SGGP
In 1968, as Head of the Saigon Student Art Troupe, President of the Student Composition Association (Saigon Student General Association), musician Ton That Lap was considered the leader in the movement "Sing for my compatriots" of Saigon - Gia Dinh students and the movement spread to the southern cities at that time.
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Musician Ton That Lap |
The passionate artist
In 1973, receiving the task of working with intellectuals overseas, musician Ton That Lap went to France to participate in the student movement there. Once, he said, on April 30, while admiring flowers in his garden, he saw the cereus buds blooming when he received a phone call from Sister Francoise Vandermeerch informing him that Vietnam had been unified. He immediately went to her house in Paris 7, and as soon as he got out of the metro, many people came towards him to congratulate him.
According to him, it was the most beautiful and unforgettable memory of his life. That very night, the Vietnamese Association in France and international friends held a gala to celebrate the victory, and the song "Towards the Independent Homeland" that he had just composed with musician Nguyen Thien Dao was sung that very night. The song has an emotional melody: "We turn towards our beloved Fatherland/And this morning we feel our hearts flutter/A moment of excitement for the Fatherland to be completely independent/For so many years, so many heroes have fallen/Remembering your gratitude since the birth... South, oh South/Now the mountains and rivers sing a song of unity/We erase hatred...".
Returning to the country after the liberation day, musician Ton That Lap took on the role of Head of the People's Art House under the Department of Culture and Information of Ho Chi Minh City. It was here that he continued to be involved in the city's art movement, especially the student composition movement. He joined the Youth Composition Club of the City Youth Union, meeting weekly with young musicians of the movement at the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Cultural House to pass on his experiences in the process of creating musical works. The life stories and career stories he shared are valuable knowledge to help young musicians be more confident on the path of music composition.
A lifetime of composing for the homeland
Besides the songs written during the struggle of Saigon - Gia Dinh students in the movement "Sing for my compatriots" such as "Sing for my people", "Row fields ring", "Pink night", "Rice rings across the plains", "Students call", "Going down the street", "Singing in prison"... musician Ton That Lap also has many love songs written in the 1960s that are loved by many music lovers, such as the songs in the collection "Pho ca": "Singing late at night", "Small roads"...
After the South was completely liberated and the country was unified, musician Ton That Lap continued to compose many songs related to the situation of the country such as Youth Love Song he wrote in 1979 during the Northern border war with the gentle opening lyrics that reached the youth: "The first love song born on the border... ", or when he wrote the song Tri An with the spring echoes with the vibrant pop rock rhythm urging the youth to participate in the construction of the Tri An Hydroelectric Project in 1982. He also composed many love songs that were loved by music lovers such as: Spring Love Song, Whispering Rain, Forever Love, Rock Paper Scissors ...
In the early 90s, musician Ton That Lap, along with musicians Trinh Cong Son and Tu Huy, founded a group of musicians called The Friends, including musicians Trinh Cong Son, Ton That Lap, Tu Huy, Tran Long An, Thanh Tung, Nguyen Ngoc Thien and Nguyen Van Hien. After the debut on the morning of March 8, 1992, the group continued to organize a music stage at the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Cultural House under the name Musicians' Club, which later became familiar to music lovers with the affectionate name Musicians' Bar. It was here that hundreds of works by The Friends were widely introduced to music lovers.
Musician Ton That Lap is a very “careful” person in creating music. His songs are born from a process of careful contemplation. He carefully considers each note and lyric, letting his heart overflow with emotions and then choosing lyrics that are in harmony with the melody. He is very careful when popularizing a work: who sings and how, whether it matches the author’s mood conveyed through the lyrics or not. He is willing to give suggestions to singers on how to express it best. Because the success of the singer is also the best effect of the work that the musician has worked hard to create.
Now he is gone! The musician - the leading figure who once sang for my people is no more!
The rainy season is coming. The rain still whispers to the hearts of his admirers - a talented musician who always has a heavy heart for his country and homeland.
Please light an incense stick and wish him peace in eternity.
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