Musician Kpa Ylăng has passed away!

Composer Kpa Ylăng, whose birth name was La Mai Chửng, was born on July 17, 1942, in Đông Xuân district, Phú Yên province, and was of the Ba Na ethnic group. He graduated from the Vietnam Music School and was a member of the Executive Committee of the 3rd term of the Vietnam Musicians Association.

Kpa Ylăng was passionate about music from a young age. After relocating to North Vietnam, he joined the Central Highlands Song and Dance Troupe as a performer. In 1962, he passed the entrance exam to the Vietnam Music School, studying accordion along with music theory and composition. In 1967, he joined the South Vietnam Liberation Song and Dance Troupe and served on the B2 front, participating in performances and composing pieces for the troupe under the pen name Kpa Ylăng.

In 1975, Kpa Ylăng worked at the Bong Sen Dance and Music Troupe. In 1976, he transferred to work as a researcher at the Institute of Culture and Arts in Ho Chi Minh City.

He began composing music in 1968. Although he didn't write many songs, his style was unique, effectively utilizing folk music elements from ethnic minority groups in the Central Highlands such as the Ba Na, Ede, and Gia Rai.

He was also a folk poet, with many poems published in newspapers and broadcast on Vietnam Radio and Television, such as: "New Harvest Season," "The Sound of the Ding Goong," "The Sun," "Sing On, My Dear," etc.

In terms of research, he was one of the first to participate in collecting Khánh Sơn stone musical instruments and wrote several essays: Music in the buffalo sacrifice ceremony of the Ba Na ethnic group in Phú Khánh and Nghĩa Bình, Folk music in the Central Highlands.

Kpa Ylăng was the first musician of the Ba Na and Cham ethnic groups. He devoted much time and effort to guiding and promoting the music of many ethnic minority groups in the Central Highlands.

Composer Kpa Ylăng has been honored with: the Second Class Anti-American Resistance Medal; the First, Second, and Third Class Victory Medals; the Third Class Labor Medal; the Medal for the Cause of Vietnamese Music ; the Medal for the Cause of Vietnamese Literature and Arts ; the First Prize for Song in 2002 (Vietnam Musicians Association) and many awards for songwriting, poetry, and photography from the Vietnam Association of Literature and Arts of Ethnic Minorities... and the 55-Year Party Membership Badge.

The funeral of musician Kpa Ylăng will be held at his residence, 125/26/1 Vườn Lài Street, An Phú Đông Ward, Ho Chi Minh City. The coffin will be placed in the house at 8 PM on March 10th. The funeral procession will begin at 10 AM on March 12th, after which the remains will be cremated at Phước Lạc Viên crematorium in Dĩ An Ward.

THUY BINH

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/nhac-si-kpa-ylang-qua-doi-post842396.html