One love

(Baonghean) - There are many reasons why people come together. Some reasons are for making a living, some are for loyalty and friendship... And there is one reason why former students of Phan Boi Chau School gather at their alma mater amidst the cold winter days - because they share a common love for the folk songs and melodies of Nghe An province...

Comrade Dinh Thi Le Thanh and People's Artist Hong Luu interact with the audience. Photo: Thanh Chung.

With that love, we – former students of Phan Boi Chau High School from many generations – have gathered under the roof of our beloved school to express our feelings about the special event: “UNESCO honors Nghe An-Tinh Giam folk songs as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity.” The expressions of love, joy, pride, and affection for Nghe An-Tinh Giam folk songs are evident in everyone's hearts. Folk songs are shared through links, and there are even more elaborate articles about the current situation, solutions, and strategies for preserving and promoting Nghe An-Tinh Giam folk songs. All of this reflects a deep love for these songs, and behind it lies the pride and love for our homeland of the people of Nghe An from all over the country. In just a few days, an atmosphere of Nghe An-Tinh Giam folk songs has permeated the personal pages and community groups on Facebook of generations of Phan Boi Chau students.

Stepping beyond the paper and smartphone forums, the idea of ​​organizing performances of Ví and Giặm folk songs within the community, to spread Ví and Giặm more widely, was born and quickly embraced and implemented by enthusiastic members of the association. "Returning to the Land of Ví and Giặm" - the first program was held at Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted. The purpose was to give current students of the school a relatively complete understanding of Ví and Giặm folk songs, and also to revitalize the art form. Furthermore, former students wanted to use this program to express their gratitude to their teachers and their beloved Phan Boi Chau High School.

The "Returning to the Land of Folk Songs and Melodies" exchange program fully recreated the Lam-Hong countryside, steeped in folk songs and melodies. The sharing of provincial leaders, the appearance of folk artists, and researchers of folk culture and traditional music inspired new ideas to give folk songs and melodies a truly unique and authentic life of the land and people of Nghe An.

The "Offering Betel" cultural exchange performance by former students of class K25.

The folk songs of Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces, originally formed and developed in labor and production, have always been a sustainable companion throughout the nation's history. Therefore, the sounds of "mo, te, rang, rua," and the slightly accented Nghe An dialect have naturally and simply permeated each verse and melody of these songs. The powerful spread of Nghe An and Ha Tinh folk songs is also due to the fact that this art form perfectly distills the essence of intellect and learning. In the past, teachers from Nghe An, such as Nguyen Du and Phan Boi Chau, always incorporated these folk songs into their lessons. Each folk song, each melody, is a reflection of a philosophy of life, containing love and resentment, but regardless of the state or setting, it is always imbued with lyricism and humanism, to the point of "Anger may be present, but love only grows stronger"...

Concerned about the preservation of folk music heritage, at the cultural exchange event, People's Artist Hong Luu – the person who breathed life into contemporary folk songs – expressed her wish: “To preserve and develop folk songs, the participation of intellectuals is essential. And if schools with a long history of achievements like Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted participate, I believe in the long-term vitality of folk songs. Because each person in Nghe An is a living entity of folk songs, the younger generation should continue the work of the older generation to be more proactive and engage more with folk songs, so that the living entity of folk songs will continue to develop.”

Explaining the enduring vitality of the Ví and Giặm folk songs, composer Lê Hàm, who has many compositions with the folk music style of Nghệ An province, shared: “The reason why Ví and Giặm folk songs have been able to endure for thousands of years alongside the nation's history and remain loved and admired amidst the hustle and bustle of modern music is because, in addition to the ancient melodies, Ví and Giặm folk songs have been developed with many compositions that have a sweet, profound folk music style that suits the lives, thoughts, and feelings of the people.”

The greatest impact of the "Returning to the Land of Ví and Giặm" exchange event was the rekindling of a shared passion for Nghệ-Tĩnh folk songs among generations of teachers and students at Phan School. This included alumni from classes K4, K5, K9, K12, K16, K18, and K25 – those who left the school 20 or 30 years ago – as well as K43 students who had just entered the school.

Driven by the compelling call of folk songs and melodies, Phan Ngoc Minh, a student from the 12th grade, returned to her alma mater today after 30 years away. She shared: “When folk songs and melodies were recognized by UNESCO, I was very happy, but I didn't feel a strong connection. It wasn't until I attended this exchange event and listened to them that I relived moments from my childhood, immersing myself in the melodious folk songs. More than ever, I love folk music, the people of Nghe An, and my country even more.”

Regarding this exchange, overcoming any discord, off-key moments, or forgotten lyrics, the folk songs of the Ví and Giặm genres, regardless of the theme, were sung with heartfelt love. Alongside the enthusiasm and skillful performances of "River Chant," "Hat Phuong Non," etc., by artists from the Center for Preservation and Promotion of Nghe An Folk Song Heritage, there was the simple, innocent charm of former student Dang Anh Phuong - K25, the first class with a Folk Song Club at Phan School, with her rendition of "Teaching a Wife from the Time She's First Alone." While People's Artist Hong Luu was full of energy with her many Ví and Giặm melodies, the female students of the 10th grade Literature class C1 were equally confident with their Xam song "The Merits of Father and Mother, the Gratitude to Teachers." Phan Lê Thục Hiền nervously confided: “This is my first time performing on a large stage, especially in a context where most young people prefer pop, Korean, European, and American music, and not many know or understand folk songs. Most of us students specializing in Literature have nurtured our love for folk music from our teachers, from textbooks or five-word and seven-word poems. The folk song performance of 'The Gratitude to Parents and Teachers' started from a folk song competition in our class.”

It is also from the love of the teachers for this land, for the invaluable spiritual heritage of the people of Nghe An, that students of Phan School, through generations, have a special love for the folk songs of Nghe An and Nghe An. And from this school, many students have been both academically excellent and knowledgeable in singing these folk melodies. During the exchange night, a special composition by former students of the Literature class of 2012, titled "Vi Giam Calling Friends of Phan School," was a warm expression of gratitude from the former students of Phan School to their teachers – those who nurtured their dreams, helping them soar high and far across the country and internationally.

The chill of the winter night was dispelled by the warmth of the love that teachers and students of generations at Phan Boi Chau High School have for the folk songs of Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces. This love has brought them closer together, strengthening their bonds. It will surely be a source of inspiration for them to flourish and soar higher and further. Following the first exchange held at Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted, many more exchanges honoring the beauty of Nghe An folk songs will be organized by former students of Phan Boi Chau High School throughout the country, so that Nghe An folk songs may be given renewed vitality, spread widely, take root in the lives of every Vietnamese person, and continue to flow in the cultural currents of humanity…

What remains after "Returning to the Land of Ví and Giặm" is a deep, profound, and yearning love for the Ví and Giặm of Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces, and as Le Quang Thang said, "the Ví and Giặm melodies are you."

From infancy, listening to the lullabies of their grandmothers and mothers, with their rich folk songs, no matter where they go or what they do, students of Phan School in particular, and people from Nghe An in general, always yearn for the folk songs of Nghe Tinh, the sweet milk of folk music that nourishes the souls of those born from this land of outstanding people and beautiful scenery. For many generations of Phan School students, their love for Nghe Tinh folk songs has now become a cherished treasure, something they always hold dear in every step of their lives.

An Nhan