Stories about immortal songs born in the great victory of Spring 1975

47 years ago, April 30, 1975 was a momentous historical moment. That was the day the country was cleared of enemies, the country was united from Lang Son to Ca Mau Cape. With intense, surging emotions, musicians composed impressive songs:As if Uncle Ho was there on the day of great victory(Pham Tuyen),The country is full of joy(Hoang Ha),From this spring we sing the same song(Trong Loan),beloved fatherland(Hubei),Songs from the city named after Him(Cao Viet Bach)...

Song As if Uncle Ho were here on the day of great victory, composed by: Musician Pham Tuyen

First of all is the articleAs if Uncle Ho was there on the day of great victory. According to musician Pham Tuyen, on the night of April 28, 1975, when he heard the news that our army had attacked Tan Son Nhat airport, he imagined that perhaps in a few days Saigon would be liberated, and the whole South would be liberated. “Suddenly, in my mind, six lines of Uncle Ho's poem came to mind: “Last year was a glorious victory/ This year the frontline will surely win even more/ For independence, for freedom/ Fight to make the Americans leave, fight to make the puppets fall/ Forward! Soldiers, compatriots!/ North and South reunite, what a happy spring!than”. Uncle Ho's poems, along with the victory at Tan Son Nhat airport and in the South, have given me great inspiration. I seem to see Uncle Ho's image appearing in the joy of victory. And I chose the title for the song asAs if Uncle Ho was there on the day of great victory. Then I wrote the song in just 120 minutes (from 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on April 28, 1975) without having to change a single note or lyric. After finishing this song, I felt like I had paid off the spiritual debt that I had been struggling with for a whole month."

Musician Pham Tuyen composed the song in just 120 minutes and did not have to change any notes or lyrics. Photo: Archive

This song was written by musician Pham Tuyen in G major key, 2/4 time, with two main parts. Part one is an announcement, alternating eighth notes and quarter notes, the tempo is a bit fast, the melody is cheerful and exciting:As if Uncle Ho was there on the day of great victory. His words have now become a glorious victory. Thirty years of fighting to regain the integrity of the country, thirty years of resistance against the democratic republic have succeeded.”. The second part only uses black and white notes, the musical intensity is strong, the musical atmosphere is full of enthusiasm, the melody is proud and arrogant. The lyrics are repeated four times: “Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh" has an affirmative nature.

The song is short, only 8 sentences with 60 words, simple lyrics, easy to sing music. The first part is moderate in pitch, the second part leads to the climax.After finishing the song, I cried. With a humble intention, I initially considered this song as the cheers of people during the victory days, but I did not expect that the song would spread so quickly and widely.”. In 1986, the song was awarded the Labor Medal, after a while,As if Uncle Ho was there on the day of great victoryAlong with several other songs by musician Pham Tuyen, he was awarded the first State Literature and Arts Prize in 1996.

Musician Hoang Ha. Photo courtesy

Also can not help but mention the songThe country is full of joyby musician Hoang Ha. This song was composed by him on the night of April 26, 1975 at his home in Hanoi. At that time, the musician was working at the Voice of Vietnam Radio Station, so he often received the hottest information about the war situation in the South. When he heard that our troops were advancing straight to Saigon, the musician was overwhelmed with emotion.

The country is full of joywritten in the key of F major, 2/4 time, the musical atmosphere is bustling, exciting, passionate, full of spirit and full of generosity: "We walk among the golden stars and fluttering flags! Bustling and passionate footsteps gather here! Oh Saigon, firmly believing for many years that one day of joyful liberation will come.”. The lyrics are soaring, full of romantic inspiration and passion: “The victory festival is exciting for the country, we want to fly up and admire the majestic mountains and rivers, we want to sing forever the song of Vietnam, the heroic Fatherland.”. It can be said that the rhythm, melody and lyrics ofThe country is full of joyNot only is it the heartfelt voice of musician Hoang Ha, but it also expresses the boundless happiness and endless joy of millions of Vietnamese hearts in the joy of the South being liberated and the North and South being reunited as one family.

Along with Pham Tuyen and Hoang Ha, musician Ho Bac has a songbeloved fatherland. This song is written in 4/4 time (C), E flat major chord, moderate tempo. The lyrics are full of trust, love, and passionate feelings, mainly using the eighth note: “Thirty years to a day, oh homeland, how proud, come back here North and South, hold my hand and sing on the happy road. The sky of the homeland is wide open for birds to fly, no more clouds to block the way....”. The song seems to paint a vast, radiant picture of the Fatherland of Vietnam with gentle, bright colors, expressing thirty years of fighting and sacrifice of the heroic Fatherland. The image of the Fatherland and its mountains and rivers is shown with an optimistic, kind, and loving perspective. The song ends with a proud melody and lyrics: “Oh Fatherland! Has it ever been as beautiful as today! We are living in the glorious days of our beloved Fatherland, the heroic Fatherland of Vietnam! May the Fatherland of Vietnam bloom forever!”.

Doan Manh Tien