Society

Musician Duong Hong Tu: Preserving folk culture is like preserving the flesh, blood, memories and identity of the homeland and nation.

Minh Quan • DNUM_AGZAHZCACF 13:37

Towards the Patriotic Emulation Congress of Nghe An province for the period 2020-2025, musician and researcher Duong Hong Tu is one of the delegates selected as a typical example. On this occasion, reporters of Nghe An Newspaper, Radio and Television had a conversation with him about his work process as well as his concerns in preserving the precious cultural heritage of his homeland.

PV:Dear musician Duong Hong Tu, it is known that you have spent most of your life traveling to the villages and hamlets of the Western region of your home province, collecting, preserving and spreading the folk cultural values ​​of ethnic minorities. For you, each sound of the panpipe, gong, song and dance is not only a joyful sound but also the memory and soul of a community. Can you share a little about your life and the opportunity that brought you to collect and research folk music from Western Nghe An?

Musician and researcher Duong Hong Tu:I was born in 1941 in a poor farming family in Da Son commune, Do Luong district, now Thuan Trung commune. My childhood was associated with the days of following my mother to plant and harvest rice for hire, eating rice mixed with cassava, listening to the sound of the buffalo gong in the late afternoon and my mother's simple lullabies. It was from those lullabies that my love for music gradually permeated me.

When I was 10 years old, my family moved to reclaim the new economic zone in Tan Ky and then to Nghia Dan. In the sunny and windy red basalt land of Phu Quy, I first heard lullabies, simple folk songs, and the sound of drums and gongs during the new rice celebration. Those sounds instilled in me a love, making me listen and remember every melody, every drum beat in the mountains and forests, even though at that time I did not know that I would be attached to folk music for the rest of my life.

In 1960, when I was over 18 years old, I volunteered to join the army, was assigned to the Nghe An Armed Police Force (now the Border Guard), and was stationed in the border communes of the West, where the Thai, Mong, and Kho Mu people lived. In that border area, I lived close to my fellow countrymen, heard the Mong flute melodies echoing in the early morning mist, heard the Thai flute melodiously ringing in the fields, the sound of gongs, drums, and carvings echoing throughout the highlands. Each of those sounds was like a source flowing into my heart, instilling in me the desire to learn, collect, and preserve those musical values ​​so that they would not be lost over time.

During my 13 years in the military, my superiors discovered that I had a talent for music, so they sent me to classes to improve my composition and teach me how to play musical instruments for propaganda work. I became a key member of the Nghe An Armed Police's Artistic Propaganda Team, performing for the people of the West, remote parishes, and volunteers on international missions in Laos, and even performed at the Hien Luong bridgehead, where the 17th parallel separates the North and South.

In 1973, after being discharged from the army, I was assigned to work at the Arts Department, Nghe An Department of Culture. In 1975, I passed the entrance exam to the Hanoi Conservatory of Music, majoring in music composition. After graduating in 1980, I returned to Nghe An, in charge of music tapes and discs, a job associated with Vinh city, but in my heart, the sounds of the panpipes, flutes, gongs, Thai xoe dances, and Mong panpipe dances still resounded hauntingly, reminding me of remote villages and hamlets on the border.

Therefore, I always ask to join mountain business trips, meet artisans, learn how to play the flute, play the gong, write down and record folk songs and dances. I gradually realized that this is no longer a personal passion but also a responsibility to preserve and pass on the folk cultural values ​​that are at risk of being lost to the next generation.

Since 2002, when I retired, I felt like I was “untied”, I put on my backpack, brought my tape recorder, notebook, and wandered around the villages and hamlets of Western Nghe An. Each trip, each song, each flute sound that I preserved became a brick to build a valuable archive of documents serving the research and preservation of folk culture.

PV:During that journey, what made you more concerned and determined about the work of preserving folk cultural heritage?

Musician and researcher Duong Hong Tu:I always consider myself to have a “debt of gratitude” to the people of Western Nghe An. During my days working in the border areas, the people took care of me, shared every handful of rice, sip of water, and piece of wild meat during difficult days. They opened their hearts, taught me how to play the panpipe, taught me ancient songs and dances. I always worry that if I don’t preserve them in time, they will be lost when the artisans grow old, and that will be a great loss for my homeland.

There were days when I walked dozens of kilometers through the forest, crossed cold streams, slept in dark, damp stilt houses, just to listen to an ancient flute tune or record a lullaby that had been passed down through many generations. Those memories became the motivation for me to continue my journey, even though I was old and my health was not as good as before.

PV:So during the collection process, did you encounter any difficulties and how did you overcome them?

Musician and researcher Duong Hong Tu:There were many difficulties. The road to the village had many steep passes and landslides, it was slippery in the rainy season and dusty in the dry season. There were days when I walked all day, had to cross streams, wade through forests, eat rice balls, drink stream water, and sleep in the stilt houses with the villagers at night. To gain their trust, I had to live with them, share daily work, join them in festivals, weddings... and gradually they opened their hearts, sang to me, taught me each sound of the panpipe, how to vibrate my lips, how to take a breath when blowing, how to keep the rhythm when dancing the xoè dance.

In addition, recording, taking notes, analyzing and systematizing documents also require patience and meticulousness. I had to learn how to record difficult melodies, translate lyrics from Thai and Mong to Vietnamese, then compare and contrast to find the differences between regions and ethnic groups. It was a persistent process, but I never felt tired because I understood that what I was doing was necessary.

PV:It is known that up to now, you have published many valuable folk music research works. Can you share more specifically?

Musician and researcher Duong Hong Tu:To date, I have published five monographs, including: “Thai ethnic folk music in Nghe An”, “Mong ethnic folk music in Nghe An”, “Mong ethnic folk culture in Nghe An”, “Traditional culture of Tho ethnic group in Nghe An” and “Tho ethnic folk music in Nghe An”. These works not only collect hundreds of folk songs, but also analyze the system of musical instruments, folk melodies, folk music, describe customs, practices, rituals and festivals associated with music.

In addition to writing books, I also participate in many other projects to preserve culture. For example, in early 2020, my co-authors and I republished the book “Musical instruments of Nghe An ethnic minorities” to introduce more widely the traditional musical instruments of the people of Western Nghe An. I am also collecting materials to publish the book “Hoa tieng tieng”, a work of the Tho ethnic epic.

In addition, I, along with the Nghe An Musicians Association and a number of agencies, have organized many cultural and artistic exchange programs to introduce folk instruments and folk songs to the community. I consider these activities as a gift of gratitude to my homeland and to the people of the West.

PV:You have received many major awards, including the State Prize for Literature and Arts. Can you share your feelings when receiving this noble award?

Musician and researcher Duong Hong Tu:I am very touched and proud that my contributions have been recognized by the Party, the State, and my colleagues. The 2022 State Prize for Literature and Arts with a cluster of works researching Thai and Mong ethnic folk music is a great encouragement, giving me more motivation to continue collecting and researching, despite my old age.

I am also honored that my works have received many awards from the Vietnam Musicians Association and the Ho Xuan Huong Award from Nghe An Province. These awards not only honor individuals, but also recognize the cultural values ​​of the people of Western Nghe An.

PV:In the near future, you will attend the Patriotic Emulation Congress of Nghe An province for the period 2020-2025 as an advanced model. Can you share your feelings about this event?

Musician and researcher Duong Hong Tu:I am very happy to be selected as one of the typical advanced faces to attend.Patriotic Emulation Congress of Nghe An province for the period 2020-2025This is a recognition of my persistent efforts and also an affirmation of the value of preserving and promoting folk culture in the overall development of the province.

I hope that through the Congress, stories and specific actions in preserving cultural heritage will be spread, inspiring more people to pay more attention and participate in preserving and developing traditional cultural values.

PV:TIn your opinion, what is the significance of preserving folk culture in the current context? And what message do you want to convey to the younger generation?

Musician and researcher Duong Hong Tu:In the era of integration, when modern life brings many new values, folk culture is at risk of being forgotten or distorted. Preserving folk culture is preserving the soul of the nation. Each folk song, each dance, each flute sound, each gong sound contains the history, life, thoughts, feelings, and philosophy of life of an entire community. If we do not preserve it, there will come a time when future generations will no longer know that their ancestors had such beautiful spiritual values.

Therefore, I hope that young people will keep for themselves a love and pride for national culture. Let's learn, study, appreciate and contribute to preserving and promoting those values ​​in today's life. We can start with small things: Learning to sing a folk song, learning to play a traditional musical instrument, learning a beautiful custom of the homeland, participating in folk song and dance clubs at school and in the locality. Because each person keeps a small part, together they will become a great cultural treasure, helping the next generation to still be able to listen to the sounds of the flute, the gong, the clear lullabies, the graceful xoè dances...

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To me, folk culture is flesh and blood, memories, and identity of the homeland and the nation.

Musician and researcher Duong Hong Tu

For me, folk culture is the flesh and blood, the memories, the identity of the homeland and the nation. I believe that as long as we keep the flame of passion, preserve and spread it, no matter what era, those cultural values ​​will live forever and constantly promote their value.

P,V:Thanks for the conversation!

Minh Quan (Performed)