Late well-known music researcher and composer Lư Nhất Vũ, a leading artist of the South’s traditional music, released many books and research on traditional music of the South. Photo courtesy of Literature & Arts Publishing House.

HCM CITY— Well-known music researcher and composer Lư Nhất Vũ, a leading artist of the South’s traditional music, died at the age of 89 on March 29 at a hospital in HCM City.

He passed away after seven months of treatment at 115 People’s Hospital. His funeral took place today (March 31) in HCM City.

Vũ, whose real name was Lê Văn Gắt, was born in Bình Dương Province in 1936.

He joined revolutionary movements when he was young. He became a member of the Việt Nam Communist Party in 1976.

After the 1954 Geneva Agreement, Vũ was sent to the North and worked for the Việt Nam Youth Volunteer Force.

The force was established in 1950 and attracted 10,000 university students who lived in Hà Nội. Many of these youngsters gave up their studies and volunteered to the southern battlefields between 1970 and 1974. Only a small number of them returned home after victory day.

Vũ studied music at the Hà Nội Conservatory of Music. After school, he worked for the Southern Music and Dance Troupe. He played different instruments and researched folk music of the South.

After 1975, Vũ worked for leading music schools and centres in HCM City. He was the first director of the Institute of Việt Nam Culture and Arts in HCM City.

Vũ wrote and composed many revolutionary songs, including hits Cô Gái Sài Gòn Đi Tải Đạn (Sài Gòn Girls Carry Bullets) and Hãy Yên Lòng Mẹ Ơi (Be at Peace, Mother).

His songs in praise of love, youth and women have been performed by pop stars such as Cẩm Vân and Thanh Thuý.

One of his famous works is Bài Ca Đất Phương Nam (The Epic of the South), a song that used folk elements written with his wife, Lê Giang, a leading female poet in revolutionary literature in the South during the 1960s and 1970s.

The song was released in 1997 and featured the history, culture and lifestyle of Southern people.

Vũ wrote several books and research reports on Southern music that are valuable for students and lecturers at music and arts schools.

“Lưu Nhất Vũ played a role in the industry’s development, particularly the South’s contemporary music. His research helped people to improve their knowledge and love for the country’s culture and music,” said People’s Artist Nguyễn Thig Thanh Thuý, deputy director of the HCM City’s Department of Culture and Sports.

For his contribution, Vũ received the highest State Awards for Literature and Arts by the Government in 2001.

He also received the Phan Châu Trinh Culture and Education Award in 2014. The prize aims to honour domestic and foreign individuals and groups for their contributions to Vietnamese culture, translation, research and Vietnamese studies.—VNS