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Young at heart: Trembling fingers and failing ears he may have, but Prof Tran Van Khe performs at a function to mark his birthday on July 24. He has not otherwise performed publicly since 2004. — VNS Photo Van Dat |
HCM CITY — The greatest living player of traditional Vietnamese musical instruments, Tran Van Khe, is 90 and arthritic, and can no longer perform on the instruments that made him world-famous.
He has not slowed down otherwise and his mind remains as sharp as ever, but his latest offering is not musical but literary – an autobiography.
Nhung Cau Chuyen Tu Trai Tim (Stories from the Heart) narrates the story of his life since he was a 10-year-old orphan growing up in Vinh Kim Village in Tien Giang Province, his aspirations as a young man, his studies and work in foreign countries, and life upon returning home in 2004.
The prolific writer on music, who now moves around his house on a wheelchair and whose hearing is failing and fingers tremble, decided to write one more book thanks to assistance from Dao Trung Uyen, a Tuoi Tre newspaper reporter who typed as he dictated.
Uyen, who worked with the 90-year-old for three months to finish the book, says she admires him for working hard and being devoted to his work as well as writing the book despite his physical condition.
In the book, he recounts his darkest days when he first became arthritic: "In 2004, when I was back to Viet Nam, it was hard for me to play music. I was in tears looking at my trembling hands. They did not obey me on the frets. My ears were not sharp enough to hear my music. I decided not to play music. It was distraught for six months."
Born into a family of four generations of musicians, he was taught his family's musical tradition by his paternal aunt and maternal uncle.
He learnt to play many instruments, including the dan kim or dan nguyet (moon-shaped lute), dan tranh (16-stringed zither), dan co or dan nhi (two-stringed fiddle), dan ty ba (pear-shaped four-stringed lute) and the trong nhac (ceremonial drum).
The Doctor in Musicology, who has helped popularise Vietnamese music around the world, is a member of UNESCO's Music Council.
He did research at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris, France, and has taught at the illustrious Paris-Sorbonne University.
He has expertise in a wide range of Asian music, particularly Indian, Persian, Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic.
He lived in Paris for around 50 years and travelled worldwide, lecturing and performing, playing a key role in introducing Asian music to the western world. He has taught thousands of students from all over the world, including a number of PhD's.
Besides hundreds of articles, he also written books on music, made CDs, and a series of five books on his reminiscences in 2001 and 2002.
Nhung Cau Chuyen Tu Trai Tim will be released on July 24 to mark his 90th birthday. — VNS