(VOVworld) – Van Ky is a well-known musician of red and romantic music. The Song of Hope is associated with this musician’s name. Van Ky has written a number of songs, operas, and symphonies, which have had a great influence on the Vietnamese music scene.

Musician Van Ky (Photo: thethaovanhoa.vn)

Musician Vu Van Ky was born in 1928 in Vu Ban District, Nam Dinh Province. Ky took part in the revolution at a young age and soon showed his aptitude for music. Teaching himself, in 1946, Van Ky wrote his first song called “Old Moon”. He was then sent to a music class at inter-zone 4 in Nghe An Province. Ky won prizes for his two tableaux “Conscripted Laborers Set Off” and “Rice Rent Refund” at the National Music Festival in 1954. One year later, Ky was one of the co-founders of the Vietnam Musicians Association, and he became a member of the Association’s Executive Board. He underwent a number of training courses instructed by foreign experts and underwent a period of probation in the Soviet Union. After returning to Vietnam, Ky wrote a lot of outstanding musical works. Musician Nguyen Cuong from Hanoi, said: “Van Ky is a talented musician. Apart from songs, he was also able to write operas and symphonies. In December 1972 in Berlin, Ky’s dancing suite K’Nhi was performed on par with classical musical works by famous musicians such as Tchaikowski, Beethoven, and Prokofiew”.  

Van Ky’s songs have romantic melodies with meaningful lyrics. Many became popular songs, namely “Undaunted Central highland”, “Tay Ethnic Teacher Playing a Musical Instrument on the Mountain Peak”, “Nha Trang in the Autumn”, Hanoi’s Blue Sky”, and “Hanoi in Spring”. Ky’s songs always send messages of optimism, faith, and looking forward to a bright future. He is also called the musician of autumn. Ky said Hanoi’s blue sky is very meaningful to him: “Hanoi’s blue sky is not only naturally beautiful, but also symbolizes hope and aspirations. I send this message in my song “Hanoi’s Blue Sky”. Hanoi’s sky saw the victory of the Vietnamese people during the war when the enemy’s planes went down, and during fireworks performances and it symbolizes aspirations for peace”.

During his music career, Van Ky wrote around 400 musical works, many of which have become classical works of Vietnamese music. “The Song of Hope” is the song most associated with Van Ky’s name. The song was written more than half a century ago and quickly became popular among the Vietnamese people. The song showed the musician’s emotions and hope for peace during the war. The meaningful message and beautiful melody of the song still remains in the hearts of generations of Vietnamese people. Mr. Ky again: “I am so lucky to have the chance to experience different historical periods the nation has gone through. I wrote the song during the war against the American imperialists and expressed my wishes and aspirations in that song. Even in the hardest times, I still believed in victory. I dreamt of the day when Vietnam would be totally liberated and reunified”.  

In 2011, Van Ky was conferred the State Award on Literature and Art for his great contribution to Vietnam’s music and art.