Đỗ Nhuận (December 10, 1922 in Hải Dương – May 18, 1991 in Hà Nội) was a Vietnamese classical composer. He is known for the first homegrown Vietnamese opera - Cô Sao "Miss Sao." This and other more-or-less revolutionary themed musicals were premiered by the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet (VNOB) at the Grand Opera House.[1] In 1996, he was posthumously awarded the Hồ Chí Minh Prize for music.[2]

Đỗ Nhuận
Born
Đỗ Nhuận

(1922-12-10)10 December 1922
Hải Dương, French Indochina
Died18 May 1991(1991-05-18) (aged 68)
Hà Nội, Việt Nam
NationalityVietnamese
OccupationComposer
Known forComposing music
Notable workĐoàn lữ nhạc, Du kích Sông Thao, Giải phóng Điện Biên
AwardsHồ Chí Minh Prize for music

Don't confuse with an earlier Đỗ Nhuận (born 1440), a high ranking politician, a notable poet, member of Tao Đàn nhị thập bát tú [vi] - a famous association of 28 poets under the command of King Lê Thánh Tông.[3]

Early years

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Unlike most of the musicians at that time who followed the romantic orientation, Đỗ Nhuận entered the music industry with patriotic songs. In 1939, at the age of 17, he had his first work Trưng Vương (Trưng sisters). During 1940 – 1941, he focused on completing the opera Nguyễn Trãi – Phi Khanh (Nguyễn Trãi and his father) and many other compositions. His works performed have awakened the patriotism of Vietnamese people. Because of those songs and other activities assigned by the Việt Minh front, such as printing and distributing propaganda leaflets for the revolution, mobilizing students and young people to respond to movements, he became a key cadre of the Việt Minh among Hải Phòng youth and students.[4]

In the second Indochina War

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Đỗ Nhuận is also the only musician in the first generation of Vietnamese neo-musicians who is well-trained (others mostly self-taught). He studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory from 1960 to 1963.[2]

During the late 1960s he was highly critical of the "pop" music of songwriters in the South such as Phạm Duy.[5] Đỗ Nhuận was the General Secretary of the Vietnam Musicians' Association in two continuous terms (1957-1963, and 1963-1983).[6][7]

Works

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Operas

  • Cô Sao ("Miss Sao") Hanoi 1965, restaged as A Sao 1976.[8]
  • Người tạc tượng ("The Sculptor") Hanoi 1971
  • Nguyễn Trãi ("life of Nguyễn Trãi") Hanoi 1980.

Songs

  • Du kích ca ("Guerrilla song") 1945.[9]
  • Du kích Sông Thao ("Guerrillas of Thao River") - composed in 1949, a typical song of Nhạc đỏ, performed by many famous singers, one of them is Đào Tố Loan in Toyota Concert 2017.[10][11]
  • Hành quân xa ("Far marching") 1954.[9]
  • Giải phóng Điện Biên ("Liberate Điện Biên") - composed on May 7, 1954, day of Điện Biên Phủ victory, was chosen as one of the official daily theme tunes of the Voice of Vietnam.[12]
  • Việt Nam - Trung Hoa ("越南—中华, Vietnam - China") - 1966
  • Hát mừng các cụ dân quân ("Congratulation to the elderly militiamen") 1969 - song about the elderly militiamen who shot two planes of United States Navy down in Operation Rolling Thunder[13][14]

Memory

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A street along the northeastern side of the Peace Park (Hanoi) [vi] - a famous symbol of the City for peace Hà Nội - was named after Đỗ Nhuận since 2011.[15][16]

References

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  1. ^ Modern and contemporary dance "In the following year this new institution presented the first truly homegrown Vietnamese opera - Cô Sao ('Miss Sao') by composer Đỗ Nhuận marked the first successful attempt to integrate rural Vietnamese folk melodies into the western .."
  2. ^ a b "The song go along the timeline - Composer Đỗ Nhuận". bcdcnt.net. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  3. ^ "The person who was inscribed on the Doctor's stele at the Temple of Literature, Hanoi five times". nhandan.vn.
  4. ^ "Musician Đỗ Nhuận, a pre-uprising Việt Minh cadre". daidoanket.vn. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  5. ^ SERAS: Volume 27 Association for Asian Studies. Southeast Conference - 2006 "1969... In this article, Đỗ Nhuận assures his audience that the people of the South detest Pham Duy's reactionary music, and listen to it only because it is being forced upon them through the media controlled by the American puppet regime."
  6. ^ British Broadcasting Corporation. Summary of world broadcasts: Far East: Part 3 Monitoring Service - 1983 "On behalf of the congress participants, Comrade Do Nhuan, General Secretary of the Vietnam Musicians' Association, then read a report, in which he pointed out the achievements in musical composition and popularization over the past 20 ."
  7. ^ "Vietnam Musicians' Association - Introduction". hoinhacsi.vn. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  8. ^ Thông tấn xã Việt Nam, Vietnam. Bộ văn hóa và thông tin - 2004 ".. Canadian conductor and VNOB instrumentalists. Historical revolutionary opera composed by Đỗ Nhuận was staged and directed by Van Hai (in 1976 it was re-staged by director Van Ha with a new title "A Sao")."
  9. ^ a b "Musician Đỗ Nhuận and two popular marching songs". vov.vn. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  10. ^ "Tố Loan - Du Kích Sông Thao". youtube.com. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  11. ^ "Toyota Concert 2017 - 20 years of bringing classical music closer to Vietnamese audiences". sggp.org.vn. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  12. ^ "The long-lasting songs about Điện Biên Phủ victory". hanoimoi.com.vn. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  13. ^ "The song go along the timeline". bcdcnt.net. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  14. ^ "A place to save the resilient history of the Hoằng Trường elderly militiamen". bienphong.com.vn. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  15. ^ "29 new streets of Hanoi have named". hanoimoi.vn. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  16. ^ "The symbol of peace aspiration of Hanoi". laodongthudo.vn. Retrieved 18 August 2023.