HÀ NỘI — Two books about the life and musical career of renowned Vietnamese songwriter Hoang Van (1930-2018) have been released to commemorate the fourth anniversary of his death.

The first book, Nhạc va Đời  (Music and Life), published by the Institute of Music, includes 15 analytical essays on typical Hoang Van songs and instrumental works, written by famous music theorists, musicians and conductors; and selected outstanding articles about his life by many journalists and writers.

The appendix includes a list of his currently available collections of works, as well as a bibliography of newspapers, books, and writings around the songwriter's life and career.

The second book Cho Muon Đời Sau (For Eternity), published by Kim Đồng Publishing House, is a biography about Hoang Van through his lifelong works, written by his daughter Le Y Linh.

The covers of the two books are based on a self-portrait of Van and designed by his cousin, the famous painter Le Thiết Cương.

During more than half a century of composing, Van wrote more than 700 works in almost all genres and forms of music.

After his death, his family worked hard to compile, store and preserve the musician's legacy. These two books are the result of a phase of conservation work and the study of the vast amount of work left by him.

Hoang Van was born in 1930 into an intellectual family at Hang Thung Street in the Old Quarter of Ha Noi. His father and grandfather were Confucian scholars.

He began his career in 1951 after releasing revolutionary songs about Vietnamese soldiers and people during the French war, including Chiến Thắng Tay Bắc (Victories in Northwest Viet Nam).  

His famous songs, such as Toi La Người Thợ Lò (I’m a Miner), Quảng Bình Que Ta Ơi (Quảng Bình Province-My Homeland) and Tình Ca Tay Nguyen (Song of Central Highlands), feature the country's soldiers, farmers and workers. 

Many of his romantic songs, released after 1975, have been performed by pop stars and are still loved today. 

Hoang Van died in Ha Noi in 2018

For his contributions to music, he was awarded the Hồ Chí Minh Prize in Literature and Arts, the highest award in Viet Nam. — VNS