Composer Lu Nhat Vu

Composer Lu Nhat Vu, author of numerous valuable scholarly works on Vietnamese folk songs, the creator of famous songs during the resistance war against the US and after peace was restored, has passed away.

He was a gentle, calm, and approachable man who made significant contributions to modern Vietnamese music in both composition and research. In his hometown of Binh Thuan, composer Lu Nhat Vu left an unforgettable impression as a meticulous teacher in research and scholarship; a kind and approachable elder brother to the young musicians of the region. He served on the judging panel of songwriting competitions in his province no fewer than three times; the first time in 1990 and the most recent time at the end of 2014.

With his professional artistic activities, he was once invited to participate in a field trip to compose music for Thuan Hai, Binh Thuan, along with other famous musicians such as Nguyen Van Ty, Phan Huynh Dieu, Ngo Huynh, Hoang Hiep… I first met him in 1980, when he was part of the Ho Chi Minh City Artists' Troupe participating in the program "Celebrating the Ancestral Mountains and Offering Stone Musical Instruments to the Party" at the Da Ban stream area of ​​Bac Ai mountain forest, An Son district. This was the time when Thuan Hai province discovered an ancient set of musical instruments consisting of 15 different large and small stone pieces, preserved by the Raglai ethnic group. The Provincial People's Committee organized a solemn ceremony to hand over the aforementioned set of stone musical instruments to the Vietnam Institute of Music Research. In this program, I had the opportunity to hear artists from the Institute of Music perform songs written specifically for the Thuan Hai stone xylophone, including: "Our Homeland of Bac Ai Opens a Festival to Offer the Xylophone" (composed by Nguyen Van Ty), and "Listening to the Sound of Time" (composed by Huy So), arranged and orchestrated by musician Lu Nhat Vu according to the stone xylophone scale.

When participating in judging the entries, in his capacity as Head of the Judging Panel, he always provided very specific written comments, pointing out the strengths as well as the limitations of the works that made it to the final round. This helped the authors learn valuable lessons in songwriting. In some cases, he even predicted the future public reception of the winning songs, and reality unfolded exactly as he predicted. It's worth adding that songwriting competitions at that time didn't require a demo; only the musical notation of the song, including the music and lyrics, was needed.

After peace was restored, he and poet Le Giang (his wonderful life partner), along with several colleagues, organized many field trips to collect folk songs from various regions of Southern Vietnam. To do this well, he and his team required perseverance, patience, and a great deal of dedication to the treasure trove of national music. Those who loved and admired their collection affectionately called this "team" "Those who seek invisible treasures" or "Those who seek gems." Every time he went to Phan Thiet for a vacation, he would bring his newly published research works to give to me and send to the Provincial Association of Literature and Arts as a precious spiritual gift from the older generation.

Composer Lu Nhat Vu was born in 1936 in Binh Duong and graduated from the composition department of the Vietnam Music School in Hanoi (1956-1962). He was the Deputy Secretary General of the Ho Chi Minh City Music Association, term 1 (1981), Secretary of the Vietnam Musicians Association, term 3 (1983), and Director of the Vietnam Institute of Culture and Arts in Ho Chi Minh City. The public will never forget the songs that made his name, such as: "Afternoon in the Meo Village" (1961), "Saigon Girl Carrying Ammunition" (1968), "Mother's Lullaby" (lyrics by Vu Ngan Chi - 1976), "Song of the Pioneers" (lyrics by Le Giang - 1977), "Rest Assured, Mother" (lyrics by Le Giang - 1978), "Beside the Monument to Uncle Ho" (lyrics by Le Giang - 1978), "Song of the Southern Land" (lyrics by Le Giang - 1997)...

In the field of research, compilation, and collection, Mr. and Mrs. Le Giang, along with authors Nguyen Dong Nai, Nguyen Van Hoa, Quach Vu, Thach An, Le Anh Trung, and Meritorious Artist Bich Huong, have produced monumental works of particular value in many aspects, such as: Understanding Southern Vietnamese Folk Songs (1983), Vietnamese Folk Songs in Southern Vietnam (1986), Music and Life (1989), Collection of Lu Nhat Vu's Songs (2000), 300 Southern Vietnamese Ly Melodies (2002), Ho in Vietnamese Folk Songs (2004), Vietnamese Lullabies (2005), Ly in Vietnamese Folk Songs (2006), Reciting Poetry - Reciting Rhymes - Falling Poetry in Southern Vietnam (2010), Liberation March (2011), Searching for Invisible Treasures (2014), and Wandering Through Life's Love (2022).

With his immense contributions to national music, he was awarded the first State Prize for Culture and Arts (2001). He had also completed the application for the Ho Chi Minh Prize for Culture and Arts, but age and illness led to his passing at 9:30 AM on March 29, 2025, at the age of 90. Composer Lu Nhat Vu – a man who sought out gems to enrich the treasure trove of Vietnamese folk music – has departed to the realm of the clouds.

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/nhac-si-lu-nhat-vu-nguoi-di-tim-ngoc-da-ve-mien-may-trang-129114.html