Vietnamese composer Ky Nam Nguyen (b. 1996) was awarded her Doctor of Music from Florida State University and writes compositions that explore the impact of music and the arts on society.
Ky Nam Nguyen
Nguyen’s 2022 work for solo organ, So That Adventuring the Four Oceans is Worthwhile, starts with the poem ‘Chí Làm Trai’ (A Hero’s Will) by Nguyễn Công Trứ (1778–1857), a Vietnamese poet, scholar, and military general, as its inspiration. In the poem, he philosophised on how to balance one’s dignity, spirit, and personhood while in the midst of a difficult political and military career.
Ky Nam’s brother took the poem and would recite it to encourage himself through difficult times. Looking to a 19th-century poet to inspire one to work hard and achieve one’s dreams for a life of value, or ‘so that adventuring the Four Oceans is worthwhile’, was also an inspiration to the composer as she sought her musical life very far from home. At the same time, the composer is aware of the difficulties that women in Vietnam still face when dealing with the daily indignities of a society that still conforms to old beliefs.
Below are the original poem written by Nguyễn Công Trứ and the composer’s translation:
| Chí làm trai | A Hero’s Will |
| Vòng trời đất dọc ngang ngang dọc | In the full length and breadth of Heaven and Earth, |
| Nợ tang bồng vay trả trả vay | Freedom is the debt that I owe and repay |
| Chí làm trai nam bắc đông tây | A man shall set his vision upon South, North, West, and East |
| Cho phỉ sức vẫy vùng trong bốn bể. | So that adventuring the Four Oceans is worthwhile. |
| Nhân sinh tự cổ thuỳ vô tử, | Since ancient times, no one never dies. |
| Lưu thủ đan tâm chiếu hãn thanh. | (But one shall) leave his scarlet heart on history. |
| Đã hẳn rằng ai nhục với ai vinh, | Who is humiliated and who is glorified? |
| Mấy kẻ biết anh hùng khi vị ngộ. | Who can tell a hero that has not made his name yet? |
| Cũng có lúc mưa dồn sóng vỗ, | There will be a time of rainstorm and tidal surges |
| Quyết ra tay buồm lái với cuồng phong. | I will steer the vessel through the hurricane |
| Chí những toan dời núi lấp sông, | I will fill up rivers and move mountains |
| Làm nên tiếng anh hùng đâu đấy tỏ. | So that the whole world will know my heroic name. |
| Đường mây rộng thênh thênh cử bộ, | Then I will stroll the wide road of fame |
| Nợ tang bồng trang trắng, vỗ tay reo. | My debts discharged, I clap and resound |
| Thảnh thơi thơ túi, rượu bầu. | With a bag of poems and gourd of wine. |
By facing the question ‘Who can tell a hero that has not made his name yet?’, the reader and listener confront the question of achievement. Is it enough that you know that you’ve achieved your dream, or is it something determined by the world? What makes it all worthwhile? What do you do to achieve worth?
In the organ work, the progression is difficult; the heroine is beset by numerous diversions and problems until, in the end, they all fade away behind her.
Ky Nam Nguyen: So That Adventuring the Four Oceans is Worthwhile (Adam Ravain, organ)
It’s a striking piece that challenges our thoughts of what organ music might be and at the same time, stretches us to imagine the troubles and difficulties that must be overcome to enjoy our ‘poems and gourd of wine’ at the end.
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