When I learned of the passing of composer Ton That Lap at Hospital 175 after a period of treatment, I also learned that four organizations – the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports , the Ho Chi Minh City Music Association, the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union, and HTV – would be organizing a program to honor composer Ton That Lap on the evening of August 5th at the City Theater. I was deeply moved, firstly by the camaraderie among artists, and secondly by the exemplary dedication to his art that has influenced our generation of young composers since the reunification of the country.
The leading bird
At that time, I worked at the Workers' Liberation Newspaper, now the Laborer Newspaper, and he was featured in articles published on our arts and culture page. He was a man of few words, reserved and pensive, but few knew how mischievous he was, always making people laugh. He would share funny stories from his creative journeys from the South to the North, from his time in the student movement, and we came to understand his personality as very much a Ton That Lap.
Composer Ton That Lap (third from the right) receives the "Golden Apricot Blossom Award of Gratitude" from Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper in March 2023. (Photo: HOANG TRIEU)
He always possessed an optimistic spirit, capable of quickly resolving sorrows, so the jokes he told were always satirical and humorous, helping us dispel the weariness of those early days when the country was still in disarray. In his creative work and in building the movement at the Ho Chi Minh City People's Art House, now the Ho Chi Minh City Cultural Center, he was a leading figure, discovering, nurturing, and training young composers and singers.
We learned from him the spirit of composing songs to encourage the anti-war movement called "Sing for My Compatriots," and when the group of musicians "The Friends" was formed and actively worked at the Youth Cultural Center, with the spirit of an older brother, he always sincerely offered suggestions, corrected, praised, and encouraged the compositions of young musicians.
I also learned that he used to lead a tour group, taking singers from the 1990s to tour European countries. Even though he was already famous at the time with songs like "Spring Love Song," "Youth Love Song," and "Eternal Love," he always listened to audience feedback to continue refining his compositions.
Many works have resonated with the public.
In March 2023, when I learned that he had been honored by the Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper at a series of cultural events held at Gigamall Thu Duc Shopping Center, and received a gift from the "Mai Vang Appreciation" program at the "Mai Vang Milestone" Gala, I called to congratulate him. He said: "Sitting here, I remembered you, because Vu Hoang contributed to the Mai Vang Awards."
I immediately remembered that when Editor-in-Chief Phan Hong Chien was in charge of organizing a platform for readers, I met him at the Ho Chi Minh City Music Association. He suggested that I organize an award to encourage artists and writers to work and create. That's how the "Most Popular Artist of the Year" award was created in 1991, the predecessor of the current Mai Vang Award.
Whenever the organizing committee of this award needed advice from the Expert Council, he was always ready to participate alongside musicians Xuan Hong, Pham Trong Cau, Diep Minh Tuyen… I am moved that his current colleagues have been able to honor him in a timely manner, as a profound thank you for his contributions to this life through the extremely meaningful "Golden Apricot Blossom Tribute" activity.
Last year, when he turned 80, the HTV Television Theater organized "Singing for My People," allowing younger audiences to look back on his more than half-century-long career in songwriting. I felt nostalgic for his witty jokes and his optimistic, cheerful personality. Born in 1942 in Da Nang , raised in Hue, he rose to fame and was well-received by the public in Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City.
He and his patriotic comrades and fellow students ignited the indomitable spirit of youth, ensuring that the late 1960s, a period of student-led anti-war movements, will forever live on in the memories of the entire nation. He composed songs that influenced many generations of young people in the country, such as "Sing for My People," "Sing for My Homeland," and "Rice Rustling Across the Fields." He also studied at the Hanoi Conservatory of Music in the North before returning to the South to work in the cultural sector of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam.
In 1973, he went to France to study and participated in the Congress of Overseas Vietnamese Students in Paris (France) in 1974. After graduating with a master's degree from Hanoi University of Culture, he held the positions of Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Music Association, Vice President of the Vietnam Musicians Association, and worked at the Department of Culture and Information of Ho Chi Minh City.
Despite his managerial role, he continued to compose, his heart still beating as he wrote many new songs that were loved by young people, such as: "Love Song of Youth," "Tri An's Echoes of Spring," "Whispering Rain," "Rock, Paper, Scissors," "Cute Little Girl," "Love Forever," etc.
Please light this incense stick to bid farewell to him!
Source: https://nld.com.vn/van-nghe/nhac-si-ton-that-lap-vang-mai-nhung-bai-tinh-ca-20230726205106737.htm
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