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.
In the book, he recounts his darkest days when he first became arthritic: “In 2004, when I was back to Vietnam, 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), and 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 wrote 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 90 th birthday./.
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.
In the book, he recounts his darkest days when he first became arthritic: “In 2004, when I was back to Vietnam, 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), and 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 wrote 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 90 th birthday./.
