Tran Hoan, musician of spring

During the 1980s-1990s and until now, every time spring comes to the streets and corners, many spring songs by Tran Hoan resound on the radio and television. "Oh my dear, spring has come back on the branches and leaves..." , From the song "Spring love song"; "A small spring"; to the song "Sing about spring"; "What do you think when spring comes"... He has dozens of articles about spring or spring-inspired songs. His songs about spring are loved and have lasting vitality. Quang Tri people are always proud to have a son who is a minister, an exemplary revolutionary cadre, a musician who composes songs about the homeland, the country, and spring that stir people's hearts.

Musician Tran Hoan-Photo: TL

Musician Tran Hoan, whose real name is Nguyen Tang Hich, was born in 1928 in a rural area of ​​Hai Tan commune, Hai Lang district. He taught himself music and composed since the age of 16 or 17. At the age of 20, he wrote the famous song "Son Nu Ca". With this song, some people believe that "he is in the group of famous pre-war musicians such as: Van Cao, Doan Chuan, Le Thuong, Dang The Phong"...

Although he became famous early, he was not a professional musician but a revolutionary cadre, participating in the fight against French colonialism since his school days. He was tempered in hardship and difficulty, and gradually matured. He was trusted by his teammates and superiors and assigned many important responsibilities such as: Director of Hai Phong Department of Culture, Head of Binh Tri Thien Information Department, Deputy Secretary of Hanoi Party Committee, Member of the Party Central Committee (term VI, VII), National Assembly delegate of the 8th term, Minister of Culture and Information, Deputy Head of the Central Ideology and Culture Committee, Chairman of the National Committee of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations...

Being a leader and manager with so many daily tasks to solve takes up almost all of his time. Only in his free time when he feels inspired does he start writing music, composing only a few works each year. The number is not much, but in return, many of his songs are very good, becoming widely popular and loved by listeners. There are songs that live forever with time, especially songs written about spring, full of excitement, excitement, and youthfulness like spring is coming. Tran Hoan is one of the best musicians who write spring music, he is called by many people as "musician of spring".

Writing songs about spring is not only inspired by the change of time, the freshness of all things and the universe, but also shows an optimistic spirit, love of life, helping listeners temporarily forget the difficulties and hardships of current life. Mrs. Thanh Hong (Mr. Tran Hoan's wife) once said about her husband's spring songs: "Mr. Hoan is passionate about writing music, infatuated with spring. Spring always gives him new, sublime, creative emotions...".

The song “Spring Love Song” shows that spring comes as a change of heaven and earth, all things are filled with fresh spring colors. The beginning of the song is the young man’s announcement of spring’s arrival : “Oh my dear, spring has come to the branches and leaves / The birds’ chirps are so sweet that the sky is so blue” . The song was born in 1978 (based on Nguyen Loan’s poem) in a country with many difficulties, just 3 years after the complete liberation of the South, the wounds had not healed, the fields and fields were still full of bombs and bullets.

In daily meals, there were many cassava instead of rice, plus the sound of gunfire at both ends of the border... but the lyrics and melody were not sad at all, but clear, excited, and strangely optimistic. The song reflected the reality of life at that time: "In your smiling eyes, there is the green color of cassava/ in your pretty hands, there is the shape of a green canal" .

These are the lyrics of Tran Hoan (the original poem by Nguyen Loan is "In your smiling eyes there is the green color of mountains and rivers/In the arms of dreams embracing the shape of green canals" ) the word "savory cassava" was added by the author to express life at that time. The reality of life is not as desired but the melody is still cheerful, pure, and optimistic: " Spring has come , my dear, the first rain has a strange look/ Spring has come , my dear, the new sunshine has flown back" .

This song also carries the author's personal feelings, the joy of meeting after many years of war separation of musician Tran Hoan and his wife. The longing for his wife in the rear during many years of war and the joy of being reunited with his family helped the author write a passionate, lyrical, and affectionate love song.

The song had a great impact, especially on the soldiers at the front line and their wives in the rear: "On the front line to destroy the enemy, your hand is strong/In the distant rear, my hand is steady."

Brilliant spring colors - Photo: TN

Just 3 years later, musician Tran Hoan had another song about spring that reached its peak. The song “Little Spring”, recorded and broadcast on the radio in the spring of 1981, was based on the poem by Thanh Hai - a long-time comrade of Tran Hoan.

Both revolutionaries contributed to the resistance cause, but they are very modest people in their current lives: “I am a singing bird/I am a flower/A stirring low note /Dissolved in harmony”. When they talk about spring, it is also just... small.

The song depicts a beautiful picture of spring: " Standing in the middle of the green river/ A purple flower / Oh lark/ Why are you singing so loudly in the sky/ Each drop of water falling glisteningly/ I reach out my hand to catch it" ... The sound of joy, stirring people's hearts: "Oh lark/ Why are you singing so loudly in the sky".

Musician Tran Hoan once confided: “We who do art should not boast about doing something great. We can contribute a branch of bamboo, a branch of flower, a musical note, as long as it is in the general harmony of the chorus of art serving the revolution.”

In this song, the spring refrain is repeated many times "Spring, spring...spring" expressing the joy and excitement before spring comes. The song also has the melody of Hue folk songs "Nam Ai, Nam Bang song/ Thousand miles of country and mountains/ Thousand miles of love/ Hue land has the rhythm of the past" ...

In this song, he almost kept most of the words in Thanh Hai's poem, only changing a little. That shows the harmony and understanding of the two friends... It can be said that with a very good poem and a song with beautiful melody and lyrics, spring becomes more exciting and bustling. Through that, it also helps listeners understand the heart of the poet and musician for their beloved homeland and country.

Some time later, in 1987, the audience got to hear the song “Singing about Spring” by Tran Hoan performed by singer Thanh Hoa. The opening of the song is a happy, bustling melody: “La la la la, la la la la... Happy spring has come again , shaking the sunlight with thousands of shimmering colors/Spring is coming , giving life rhythm with the scent of new life ”...

In this song by Tran Hoan, we hear the echoes of labor, production, and building the country. Spring is also associated with the love story of a young couple: "Meeting each other at the construction site , what dream makes your eyes sparkle? / Meeting each other in the field, what do you say that makes the rice fields greener?" Spring is filled with warm sunshine, flowers, and human love.

The song is like a story that combines personal love with love for the vast country on a gentle, cheerful, and clear melody. In addition, Tran Hoan also composed a number of songs about spring or with spring vibes such as: What do you think when spring comes, Visiting Nha Rong wharf, Spring birdsong...

Tran Hoan's songs about spring were mostly written in a difficult situation for the country (late 1970s and 1980s) but were full of vitality, optimism, and a look to the future. They gave us faith, lit a fire to help everyone move forward. Today, every time spring comes, listening to Tran Hoan's spring songs, we still feel elated, excited, and moved like spring of years past.

Hoang Nam Bang

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/tran-hoan-nhac-si-cua-mua-xuan-190890.htm