Who still remembers musician Hoang Kieu, composer of the famous Cheo play 'Suy Van'?

According to music theorist Nguyen Quang Long, the Cheo play 'Suy Van', whose music was composed by People's Artist and musician Hoang Kieu, is an artistic milestone, where he brought Cheo to the peak of musical expression.

Musician Hoang Kieu, composer of the famous play Suy Van - Photo: GĐCC

Mr. Long shared his opinion at the discussion between People's Teacher and musician Hoang Kieu on the development of Cheo theater and music on the afternoon of August 9 in Hanoi .

The discussion was organized by the Vietnam Musicians' Association, the Vietnam Stage Artists' Association, the Institute for Research on Preservation and Development of Ethnic Culture, and the Vietnam Cheo Theater to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of People's Teacher and musician Hoang Kieu.

Musician Hoang Kieu plays Suy Van most performed by Vietnam Cheo Theatre

At the seminar, delegates summarized the contributions of musician Hoang Kieu to Vietnamese Cheo such as composing Cheo music, scientific research on Cheo and training Cheo artists for the modern Cheo stage...

Especially his contribution to Cheo music. A typical example is the play Suy Van, for which he wrote the music, which is one of the most popular plays of the Vietnam Cheo Theatre.

Veteran artists of the Vietnam Cheo Theatre sing a Cheo tune from the play Suy Van, of which Hoang Kieu is the music composer - Video: T.DIEU

People's Artist Thuy Ngan (Former actress of the Vietnam Cheo Theatre), who has 40 years of experience performing Suy Van, affirmed that the music of the play Suy Van is so good that every time she performs it, just hearing the music play makes her goosebumps, she knows it by heart, from the nuances of the music associated with each movement.

Thanh Ngoan said that when she was young, entering the Vietnam Cheo Theatre and first coming across the play Suy Van , she mistook it for an ancient Cheo play.

Hoang Kieu's use of music here is so smooth and harmonious in every detail that the audience and performers can feel like they are living in an authentic traditional Cheo space.

Musician Giang Son, daughter of musician Hoang Kieu, is very proud of her talented father. She said her father was the first great arranger for the Cheo orchestra and traditional plays. His music is very modern.

"My father was ahead of his time when he combined folk music with classical music composition and arrangement techniques," Giang Son affirmed.

In 2023, musician Hoang Kieu's wife and daughter received the State Prize that he was posthumously awarded. Many opinions agreed that Hoang Kieu deserved the Ho Chi Minh Prize - Photo: GDCC

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People's Teacher, musician Hoang Kieu (1925-2005) real name is Ta Khac Ke, hometown in Hung Yen, born in Hanoi.

Mr. Hoang Kieu's contributions to the Cheo stage are reflected in many aspects. Among them, the three most prominent areas are his dedication to Cheo music, to scientific research on Cheo and training Cheo artists for the modern Cheo stage.

Dr. Tran Dinh Ngon affirmed Hoang Kieu's role in Cheo theater, including his role as the first person to compose background music for Cheo.

Not only is he one of the few musicians who pioneered in recording and collecting ancient Cheo melodies from artisans, then researching and compiling them into books, Hoang Kieu is also the first person to compose background music for ancient Cheo plays that have been revised and adapted, as well as some Cheo plays with new themes.

His compositions in the plays Suy Van and Quan Am Thi Kinh have become models for younger generations of musicians to follow.

Besides, he was also one of the first people to compose new Cheo melodies based on the structural principles of ancient Cheo melodies and that success opened a trend for musicians writing for Cheo later.

In 2001, when he was 76 years old, musician Hoang Kieu published two books: Learning Ancient Cheo Melodies (700 pages with 170 melodies), and Vietnamese Tones and Traditional Music (500 pages).

Hoang Kieu was awarded the State Prize for Literature and Arts and many noble medals of the Party and State.

At the panel discussion, playwright Nguyen Dang Chuong said that Hoang Kieu deserved the Ho Chi Minh Award. His opinion received the agreement of many delegates.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ai-con-nho-nhac-si-hoang-kieu-tac-gia-am-nhac-vo-cheo-suy-van-noi-tieng-20250809233600501.htm