The song 'Uncle Ho's Testament' - when the heart sings

Uncle Ho's paternal home is in Sen Village, Kim Lien (Nam Dan). Photo: Thanh Cuong

I searched and thought it was not just a song, a music video but a confession of simple people with pure love for Uncle Ho, for his sacred Testament, for the land of Nghe An exposed to the sun and rain. The song is called "Uncle Ho's Testament".

There are thousands of scholars, researchers, writers, poets... in the country and the world who have studied and written about President Ho Chi Minh's Testament - one of the 5 works and articles of the President recognized as a National Treasure. But using Uncle Ho's Testament as material for a musical work, specifically a song, is not simple, or in other words, very difficult. However, the song "Uncle Ho's Testament" seems to have overcome the rigidity and political nature of the material to become closer, more rustic, and more intimate to each listener. It is a wonderful combination of poetry and music. And it is also a meeting between the poet - Colonel Duong Dinh Van - Head of the Internal Political Security Department (PA03) - Nghe An Police and the musician - Meritorious Artist Tran Van Hong - Deputy Director of the Center for Culture, Sports and Communications of Thai Hoa town.

Let me say a little about those two special people.

When poetry and music are given wings

Colonel Duong Dinh Van - Head of Department PA03 - Nghe An Police at the office. Photo: Huyen Thuong

I have known Mr. Duong Dinh Van for almost 20 years. At that time, he was working at the Security Team - Vinh City Police. We often worked together in propaganda work on cultural security issues, fighting against acts and violations in the field of cultural ideology.

After a while, I transferred to a new unit, Mr. Duong Dinh Van was also transferred to a number of units in the Public Security sector, then for 8 years he held the position of leader of Thai Hoa Town Police, before returning to Department PA03 and holding the position of Department Head as he is now.

As for Meritorious Artist Tran Van Hong, I met him about five years ago, when he was the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Hieu Commune, Thai Hoa Town. Tran Van Hong seemed to be born to sing Vi and Giam folk songs and immerse himself in the melodies of his homeland. He grew up from mass art activities, from competitions, performances, and art festivals of Phu Quy and Nghe An. Although he did not receive basic training in music theory or song composition, with his natural talent for music and his passion for self-study, Tran Van Hong composed many songs that were highly appreciated by experts. Songs composed by Tran Van Hong were not only performed at mass competitions but also at major festivals across the country. He wrote 21 songs, including 5 songs about Uncle Ho, 6 songs about Phu Quy and songs about love for the homeland and country. But when they came across the poetry of Colonel Duong Dinh Van, the two seemed to have a very strange fate.

Perhaps the “fate” of poetry and music between the two people coincidentally began during the time when Colonel Duong Dinh Van was assigned by the Provincial Police to Thai Hoa to hold the position of leader of the Town Police. Here, the poetic soul of the People’s Police officer met the musical soul of the folk artist. And when the harmony blended into a musical product, people suddenly realized that it was a wonderful combination of two simple people in every word and action.

Two people, one heart

Colonel Duong Dinh Van said that he was never good at literature or poetry. The 57-year-old man born in Quynh Hau (Quynh Luu) also said that he never thought he would be able to write poetry. But he was influenced and drawn into poetry by his father-in-law. At that time, his father-in-law (also a police officer) often asked him to record his poems, and then whenever he was sad or missed him, he would turn on the device to listen to his poems. Having worked for many years in the field of cultural security and political security, he also had the opportunity to meet and make friends with many artists. Some people even introduced him to Tang poetry, Luc Bat, etc. Colonel Duong Dinh Van said jokingly that, for him, writing poetry is like a training and polishing process. That said, I know that one must be a person rich in emotions and living a life of love in order for his heart to be able to express itself in verse.

Colonel Duong Dinh Van and Meritorious Artist Tran Van Hong received the A prize at the 2020 Songwriting Contest about the People's Public Security Forces. Photo: NVCC

Returning to the poem “Uncle Ho’s Testament”, Colonel Duong Dinh Van said that the poem’s idea did not come to him suddenly like many other poems he had written before. He had read Uncle Ho’s Testament many times and for many years. He read Uncle Ho’s Testament not only because it was the sacred testament of President Ho Chi Minh to the entire Party, the entire people and future generations, but more than that, he felt the great, boundless love of the Father of the nation for each person, each specific individual, including the People’s Public Security soldiers. Colonel Duong Dinh Van also said that in many ways, researchers, scholars, writers and journalists can introduce Uncle Ho’s Testament to the public and the people, especially at a time when the entire Party, the entire people and the entire army are studying his example, morality and style. Personally, he wants to use poetic imagery to express his heart for Uncle Ho and his homeland. He wrote the poem in one night, but it took more than a month of reading and revising before he sent it to Meritorious Artist Tran Van Hong to see if it "sounded good".

Colonel Duong Dinh Van talks with Nghe An Newspaper reporters. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Surprisingly, less than 10 days after receiving the poem, Meritorious Artist Tran Van Hong "breathed musical soul" into the poem. The poem is just simple, rustic sentences and words, but when the sharp notes, flat notes, high notes, low notes gradually appear on the music sheet, each lyric of the song becomes as captivating as a stream of water resounding in the heart:“Uncle Ho's will passed down to many generations/Uncle Ho's will is Vietnam's heritage/Uncle Ho's will is a sacred flame/It is a compass that guides the way”.

Over the phone, Meritorious Artist Tran Van Hong - Deputy Director of the Center for Culture, Sports and Communications of Thai Hoa town, happily said that he and Colonel Duong Dinh Van seemed to be a "perfect couple". The song "Uncle Ho's Testament" is not the first collaboration between the two. There have been at least 7 songs in which the poet is Duong Dinh Van and the composer is Tran Van Hong. Notable songs include: "March of the Police on Uncle Ho's Homeland"; "The Soldier Guarding the Border"; "Thai Hoa in Me"... These songs have also participated in many performances in the province, region and nationwide. In particular, if "Thai Hoa in Me" has become a traditional song for the people of Thai Hoa town, the work "March of the Police on Uncle Ho's Homeland" was awarded an A prize at the 2020 National Songwriting Contest on the topic of the People's Public Security.

Meritorious Artist Tran Van Hong said: There is a very strange thing that every time Colonel Duong Dinh Van sent him a poem to see if it would be "good for anything", it seemed like the sharp and flat notes would automatically resound in his head, and the music would just flow out. Tran Van Hong said that this is also a strange harmony between poetry and music. "Many units and individuals came to see me with a thick book of poems, asking me to find a poem to put to music, and also said that they did not lack money, but could not turn it into a musical product. But somehow, every time I read Van's poem, the musical notes danced in my head. I never talked about money, I found something suitable and liked, so I put it to music" - Meritorious Artist Tran Van Hong shared.

Tran Van Hong found the musicality in the poem “Uncle Ho’s Testament” perhaps also from the harmony in his thoughts about President Ho Chi Minh. It was in Dong Hieu land - where he had been attached since birth and grew up - that he welcomed Uncle Ho to visit in December 1961. Loving and respecting him, he composed many songs with the image of Uncle Ho, but with the song “Uncle Ho’s Testament”, he and the Head of PA03 Duong Dinh Van sent a little bit of their hearts to his spirit./.