I selected “Dạ Cổ Hoài Lang” by Cẩm Ly because out of all Southeast Asia, I thought that music from Southern Vietnam would pique my interest the most. Not only that, but after my first listen, “Dạ Cổ Hoài Lang” by Cẩm Ly immediately grabbed my attention due to its very erratic combination of instruments in the first twenty seconds, followed by the soothing voice of a female vocalist. Rather, “Dạ Cổ Hoài Lang” by Cẩm Ly didn’t follow the trend of my previous Song Share picks by using a very gradual and predictable melody that increases throughout the entirety of the song. Interestingly, to make it even more unique, the melody of “Dạ Cổ Hoài Lang” after the erratic start actually gradually decreases and maintains a soothing melody while showcasing the singer’s wide range. Additionally, I thought “Dạ Cổ Hoài Lang” had a relatively thin texture since it didn’t consistently showcase multiple musical parts happening at once. Although, it is worth noting that, similar to the start, at the very end of the song at approximately 5:23, Cẩm Ly uses the same instrumental combination as if they were trying to tie the bow on the instrumental performance by finishing where it started once the vocalist was done performing. Ultimately, this reveals that Cẩm Ly was very intentional in changing the intensity of the song in order to once again hook the listener’s attention. Overall, it is evident that “Dạ Cổ Hoài Lang” by Cẩm Ly provides an interesting example of music from Southern Vietnam by utilizing its great combination of instrumentation followed by a talented female vocalist.

Link to my song: https://youtu.be/mVkT3zBc3S0?si=–dggSZSRMHs5uD4