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| Veteran musician and researcher Nguyễn Vĩnh Bảo who turns 101 years old this year performs with zither artist Hải Phượng and musician Đức Trí to welcome the New Year at his home in HCM City. — Photo screenshot from thanhnien.com video |
Viet Nam News
HCMC — Veteran musician and researcher Nguyễn Vĩnh Bảo, who turns 101 years old this year, hosted an informal performance with zither artist Hải Phượng and musician Đức Trí during Tết at his home in HCM City.
Bảo has made significant contributions in researching, preserving and developing traditional music, particularly đờn ca tài tử (southern folk music).
He was born into a family having a tradition in music in the southern province of Đồng Tháp.
Vĩnh Bảo brought Vietnamese music to the world through his Nhạc Tài Tử Nam Bộ (Southern Folk Music) album, performed by himself and the late researcher Trần Văn Khê. The album was recorded by Ocara and UNESCO in Paris, France in 1972.
Along with Khê and musician Phạm Duy, Vĩnh Bảo was invited by Southern Illinois University in the US, where he spent two years teaching Vietnamese music in 1970.
Vĩnh Bảo played many instruments, including đàn bầu (monochord) and đàn tranh (16-chord zither). Of note, he improved the zither, creating 17, 18 and 19 chord zithers that are more melodious.
He showed off his skill at making guitars and violins at several universities and cultural centres in France.
He also wrote or edited many books and documents in three languages —Vietnamese, French and English — on traditional music, and his books includes instructions on how to play music.
In 2008 he received the Officier des Arts et des Lettres from the French Government, in recognition of his contributions to and development of art and literature.
In 2014, he was conferred with the Prime Minister’s Certificate of Merit for his contributions to Vietnamese music. —VNS
