Instrumental music pioneer passes away

February 02, 2017 - 22:00

Composer Cellist Hoàng Dương (Ngô Hoàng Dương) passed away on Monday 30 January, according to an announcement from his close relatives.

Composer Cellist Hoàng Dương. — VNA/VNS Photo
Viet Nam News

HÀ NỘI — Composer Cellist Hoàng Dương (Ngô Hoàng Dương) passed away on Monday 30 January, according to an announcement from his close relatives.

Born in 1933, his few but significant works are household favourites, especially his masterpiece Hướng về Hà Nội (Towards Hà Nội), which was written in late 1953 and early 1954.

The young composer was part of a military campaign to recapture the capital city from occupying French forces. The song, which he penned after a night march in the outskirts of the capital, was to become one of the most beloved songs by the revolutionary fighters of the time.

“I was looking towards Hà Nội. The city appears in the horizon as a light sphere, so far away yet so close to our heart.”, said the composer as he shared the story behind his famous work with Việt Nam News in an interview in 2014.

After the war, Hoàng Dương worked at the Vietnam National Academy of Music. He was credited as a leading figure in the development of the country’s instrumental music scene and the academy’s string department. — VNS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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