HCMCity (VNS/VNA) – Veteran musician and literary and artslegend Nguyen Van Ty, a member of Vietnam Musicians’ Association, passed awayon December 27 afternoon in HCM City after a long illness at the age of 94.
Musician Nguyen Van Ty (Photo vnexpress.net) He was born into a musical family in the central province of Nghe An. Hisfather was a leader of phuongbat am (eight-instrumentband) and was known for his mastery of many genres of folk music such as ca tru (ceremonial singing) and cheo (popular opera).
He received his educationat the National School of Vinh, where he distinguished himself through hissinging and acting skills.
He became a musician thanks to his father, his French teacher, a Spanish priestand a Chinese guitarist.
“My father was my teacher and shared with me musical knowledge andprofessional experiences in my early career,” said musician Nguyen Van Hien.
“He was erudite, open-hearted and enthusiastic and ready to help young students.”
Veteran singer Anh Tuyet wasstunned to hear of the death of the musician, who she had been close to since1978. She recalls singing the musician’s song MeYeu Con (I Love You) at a concert to mark the 35th anniversaryof her career.
The song Me Yeu Con wascomposed in 1956. It is a popular song that has become a symbol of maternallove.
The composer used the northern area’s lullabies and emotional lyrics to composea song that is held dear by many Vietnamese mothers.
“When I sang half of the song the musician came up on stage and said ‘it is tolull a child’. That was how he always encouraged and supported young artists.”
His death is a great loss to Vietnamese music, according to musician NguyenQuang Vinh, Permanent Vice Chairman of HCM Musicians’ Association.
“He spent his life to music development, with many works,” Vinh said. “He hasso many works that younger generations have to learn from and follow.”
He made great contributions to Vietnamese music development. His works were acombination of his experiences from field trips and folk music materialfeaturing romantic lyrics and smooth melodies.
Over the decades, many of his songs are still popular, including Me Yeu Con; Du Am (Echoes ofMemories) and Dang Dung Ben Tre (TheImage of Ben Tre’s Girl).
The song Du Am was composedwhen he was inspired by a young girl. In 1949, he visited his friend's home inQuynh Luu district and met the 16-year old girl. The musician was mesmerisedand deeply smitten.
The timeless song is a central part of Vietnamese modern music. He also wrotesongs for children, including Mau Ao ChuBo Doi (Colour of Soldier's Uniform).
At the end of 1957, he and others including Nguyen Xuan Khoat, Do Nhuan and VanCao were asked to set up the Vietnam Musicians' Association. He receivedthe Ho Chí Minh Prize for literature and arts in 2000.
The funeral ceremony will be held at HCM City Funeral House on Le Quy Donstreet, District 3, on December 29./.
VNA
