Musician Tran Vuong - 'If you come here, stay here, stay with the Con Cuong mountains and forests'

Fate with the mountains and forests of the West

Like many people who have met, interacted with and talked with musician Tran Vuong, this morning I was suddenly stunned when reading the lines on the Facebook account of Mr. Tran Dinh Duc, the son of musician Tran Vuong, announcing the passing of his father. Knowing that no one can escape the cycle of life and death, this year he is about to turn 83, which can be considered a long life, but my heart suddenly filled with many emotions.miss.

More than 10 years ago, when I first started my journalism career, I was fascinated with the villages of Western Nghe An, home to the Thai, Mong, Kho Mu ethnic groups... During the festival season, wherever I went, I could hear the bustling, exciting and equally passionate melodies of the songs composed by musician Tran Vuong, sung by the people in the middle of the mountains and forests. Since then, I have wished to meet him once to hear him share his thoughts and feelings about the land of Con Cuong and the mountains and forests of the West.

Musician Tran Vuong. Photo: Cong Kien

Then I was lucky enough to not only meet him once, but also become close to the musician Tran Vuong's family. His brothers, sisters, sons and daughters-in-law considered me as a younger brother, and every time we met, they would say: "Uncle Vuong always asks about you. He also asks if you are well these days because you rarely go to Con Cuong!"

Meeting and talking with musician Tran Vuong helped me understand more about him - the person who isethnic minoritiesaffectionately called “Musician of the mountains and forests”. He was born and raised in Nam Cuong commune (now Trung Phuc Cuong, Nam Dan district), in the lower reaches of Lam river, but is attached to Con Cuong land, once the “Tra Lan region”.

During the festival season, the bustling, exciting and equally passionate melodies of songs composed by musician Tran Vuong, sung by the villagers amidst the mountains and forests, resound throughout the villages. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Perhaps, musician Tran Vuong was born to be in the mountains and villages of the West. He used to teach music at the Hanoi National University of Education, but fate brought him to the Nghe An Mountainous Pedagogical School. Then the hand of life continued to bring him to the Con Cuong Muong villages as a cultural officer.

With his artistic qualities and a wealth of life and cultural experience accumulated over time, he has reaped some “sweet fruits”. One can mention the work “Con Cuong - an attractive ecological area, unique relics” (Nghe An Publishing House, 2004). This work is a collection of his articles published in newspapers and magazines introducing legends and stories associated with famous landscapes in the area. These are Tham Nang Man, Ta Bo stream, Khe Kem waterfall, Bia Ma Nhai...

The beautiful landscape has kept musician Tran Vuong in the mountains and forests of Con Cuong. Photo: Nguyen Dao

During his journey of meeting and contemplating, musician Tran Vuong also had some quite special stories and memoirs which were collected into the collection “The Forest Flower” (Nghe An Publishing House, 2004). These works focus on depicting and praising the beauty of ordinary people who silently devote their strength and intelligence to their homeland and country. They are truly colorful flowers and spread their fragrance throughout the land.village.

Not just a song, but also a wish

Having been formally trained in music, perhaps the talent and life experience of musician Tran Vuong are crystallized through songs imbued with the sound of the mountains and forests. And perhaps the title "Musician of the mountains and forests" also originates from that. His musical legacy is quite impressive, including "lifetime" songs such as "Cay banyan Con Chua", "Trang ngan", "Cay khen be", "Em di chau vuon rung", "Rung xuan nho Bac", "Mien tay que ta",...

It can be said that the passion and desire for creativity have become the driving force that helps musician Tran Vuong overcome many high passes and deep streams to reach remote villages and hamlets, where ethnic minorities are preserving unique cultural values. The folk melodies of Xay, Lam, Nhuon, Xuoi seem to have penetrated deeply into the flesh and blood and become a cool stream of milk that nourishes the world of the soul.emotionalby musician Tran Vuong.

Khe Kem Waterfall - a scenic spot of Con Cuong introduced by musician Tran Vuong in his cultural and historical research articles. Photo: Thanh Cuong

This explains why the lyrics, melodies and rhythms of the songs he composed are familiar, rich in imagery, full of humanity, easy to remember, easy to learn and warmly welcomed by the people. Almost every village in the highlands mentions his name, and from the elderly to the children, everyone knows at least a few of his songs as a resource.

During his compositions, musician Tran Vuong often focuses on the theme of praising the beauty and the process of rising to master the mountains and forests of the Western ethnic groups. To him, it seems that every story, every legendfolkcan all inspire themes for songs. For example, the legend of the Nam Non and Nam Mo rivers helped musician Tran Vuong write the song “Love song of Lam river”.

Nuoc Moc stream landscape, Yen Khe commune (Con Cuong). Photo: Thanh Cuong

Sometimes, the daily activities of the people such as going down to the stream, going to the fields, weaving or cultural activities such as dancing, panpipe dancing, and playing the flute can all become a source of inspiration and material for musical works. Among them, we can mention the songs "Cay Khen Be" and "Nha Si Cua Nui Rung" which praise the skillful hands and talent of the artisan who created this unique musical instrument.

With only the main material of bamboo, the Khen Be is “full of sound”, sometimes bustling like a Muong festival, sometimes gentle like a small stream, sometimes soaring through the green forest. That sound is also the voice of the hearts of the boys and girls of the highlands: “the sound of the Khen of my heart”, “the sound of your love” and “the sound of the Khen Be of lingering nostalgia”. And furthermore, in the sound of the Khen Be there are both “the echoes of the past” and “the sounds of the future waving its arms”.

According to musician Tran Vuong, his life being "anchored" in Con Cuong land is a great fortune. Because this is a beautiful countryside, with majestic mountains and rivers.Pu Ma National Parkt, Giang River, Khe Kem Waterfall. This place is also a land rich in historical and cultural traditions. It is the place that records the Tran Dynasty's feats in pacifying the Ai Lao invaders and keeping the country safe through the Ma Nhai Stele Relic.

A corner of Con Cuong district - where musician Tran Vuong lives. Photo: Sach Nguyen

It is the place where Le Loi's army captured Tra Lan citadel, creating the momentum of "split bamboo and flying ashes", marking a major turning point in the fight against the Ming invaders, contributing to the writing of the heroic epic "Binh Ngo Dai Cao". It is the place where the first Party cell of the highland districts was established with the Con Chua banyan tree relic...

Therefore, in his composing career, musician Tran Vuong has a preference for the land of Con Cuong, which he callshometownhis second. Most of the people here love his songs, in which the songs "Cay banyan Con Chua" and "Pho huyen Con Cuong" have become very familiar, some people call them "Huyen ca".

In recent years, old age and illness have gradually taken away the vitality of the “Musician of the mountains and forests”, his health has gradually declined day by day. And then, today, he left this world for the paradise, leaving behind his passionate heart for the mountains and forests and the villages and hamlets of the West…

According to information from his family, musician Tran Vuong will rest in Con Cuong, where he spent most of his life. As I write these lines, the lyrics of the song “Con Cuong District Street” echo in my mind:“If you come here, stay here. Even if you take root and grow trees, stay here. Stay here with the Con Cuong mountains and forests/ Stay here with the one you love...”.

Perhaps, that is not only a song, but also the wish of the "Musician of the mountains and forests"!