Vietnamese Music

Vietnamese music is one of the most interesting and varied of the Southeast Asian (Indochinese) region. There are examples of remarkable percussion and odd timings, eerie ritual chants like throat-singing, and stringed instruments resembling the samisen or koto.

Buying: LPs of Vietnamese music are extremely scarce, at least in the U.S., no doubt because of war throughout the period in which more recordings would have been made. France may be the best source.



Vietnamese LPs

Rating
6[rec. Stephen Addiss:] Music from North & South Vietnam--Sung Poetry of the North, Theatre Music of the South; Folkways FE-4219; 1971
9Tran Quang Hai & Hoang Mong Thuy: Music of Vietnam; ALBATROS--Italy (Lyrichord LLST-7337; great mouth harp & spoons)
7Tran Quang Hai & Bach Yen: Vietnamese Dan Tranh Music; Lyrichord LLST-7375
7[Frank Klos, editor] Vietnam: Dilemma for Christians; Impact CSM-640 (spoken w/music; Lutheran Church Press LCA School of Religion Series; excerpts Folkways FE-4352)
8The Vietnamese National Song & Dance Ensemble: Songs & Dances of Vietnam; Monitor MFS-731
8Unesco Collection Musical Sources: South Vietnam Entertainment Music; Philips 6586-028; 1975 (Art Music of the Far East, vol. VIII-2)
8Unesco Collection--A Musical Anthology of the Orient: Viet-Nam 1; UNESCO Collection Musical Sources; Baren Reiter BM-30-L-2022
8Various: Musiques du Viet-Nam; Disques BAM LD-434 (France)
8Various: Music of Vietnam; Folkways FE-4352; 1965 (Tribal music of the Highland People, Traditional Music & Folksongs selected by Pham Duy with the collaboration of Stephen Addiss & Bill Crofut)
Various: Songs & Dances of Vietnam; Monitor 731


Partly Vietnamese LPs

Rating
7Various: National Music--Far East Vol. 1; Chappell Index Series CIS-5032; 1960-69 ("Viet Theme"; production/SE Asia; compilation; Robert Farnon, John Leach, Nino Nardini, Roger Roger..)


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