La Hối
La Hối | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Born | La Doãn Chánh 1920 |
| Died | 2 April 1945 (aged 24–25) |
| Years active | 1934–1945 |
| La Doãn Chánh | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 羅允正 | ||
| Simplified Chinese | 罗允正 | ||
| |||
| La Hối | |||
| Traditional Chinese | 羅開 | ||
| Simplified Chinese | 罗开 | ||
| |||
La Doãn Chánh (simplified Chinese: 罗允正; traditional Chinese: 羅允正; 1920 – 2 April 1945), known by his stage name La Hối (simplified Chinese: 罗开; traditional Chinese: 羅開), was a Vietnamese Hoa musician and resistance leader active during the Japanese invasion of French Indochina.
Biography
Born in 1920 to a Hakka family with origins in Dongguan, Guangdong, China, La Hối started writing songs at the age of 14. Between 1936 and 1938, he studied in Saigon and began to embrace Western musical conventions.
In 1939, La Hối returned to his hometown of Hội An, where, alongside Vương Gia Khương, he founded the Faifoo Philharmonic Society.[1] From this period until his passing, he authored songs either by himself or in collaboration with other musicians, such as Gấm vàng (Golden Brocade) with Dương Minh Ninh, Nắng chiều (Sun in the Afternoon) with Lê Trọng Nguyễn and Chiều tưởng nhớ (Afternoon of Mourning) with Lan Đài. A year later, amidst the Japanese invasion of French Indochina, he became acquainted with Chinese revolutionaries in Guangxi and eventually made the Philharmonic Society an anti-Japanese resistance group.
1944 was when La Hối composed his last and most popular song, Xuân và tuổi trẻ (Spring and Youth, Chinese: 青年與春天). However, fate conspired against him when the Kempeitai discovered his role in the Hội An Hoa community's resistance efforts. After an unsuccessful escape to Laos, he was captured and executed on the foot of a mountain outside Da Nang on 2 April, aged 25 – nine of his comrades also met an identical fate.[2][3][4][5]
Legacy
Out of La Hối's estimated 20 self-made works, only Xuân và tuổi trẻ, as well as Xuân sắc quê hương (The Colours of Spring),[6] remains. In his memory, renowned poet Thế Lữ wrote the lyrics to Xuân và tuổi trẻ when he visited Hội An in 1946.
Many of his descendants and relatives also became musicians, most notably La Gia Thắng (or La Xuân, 1919–1966) and pianist La Gia Quảng (or La Châu Quảng, 1926–2014).[7][8][9]
A memorial in Hội An is dedicated to La Hối and his comrades.
References
- ^ Faifoo is a disused exonym for Hội An. Cited: Chen, Ching-ho. Historical Notes on Hội-An (Faifo). Center for Vietnamese Studies, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, 1974, page 10.
- ^ Hoàng Vũ, Nguyễn Văn Quý (2001). "Xuân và tuổi trẻ - Tưởng niệm nhạc sĩ La Hối" [Spring and Youth - In memory of musician La Hối] (in Vietnamese). Nhịp Cầu Âm Nhạc. Archived from the original on 20 July 2006. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ Nguyễn Hữu Hồng Minh (20 December 2017). "Nhạc sĩ La Hối đã chết như thế nào?" [How did musician La Hối die?] (in Vietnamese). Một Thế Giới. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ "Nhạc sĩ La Hối với ca khúc Xuân và tuổi trẻ" [La Hối and the song "Spring and Youth"] (in Vietnamese). Tuổi Trẻ. 20 January 2006. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ ""Xuân và tuổi trẻ", một ca khúc xuân trẻ trung, nồng thắm" ["Spring and Youth", a youthful and passionate song] (in Vietnamese). Ho Chi Minh City Education magazine. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Lyrics to "Xuân sắc quê hương"" (in Vietnamese). Lyrics.vn. 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ Nguyễn Hữu Hồng Minh (20 December 2017). "Về Hội An tìm dấu vết nhạc sĩ La Hối "Xuân và Tuổi trẻ"" [Returning to Hội An to find the traces of musician La Hối] (in Vietnamese). Một Thế Giới. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ Trương Điện Thắng (12 December 2015). "Từ La Hối đến mạch nguồn âm nhạc phố cổ" [From La Hối to the roots of the ancient city's music] (in Vietnamese). Quảng Nam newspaper. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ Lê Viết Hải (30 January 2014). "Gia đình âm nhạc họ La ở phố Hội" [The La family of musicians in Hội An] (in Vietnamese). Người Lao Động. Retrieved 3 February 2024.