This is a tape of a visit to 194 Cong Ly by John Steinbeck. He listens to Pham Duy and to Steve Addis, and Steve Addis talks from time to time about Vietnamese music. According to Addis, there are three types of Vietnamese songs: folk, classical, and "heart" songs. Most of Pham Duy's songs are "heart" songs.

This is the first of a series of tapes: #'s 32, 33, and 34.

1. "Vietnam, Vietnam," Pham Duy (Vietnamese)

2. "The Wounded Soldier," Pham Duy and Steve Addis (English and Vietnamese)

3. "Rain On The Leaves," Pham Duy and Steve Addis (English and Vietnamese)

4. "To Sing Often Is Better Than To Sing With A Good Voice," Pham Duy (Vietnamese)

5. "A Cup Of Rice Is A Cup Of Sweet And A Cup Of Blood," Pham Duy (Vietnamese)

6. "Clementine," Pham Duy and Steve Addis (Vietnamese)

This is a continuation of the Steinbeck visit. It begins with Pham Duy talking about American protest songs--"they only protest against us" and never against the other side. His songs are also protest songs, he says, but against the North Vietnamese.

1. "On Behalf," Pham Duy (Vietnamese), with Steve Addis giving a translation at the end of each verse.

2. "Suc May Ma Buon," Pham Duy (Vietnamese)

Additional Note

Pham Duy, Steve Addis, and General Lansdale talk about the "tone" of Vietnamese songs. Since Vietnamese is a tonal language, its words have almost musical ups and downs. If a word has a rising accent, or a lowering accent, when set to music it would need appropriate rising or lowering tones in the song. Pham Duy comments that Vietnamese songs are usually sad and defeated-sounding. Although the next song has a different, uplifting tone, it nevertheless caught on.

3. "Youth Song," Pham Duy (Vietnamese)

Additional Note

Pham Duy talks about trying to "entertain" a people which has endured 25 years of war. He says that the duty of an artist is to "harmonize" society. It is necessary to leave the city and work in the villages.

General Lansdale reminisces about the 1965 Thanksgiving dinner with General Thang. Thang told Pham Duy to write some new songs, because he hadn't written a good song since 1948 (when "Youth Song" was composed).

4. "Carrying Rice," Pham Duy (Vietnamese)

Additional Note

This is an example of a song to mobilize the people.

5. "Dirty Old Town," Steve Addis (English)

Additional Note

After this song, Steve Addis discusses Vietnamese music, expecially the music of North Vietnam. Lansdale comments on a poem, written by a Viet Cong who had been killed in a battle. The poem was to his mother. Pham Duy set it to music and it was heard all over South Vietnam. Lansdale felt it was effective counter-propaganda, because it was critical of the Viet Cong.

Steve Addis talks about Hue, which is the "cradle of Vietnamese music." He talks about the night that he and Pham Duy recorded on the Perfume River, in Hue, in a boat. This recording is in this collection (tape # 52).