Musician Hoai An and more than 20 years of continuing to write melodies from the history of the country

Amidst a vibrant music market with constantly changing trends, musician Hoai An still quietly pursues his own path - writing epic music.

After more than 20 years of nurturing and composing, that journey has crystallized into the album Hon Viet - a musical work that vividly recreates national legends and spirit through melody and lyrics. In the conversation below, musician Hoai An shares his feelings when he first held the finished album in his hands, the challenges in the composition process, and his hope for the spread of Hon Viet in today's life.

Album Vietnamese Soul. PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR

The work of a musician's life

* How does musician Hoai An feel when holding the result in his hands more than 20 years since the first song "The Legend of Co Loa"?

I was very moved, feeling the difficulties, fatigue and sometimes exhaustion all disappear. After the Legend of Co Loa , Truong Chi - My Nuong , and The Drum of Me Linh written between 2001 and 2004, I understood that I had a new "stream" to write, which could be called the work of a musician's life.

When I had the disc in my hand, I just wanted to go home to my parents to show it off, because my parents always encouraged and supported me, especially Hon Viet .

* What has inspired you to continue pursuing the writing genre of epics - legends - fairy tales for such a long time?

My father inspired me with Vietnamese history, national heroes, cultural celebrities... so I have a special affection for Vietnamese history and culture. Personally, I was also inspired by the songs I heard when I was young such as Hon vong phu (Le Thuong), Trau cau (Phan Huynh Dieu)...

In fact, I wrote Hon Viet over many periods of time, sometimes for several years in a row without writing any articles, and sometimes there were new articles every week. I felt like I had a "fate" with Hon Viet , like this is something I love, want to do, and will be able to do.

* During the process of composing and completing "Vietnamese Soul", what was the most difficult stage?

The first difficulty is the material, because there are cases where the numbers, events, characters… do not match well between sources. I have to read a lot, compare, and skim over if the details are not too important. When I have enough information, I start writing. Many sentences are awkward, difficult to pronounce, and can be difficult to understand if I have not read the material and/or have only listened to the song a few times. I have to find a way to make it as smooth as possible. Sometimes the lyrics follow the music, sometimes the music follows the lyrics (if the lyrics are important).

The composing part is considered a personal effort, so when I get tired, I can stop for a while. However, the production and finishing part is very difficult. It can be said that this is the program that "tortured" me the most so far. Because the investment in music, arrangement of the backing track, singers, etc. is very large, so the production cost is also an obstacle that I have to pay attention to.

* What do you expect the public to receive this album?

Some songs in Hon Viet have been well received: Truyen thuy Co Loa (singer Dam Vinh Hung in the live show Gio H , 2004), Truong Chi - My Nuong (singers Dan Truong - Thanh Thao in the live show Mai mai mot tinh yeu , 2004), Cong on Hung Vuong (Vo Ha Tram)... In addition, Ngoan co lau , Tinh than Dong A were used as background music for some martial arts and dance clips. New songs that have just been produced will need a while for the album to be released.

I think school environments and festivals are places where the songs in the album Hon Viet can be widely spread .

Hon Viet is not simply a music album, but a journey to preserve and illuminate the national spirit with melody. For musician Hoai An, this is not an effort to "renew history", but a way to retell old stories with today's heart - lively, close and inspiring. In the midst of modern life, Hon Viet is like a quiet but powerful message: that national identity can still resonate, as long as there are people who love, are passionate and persistent enough to continue writing. And musician Hoai An, with more than 20 years of dedication, has done just that.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhac-si-hoai-an-va-hon-20-nam-viet-tiep-giai-dieu-tu-trang-su-nuoc-non-185250618091806021.htm