieng, and Bo had more convenience in going to school than others. Tu said: "This house used to be a mansion of the Westerners, but now the government has assigned me to be the reception office for the National Liberation Front Committee of South Vietnam with foreign friends." The house is big and luxurious. But very few people live there. In the back hallway, there is a musician named Huynh Tho who is extremely poor. Seeing me with Tu, Huynh Tho ran out to greet me and said he was from the South, staying in the back hallway of the building.
Later I found out: Right here, Mr. Tu Luu Huu Phuoc had been considering for many months the wonderful song by musician Tran Kiet Tuong - the song "HO CHI MINH IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL NAME" - when to publish it. Would Uncle Ho be pleased? Mr. Tu turned on the tape player for the leaders to listen carefully. The intention was to ask Uncle Ho's permission to publish this song, but before he could prepare, singer Quoc Huong impatiently sang it for Uncle Ho to listen to first. Uncle Ho "remained silent" but happily accepted, making the music world of the whole country happy. The song partly responded to Uncle Ho's gratitude. Most importantly, it expressed the hearts of the Southern people towards Uncle Ho. Mr. Tu "showed off" to me the success of Mr. Tran Kiet Tuong.
I said, we in the Southwest have arranged your songs into musical scenes. Like “Hoi Hoi Dien Hong” and “Bach Dang Giang”. As for your song “Dong Nam A”, you almost forgot it and didn’t include it in the collection. I had to sing it again for you to hear.
“The sky lifts the sunlight to cover all Asia: Slaves break out of prisons. The flag of freedom flies over the glorious Pacific, covering the mountains and hills, covering the Indian Ocean...”
Anh Tu was touched. I didn’t expect that I knew most of the songs by heart. He thanked me and begged me to copy down the poems I composed for him as souvenirs. I copied “The Forest and Sea of My Hometown” and “The Road to the City” for him.
For me and my comrades, the memories of Tu Luu Huu Phuoc are even more warm and intimate. In times of danger and hardship, his lyrics suddenly arose as a sacred encouragement: “From the trenches, one day when I heard Uncle Ho’s voice, my heart was as bright as a flower blooming…” - from the song “Uncle Ho’s Love Brightens My Life” by Luu Huu Phuoc. And the triumphant song seemed to urge everyone to raise their voices as they marched: “To liberate the South, we are determined to move forward, destroy the American imperialists, and defeat the traitors…” - from his song “Liberate the South”.
Nguyen Ba
Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/nhac-si-tai-danh-dat-tay-do-luu-huu-phuoc-a188149.html
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