A book 1,000 Songs of Thang Long-Ha Noi will be published by the Music Publishing House to mark the 1,000th anniversary of capital Ha Noi this October. The publisher commissioned musician and critic Nguyen Thuy Kha to compile the songs.
His draft book currently runs to about 2,000 pages and features the work of 500 composers. But he wants to collect more songs before the book goes to print.
Could you tell us more about the 1,000 Songs of Thang Long-Ha Noi?
The publisher invited me to review songs about Ha Noi which were written from about 70 years ago onwards. I had the idea to write the book a long time ago. Following the liberation of Sai Gon, I began to collect the songs. The draft was written in 2008. I think that many musicians wanted to do the project, but their collections weren't so large.
But how could I make the idea a reality? I was determined to carry out the project when I was commissioned by the publisher. I wrote a book entitled 1,000 Vietnamese Love Songs previously. But that was much easier.
How is the book structured?
I think Ha Noi is an extremely broad theme for musicians. At the beginning, Professor Duong Viet A suggested I divide the book into four parts, including historical songs; heroic song; joyful songs and love songs. While researching I found that Ha Noi differed from other locations because of the four seasons the city experiences. So I added seasonal songs and children's songs.
What categories were used to select the songs?
The selection was based on four categories. First, songs composed from the start of modern musical period, distinct from folk traditional songs. Despite being instrumentals, these songs seem to capture Ha Noi; songs such as Thu Co Lieu (Lonely Autumn) by Van Cao, where an autumn morning in Ha Noi inspired him to write the song at Lang Pagoda in Ha Noi.
Additionally other songs written in Ha Noi are also listed. The song Que Toi (My Homeland) by musician Luu Cau features his homeland in the south. It has a word Ho Tay (West Lake) in the first line.
Another song Pho Buon (Sad Street) by Pham Duy describes the small lanes and houses which are typically Hanoian.
Were there any difficulties in collecting the songs?
Obviously, there were. I've had to go to the south to collect the musical scores and lyrics. My collection is a master work; I've collected a huge range of sources. But it isn't always easy to collect these things, as people aren't really aware of the importance of the material.
There were almost no love songs from the American war. Love songs were not popular at that time. The musicians wrote love songs but they didn't publish them. It's time to discover them.
I've finished the draft. But I want to call on everyone who knows songs about Ha Noi to send them to me until this May. I will edit the final draft, including the best then.
You are known as a living Vietnamese music dictionary. But is it reasonable that you alone should decide the contents of such an important book?
I've thrown myself into this project, heart and soul. However, I know that there are many songs which have captured the public imagination. But I can't put them in the book because I don't have access to their manuscripts. I obviously can't include every song about Ha Noi.
Many musicians don't keep their manuscripts and I have to put them together myself and rewrite them. I will select the best 100 songs featuring Vietnamese history. The first song, Mua Xuan Tren Song To (Spring at the To River) about the Ly dynasty in the 11th century, is followed by Hoi Nghi Dien Hong (Dien Hong Conference) about the Tran dynasty.
I think that the song Nguoi Ha Noi (Hanoians) by Nguyen Dinh Thi is my favourite.
Will the book be published in time to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of the capital?
It will. It will take two weeks to print the book. Money is always a problem. But I will try to publish the book before October 10 the actual date for the event. If the publishing house doesn't have the money to publish it, I'll pay for it myself. — VNS