Among innumerable kinds of "eye-catching" publications around us is a book that is not meretricious. Being simple and graceful, "Chamber and Symphony music of Vietnam"* conveys a weight of intellectuality and labour, a weight of work experience and professional passion, an accumulation of necessary elements and a convergence of sufficient conditions, that all year after year had been unceasingly invested into the book till its birthday.

It is the same case with the book writer. She is also petite and simple but has to shoulder a heavy load that includes responsibilities of a veteran researcher, a devoted composer, an enthusiastic teacher and a passionate manager. One admiring thing is that such "social titles" have not overshadowed attributions that she has been willingly bearing for all her life. That is truly a devoted wife and mother who sinks herself for successes of her husband who is a well-known composer and her son who is a promising performer. Therefore, my admiration for her long list of research works and compositions is kept increasing after studying her latest book.

This is the first research that sums up achievements and experience lessons in history of formation and development of instrumental music in the last half of 20th century. Or in "language" of music analysts, over 400 pages of the book are presented under a ternary form, in which, the 3 sections show a route moving from the general (historical background of development) on into details (analyzing some specific compositions), and then return to the general (summarizing features of instrumental music).

Chapter I creates a "background" with a panorama that describes early time of instrumental music as well as each of developing stages in line with historical periods of the nation.

Chapter II is quite grandiose since object to be categorized and analyzed is an entire "treasury" of Vietnamese instrumental music including small-scaled chamber music to multi-movement symphonies. Doing statistics and analysis on 100 compositions of various composers are an exhausting and thorny job, since it is not so easy to get precise findings with well-versed eyes of a scientist and sensitive heart of an artist. There have seen more hardships on the way of finding out a skillful and selective manner of presentation in order to enable separate analysis of different compositions neither look like a patchwork of dry literary fragments nor get bogged down on details. Dosage here is a very essential element because it might not operate if the dosage is insufficient, or it also might be anti-useful with excessive dosage.

Scientificalness and artistry in music analysis are reinforced by simple and concise writing style, well-structured and flexible layout. Consideration on composing techniques and styles is usually mixed with comments on themes' contents. Tension and boringness of "a surgery" are lessened thanks to "episodes" (a word borrowed from terminology used by instrumental music analysts). A part from relaxing the academic-dense atmosphere, those episodes can also provide further information in term of history about the "specific object" (for example, presenting some profile about composer, circumstance of being born and "show-up" event of his/her brain child, fate and vitality of the composition among music life, performers and performing locations including domestic and oversea, and so on). Furthermore, readers can also easily imagine about role and life of that particular composition in general cause of Vietnamese instrumental music.

Chapter III is the most interesting part of the book for its conclusions on creativity in language of Vietnamese instrumental music. While chapter II shows carefulness and part of peculiarity of researcher Nguyen Thi Nhung in her comments on specific compositions, then in chapter III, the "self" of the author is more highlighted with her general assessments on common features of instrumental music's language. If chapter II is indispensable to browsing and reference needs, then chapter III establishes an initiative to stimulate further developments for coming researches on instrumental music.

Lenience of the woman inside the author seems help to "define" characteristics of the book which fills up itself rather with significance of research and historiography than criticism and judgment. In deed, the author did desire to contribute "sweet fruits and fragrant flowers" rather than "searching for worms among leaves".

Investing in instrumental music is the most effective way to introduce the nation's professional music to international music forum. Therefore, investment needs to be synchronous on every aspect. However, compared with composing, performing and training, regards to research and criticism seem still to be too humble. For years, scientific researches on instrumental music have been still in far-away intentions and dreams. For the time being, one of those desires can be able to be found in readers' hands. That is truly a precious gift that composer Nguyen Thi Nhung offers life and especially those who are sincerely interested in instrumental music.

The book "came into the world" right at the occasion when its author gets 65 years old. This coincidence is like a present that life gratefully gives the composer Nguyen Thi Nhung as this very birthday gift is invisible but conveys many meanings. And this short article only would like to be considered a small spiritual gift to the book author, with a wish that it helps to voice my love as a student to the former teacher.