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Van Cao - Composer of Patriotism and Love Composer Van Cao worked with great zeal for the revolution even before the August Revolution (August 1945). He wrote Tien Quan Ca (Marching Song) at the request of the Military Administration School and in November 1944, the song was engraved on stone by Van Cao himself and printed in Doc Lap (Independence) newspaper. Upon arriving in Hanoi, when he was passing by Mai Hac De Street, he heard his song being played on the mandolin. "I stopped and suddenly felt deeply moved. Probably the people in disastrous situation who I met on my miserable path were now taking up arms and singing the song". (1) On August 17, 1945, at a meeting of the Hanoi people, the Five-Winged Star Red flag was hoisted on the top of the Grand Theatre and the whole auditorium resounded with the Marching Song. President Ho Chi Minh chose this song himself for the national anthem of a new Vietnam and later the National Assembly officially ratified the song. All the patriotic Vietnamese, from the national defending soldiers to the women operating in the jungles of the Northern Vietnam, the mothers in the Southern Vietnam s resistance area, the political prisoners on Con Dao (Poulo Condor) Island, on Phu Quoc Island, in Tong Nha (the Saigon regime s Police Headquarters), in Phu Loi prison, all sang the song, urging them to keep firm their fighting spirit, braving their lives in the fight against the enemy, "The flag is printed with blood and permeated with national soul. Do rise up to break up the fetters". Whenever Van Cao is remembered, his majestic and eternal Marching Song is also recalled. That kind, gentle man brewed in his soul an aspiration and confidence of the enslaved whole nation which was to rise up. Half a century has gone by, but today whenever the song is sung, our gratitude should go to Van Cao, who wrote such a majestic song for the nation. Van Cao was born on November 15, 1923. In 1939, at 16 years of age, he wrote Buon Tan Thu (Sadness at the End of Autumn), then Thien Thai (Eden) in 1941, Ben Xuan (The Shore of Spring) in 1942, Cung Dan Xua (The Old Tune) in 1942, Suoi Mo (Dreamy Stream) in 1943 and Truong Chi in 1943. A stream of love songs overflew from the heart of a young man who had never known what love was like, who had never taken the hand of a girl (2). It was probably the way for the young man of great aspiration to get out of the deadlock when his country was being invaded. His music and lyrics were touched with sadness, yet the pure, innocent sadness without being getting turbid. None of his love songs are so sad. They are now mournfull, now uplifting, perfect with words taken from the poems written by Van Cao himself. For this reason, until today these works have still made people dazed, raising man s soul to the world of purity. Thien Thai and Truong Chi songs are the peak of romantic music, and also from this peak, Van Cao decided to follow the revolutionary struggle for national independence. Thien Thai was the dream amid a filthy world, while Truong Chi was a failed love story between an artist and a girl of an aristocratic family. Beside the romatic world of his music are the patriotic songs: Go Dong Da (Dong Da Mound), Thang Long Hanh khuc, or Marching Song, Song Lo (the Lo River), Tien Ve Ha Noi (Advance towards Hanoi). The romantic tunes has brought Van Cao to the world of love songs, and this romance together with his patriotism helped raise his soul to write revolutionary songs calling on young people to fight against the enemy, "Oh, Thang Long, oh, Thang Long, oh, Thang Long, tomorrow in glory we will build it with heroic spirit..." Van Cao, that dreamy man, let his soul fly far from reality so that he could write songs, Hai Quan Vietnam (Vietnam Navy), Khong Quan Vietnam (Vietnam Air Force). His love for the revolutionary army, his aspiration helped him go ahead of time for several decades. Then the nationwide resistance war broke out and Van Cao joined the revolutionary forces and went to the resistance base in Viet Bac (the Northern Vietnam), where he wrote such musical pieces as Lang Toi (My Village) or Ngay Mai (Tomorrow). These songs were permeated with his love for the home village, for the guerillas. His once romantic heart now opened to welcome a wind of change in his emotion. It was the war then, the sacrifice, the losses, the yearnings of the people. His music was full of fragrance of new rice plants, the rice fields in flame, they were the "rustic symphony" in his soul. During the war years, Van Cao dreamt of the day when the liberation army advanced towards Hanoi. Yet, only 5 to 6 years after that his dream could come true. Art is so wonderful. With dreams it can help create its reality, and a great artist can find the harmonious complement of art and reality, "The five gates of the city are welcoming home the returning army. Like the welcoming flower cup opening up its five petals stayed with shining dew drops"... Yet all these songs are only small when they are placed beside the majestic musical piece "Song Lo." In the prelude part, the composer put in a poetic, legendary atmosphere of Viet Bac, then a Song Lo in war, very gradiose, fierce, and in the final part, Van Cao describes Song Lo in a gentle, ardent music. In 1947, when Van Cao was 24, he wrote Song Lo, a long poem in music, rich in colour. It was his success, touched with the majestic taste of Beethoven s music as he later admitted. Song Lo has gone into Vietnam s history as a great exploit of art beside the great exploit of the people and army in defeating the French colonialists. And it will remain forever in the heart of the people. Van Cao was a talented, sensitive man. He had aspirations for success in many artistic areas like music, poetry and painting. His poems explored the inner world of man; his paintings, particularly his illustrations, had a style of his own. But whenever we talk about Van Cao, we talk of his music first. Over the past half of the century, he has been a great composer. Van Cao has passed away, but the art world of his remains for generation after generation to enjoy immensely and passionately, to love and respect him, a love which is as pure and noble as his soul and music./.
(1) From the Memoirs "Why did I write 'Marching Song'’". (2) His intimate talk during the interview on 28 July 1993. |
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