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The introduction evokes raindrops dripping faster and faster. The artist's mind, perhaps as he lies on his sickbed, rambles with the sound of raindrop, which is again evoked by various guitaristic effects (arpeggios on the bridge, pizzicatos, harmonics). Finally, in the concluding measures, the artist's mind regains composure (as indicated by the stately regular chords pattern), then transcends his despair in a calm acceptance of fate (which I rendered by playing the final melody in harmonics).
Technically it is a tricky piece to arrange, being based mostly on the pentatonic scale which present limited harmonic possibilities and having a slow rhythm which can become rapidly boring on the guitar. I approached this problem by taking many liberties with the melodic line.
See Pha.m Duy homepage for more details on DDa(.ng The^' Phong.
The song starts with the strings, which gently leads the audience back to the past. I feel like it was your intention to have the piano as the man, and the strings as his lover. In the B stanza, the piano is suddenly stronger, and tells about some misfortune that befell the couple. It also expresses the man 's discontent with the misfortune. The piano becomes softer, the discontent becomes a calm yearning for his Love.
The stanza A repeat, in strings, represents the spirit of his Lover coming back to the Valley, gently at first. The variation in volume express the spirit (or the wind) hovering over the valley. In the closing stanza, the string and the piano join together to express the reunion (or the longing of the reunion) of the Man and the spirit of his Lover.
Thie^n Thai (Fairyland), a Vietnamese classic, starts in the Vietnamese pentatonic and ends in the Western diatonic. To me it evokes the way that the Vietnamese people has embraced Western culture and as a result lost their "Thien Thai". The ethereal DDa`n Tranh evokes trembling peach petals, falling leaves, water in the stream:
Ma^'y cung tri`u me^'n
Nhu+ nu+o+'c reo ma.n thuye^`n
A^m ba thoa'ng rung ca'nh
dda`o ro+i
A sound stirred, a peach
petal fell,
A flimsy boat floated under
the flowers
Dreamily the oars stirred
the limpid water
(see also complete lyrics and English translation)
Inevitably with a guitar tremolo piece, shades of the Recuerdos De la Alhambra creep in, more so in this case because the feeling of nostalgia is quite similar.
The melody, based on the tetratone (Re Fa Sol Do), is harsh, awkward-sounding. Then suddenly it becomes mellow and modulates to a sweet Do Re Mi Sol tetratone as the young couple admit to their feelings:
And finally their voices soar up, unrestrained, as head give way to heart:
In this arrangement for two
pianos, after a straight introduction to the folk tune, the generation
gap theme is developed. The two pianos (representing the strict old and
the fun loving young) strive to dominate each other, the young's voice
constantly seeking new harmonies, the old's trying to re-impose strict
morality and tradition, finally causing a clashing disharmony. This section
ends in a sad complaint. All is well, however, in the last section ...
Sydney composer Hoa`ng Ngo.c
Tua^'n wrote the following commentary after the presentation of the piece
at a meeting of Vietnamese Music Lovers - Sydney:
Ly' Qua. Ke^u
vo+'i hoa` a^m cu?a Pha.m
Quang Tua^'n
Ba`i "Ly' Qua. Ke^u" do Pha.m Quang Tua^'n vie^'t cho song ta^'u du+o+ng ca^`m dda~ chu+'ng to? mo^.t tha`nh co^ng dda'ng ke^? trong vie^.c su+? du.ng nha.c dde^` da^n ca va`o sa'ng ta'c pha^?m hie^.n dda.i. Ta'c gia? dda~ ta.o ne^n hai ve^' ddo^'i la^.p tu+` nhu+~ng mo^ thu+'c giai ddie^.u va` tie^'t ta^'u dda(.c thu` cu?a ba`i da^n ca. Ve^' thu+' nha^'t la` ma^'y ca^u nha.c mo+? dda^`u o+? da.ng tu+' cung D-F-G-C ('ke^u ca'i ma` qua. ke^u', va` 'nam dda'o ta('c dda'o nu+~ pho`ng'). Theo PQT, ve^' na`y tu+o+.ng tru+ng cho tha'i ddo^. cu?a the^' he^. gia`. Ve^' thu+' hai khai trie^?n da.ng ngu~ cung C-D-E-G-A ('ba(`ng nga`y thi` ma('c co+?, to^'i o+? que^n di`a...), tu+o+.ng tru+ng cho tha'i ddo^. cu?a the^' he^. tre?. Qua pha^n ti'ch, ta co' the^? tha^'y o+? hai ve^' co' nhu+~ng dda(.c ti'nh tu+o+ng pha?n to^?ng qua't nhu+ sau:
Ve^' gia`: tu+' cung; a^m
vu+.c tra^`m; ho+.p a^m dda'nh chu`m da`y no^'t; giai ddie^.u nga('n va`
kho^ khan; tie^'t ta^'u dde^`u dda(.n va` du+'t khoa't; cu+o+`ng ddo^.
ma.nh.
Ve^' tre?: ngu~ cung; a^m
vu+.c cao; ho+.p a^m mo?ng; giai ddie^.u da`i ho+n va` me^`m ma.i; tie^'t
ta^'u uye^?n chuye^?n; cu+o+`ng ddo^. nhe. ho+n.
Tre^n co+ so+? tu+o+ng pha?n na`y, ta'c gia? dda~ thu+.c hie^.n mo^.t cuo^.c nha.c thoa.i (musical dialogue) mang ro~ ki.ch ti'nh.
Ve^` phu+o+ng die^.n ca^'u tru'c, ba`i na`y co' the^? chia la`m 3 pha^`n:
Pha^`n 1: gio+'i thie^.u ca'c nha.c dde^` chi'nh. Toa`n ba`i da^n ca ddu+o+.c die^~n ta^'u theo ca'ch ddo+n gia?n. Tuy nhie^n, PQT dda~ bie^'n ca?i va`i ddie^?m: ca^u 'qua. ke^u nam dda'o' ddu+o+.c bo? ddi (co' le~ dde^? tie^'t ta^'u ca'c ve^' ddu+o+.c ca^n phu+o+ng ho+n); the^m ca'c ddoa.n la^.p la.i sau mo^~i ca^u (co' le~ cu~ng cu`ng ly' do vu+`a ne^u).
Pha^`n 2: khai trie^?n su+. tu+o+ng pha?n giu+~a ca'c nha.c dde^`. Ti'nh ca'ch ddo^'i la^.p giu+~a ca'c ve^' ddu+o+.c pha't trie^?n sa^u ve^` chuye^?n the^? ho+.p a^m, va` ro^.ng ve^` ta(ng tru+o+?ng giai ddie^.u. U+u ddie^?m cu?a ta'c gia? la` o+? cho^~ ta'o ba.o du+.ng ne^n nhu+~ng ca^`u chuye^?n the^? (modulation) xa va` ra^'t mo+'i la. so vo+'i ca'ch pha't trie^?n ho+.p a^m thu+o+`ng tha^'y trong nha.c Vie^.t nu+?a the^' ky? qua; vie^.c khai tha'c nhu+~ng modulations Ta^y phu+o+ng la`m cho ba?n nha.c mang dda^.m ti'nh ddu+o+ng dda.i (contemporary), va` thoa't ra kho?i nhu+~ng khuo^n sa'o da^n to^.c ti'nh gia? ta.o nhan nha?n trong nha.c Vie^.t. Ve^` tie^'t ta^'u, ta'c gia? cu~ng a'p du.ng ra^'t to^'t nhu+~ng nhi.p cho?i va` nhi.p ngoa.i, khie^'n cho ba?n nha.c co' nhu+~ng co+ ho^.i thoa't ra kho?i ca'i khung 2/4 qua' dde^`u dda(.n va` mo^.c ma.c. Ve^` giai ddie^.u, PQT dda~ ma.nh da.n khai tha'c nhu+~ng qua~ng a^m Ta^y phu+o+ng be^n ca.nh nhu+~ng qua~ng chuye^?n he^. (metabole) ngu~ cung, khie^'n do`ng nha.c ra^'t tro^i cha?y va` pho'ng tu'ng (nhie^`u cho^~ ga^`n nhu+ mo^.t ca^u nha.c jazz). Tuy nhie^n, ddie^`u ca^`n nha^'n ma.nh la` ta'c gia? va^~n kho^ng ddi qua' xa kho?i kho^ng khi' da^n to^.c; ta^'t ca? nhu+~ng ho+.p a^m mo+'i dde^`u bi. hu't ve^` quy~ dda.o tu+' cung va` ngu~ cung mo^.t ca'ch ho+.p ly'.
Cuo^'i pha^`n 2, ca'c ve^' ddo^'i la^.p ddu+o+.c pha't trie^?n mo.i ma(.t dde^? na^ng cao tha`nh mo^.t cao tra`o (climax). Ro^`i co' mo^.t ddoa.n nha.c nga('n cha^.m ra~i xua^'t hie^.n, vo+'i phong ca'ch nga^m ngo+.i hay ke^? le^? theo kie^?u tu+. do (ad libitum). DDoa.n na`y la^.p tu+'c mang ti'nh thi ca va`o ba?n nha.c, va` da^~n ngu+o+`i nghe tro+? ve^` vo+'i kho^ng khi' da^n gian Vie^.t Nam, sau khi dda~ ddi qua mo^.t ha`nh tri`nh thu' vi. cu?a su+. tu+o+?ng tu+o+.ng pho'ng khoa'ng ba(`ng a^m nha.c.
Pha^`n 3 la` su+. ta'i la^.p ca'c nha.c thu+'c co+ ba?n cu?a y' nha.c. Ca'c nha.c dde^` la.i ddu+o+.c ta'i hie^.n va` da^~n dde^'n ke^'t thu'c.
Nhi`n chung, ta'c pha^?m na`y dda~ khai tha'c ddu+o+.c mo^.t so^' nhu+~ng ca'ch the^' sa'ng ta.o mo+'i me? cho nha.c Vie^.t Nam. So vo+'i ca'c ta'c pha^?m khi' nha.c hie^.n co' trong nu+?a the^' ky? qua o+? Vie^.t Nam, ta'c pha^?m na`y co' ddu+o+.c ca'i ba.o da.n, pho'ng tu'ng ca^`n thie^'t dde^? la`m mo+'i ca'i y' nie^.m 'da^n to^.c ti'nh' vo^'n ra^'t he.p ho`i. Chi? xin go'p y' vo+'i ta'c gia? ddo^i ddie^`u, ra(`ng ba?n nha.c na`y co`n qua' nga('n, chu+a ta.o ddu+o+.c mo^.t su+'c na(.ng my~ thua^.t co' ta^`m co+~. Ne^n dda(.t no' va`o trong mo^.t lie^n khu'c (suite), nhu+ mo^.t chu+o+ng, giu+~a i't la` 4 hoa(.c 5 chu+o+ng nu+~a. Ve^` tie^'t ta^'u, ne^n ta.o su+. co da~n nhie^`u ho+n nu+~a (vi' du.: ddem nhi.p 5/4, 7/4 va`o) dde^? tra'nh ca?m gia'c nha.c mu'a, va` thu+.c hie^.n ki.ch ti'nh to^'t ho+n. Mo^.t ddie^`u nu+~a, ba`i na`y co`n kha' de^~ nghe; ta'c gia? nghi~ xem co' ne^n la`m cho a^m nha.c phu+'c ta.p ho+n kho^ng (?). Tho^ng thu+o+`ng, ba?n nha.c ca`ng kho' nghe, ca`ng kho' que^n.
Hoa`ng Ngo.c Tua^'n
A listener thought that Cam
Khuc 1&2 sounded like Van Cao playing with his elbows. So Cam Khuc
3 could be called Van Cao playing with Elbows and Knees While Drunk.
Cam Khuc
In these pieces I discard normal
melodies, rhythms and harmonies in order to express what cannot be said.
Listeners have said that the pieces seem to describe "states of mind" or
"broodings (ba(n khoa(n)" and that's close enough. In Cam Khuc 1,
the melody is condensed into single notes or chords. In Cam Khuc 2,
rhythm, melody and harmony are broken up, randomized and mixed, strong
beats are avoided to give an impressionistic effect. Both pieces are based
mainly the pentatonic scale. The different sections can be broken and reassembled
as the performer sees fit.
Da Khuc (Nocturne)
Hoang Ngoc Tuan pointed out the jazz character in this well known poem
by Thanh Tam Tuyen. I gave the melody a shifting tonality which will
take some time to work out, helped by a polytonal harmony.
The melody never comes to rest on the tonic (whatever it is) and ends
on a note which is not in the scale - in fact, a tritone away from
the tonic. Tritone intervals (jumps of six semitones)
and other sudden changes make the melody often
harsh to the ear at first and very difficult to sing. The rhythm is
irregular although not too difficult to follow if you are familiar with
jazz.
Thanh Tam Tuyen's verses have been slightly rearranged: