Love songs forever

When I heard that musician Ton That Lap passed away at Hospital 175, after a period of treatment, I also heard that 4 units: Department of Culture - Sports of Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City Music Association, Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and HTV will organize a program to honor musician Ton That Lap on the evening of August 5 at the City Theater. I was moved, because first of all, his love as an artist, then his example of artistic work has influenced our generation of young musicians after the days of national reunification.

The leader

At that time, I worked at the Cong Nhan Giai Phong Newspaper, now the Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper, and he was a character in articles published on our cultural and artistic page. He was a person who rarely talked about himself, and had a quiet personality, but few people knew that he was very mischievous and always made people laugh. He told funny stories on his creative journey from the South to the North, from the student movement, and let us summarize a very Ton That Lap personality.

Musician Ton That Lap (third from right) received the "Golden Apricot Gratitude" honor from the Lao Dong Newspaper in March 2023. (Photo: HOANG TRIEU)

He was always optimistic, digesting sadness right away, so the jokes he told were satire and satire to help us dispel the fatigue of the early days when the country was still in chaos. In the creative activities and movement building at the Ho Chi Minh City People's Art House, now the Ho Chi Minh City Cultural Center, he was the leader, discovering, nurturing and training young creative forces and young singers.

We learned from him the spirit of composing to promote the anti-war movement called "Sing for my people". When the musician group "Friends" was born and actively worked at the Youth Cultural House, with the spirit of a senior, he always gave sincere comments, edited, praised, and encouraged the compositions of young musicians.

I also know that he was once the leader of a troupe, taking singers in the 1990s to tour European countries. Although he was already famous for his songs: "Spring Love Song", "Youth Love Song", "Forever Love"... he always listened to the audience's comments to continue to refine new material for his compositions.

Many works have won the hearts of the public.

In March 2023, when I heard that he was honored by Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper in a series of cultural events held at Gigamall Thu Duc Trade Center, receiving gifts from the "Mai Vang Tri An" program at the "Mai Vang Imprint" Gala, I called to congratulate him and he said: "Sitting there, I miss you, because the Mai Vang Award has a part of Vu Hoang's contribution".

I immediately remembered, when Editor-in-Chief Phan Hong Chien at that time directed the organization of a playground for readers, I met him at the Ho Chi Minh City Music Association, he suggested me to organize an award to encourage artists to work and create, so the award "Voting for the most favorite artist of the year" was born in 1991, the predecessor of the current Mai Vang Award.

Whenever the organizing committee of this award needed advice from the Professional Council, he was always ready to participate with musicians Xuan Hong, Pham Trong Cau, Diep Minh Tuyen... I was moved by the fact that my current colleagues were able to honor him in a timely manner, as a deep thank you for his contributions to this life through the extremely meaningful activity "Mai Vang Tri An".

Last year, when he turned 80, HTV Television Theater organized "Sing for my people", helping young audiences look back at his more than half a century of composing career. I again missed his witty jokes and optimistic, life-loving personality. Born in 1942 in Da Nang , raised in Hue, he became famous and was welcomed by the public in Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City.

He and his fellow patriots and students of the same era ignited the indomitable will of youth, so that the late 1960s, the period when the anti-war movement of students emerged, will forever live in the memories of the people of the whole country. He composed songs that influenced many generations of young people in the country such as: "Sing for my people", "Sing for the homeland", "Rice rustles across the fields"... and there was a period when he went to the North to study at the Hanoi Conservatory of Music and then returned to the South to do cultural work for the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam.

In 1973, he went to France to study and participated in the Overseas Vietnamese Students Congress in Paris (France) in 1974. After graduating with a master's degree from Hanoi University of Culture, he held the position of Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Music Association, Vice President of the Vietnam Musicians Association, and worked at the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Information.

Although he works as a manager, he continues to compose, his heart still flutters to write many new songs loved by young people such as: "Youth love song", "Tri An am vang mua xuan", "Mua thoi nhien", "Oan hoai tuc", "Co be dieu dep", "Tinh yeu mai"...

Please light a stick of incense to say goodbye to him!

Source: https://nld.com.vn/van-nghe/nhac-si-ton-that-lap-vang-mai-nhung-bai-tinh-ca-20230726205106737.htm