VietNamNet Bridge – Professor Tran Van Khe, one of the greatest masters of traditional Vietnamese music, has said in his will that he wants all the money donations at his funeral will be used to create a scholarship fund or award researchers of Vietnamese traditional music, local media reports.

According to Prof. Khe’s eldest son Prof. Tran Quang Hai, the 12-section was made before his father fell into a critical health condition and contains funeral rites for his father when he passes away and what he wants to help develop the country’s traditional music. The outstanding professor has picked his daughter Tran Thi Ngoc Thuy to implement the will and manage artifacts and documents belonging to him.

In the will, Prof. Khe says his house on Huynh Dinh Hai Street in HCMC’s Binh Thanh District will be used as Tran Van Khe’s memorial house for visitors to study documents, magazines, music discs, movies, musical instruments, recorders, paintings, photos and other items featuring his career.

“I wish the house will be opened for people to read reference books and documents, and all these documents should be used for research and cultural promotions, not commercial purposes,” Khe says in his will.

He stresses that his ambition is to use all the documents and artifacts he has collected to help promote and preserve Vietnamese traditional music and culture.

He wants his eldest son Hai to organize and decide all the matters at the funeral, and an organizing board for the funeral comprising of local researcher Nguyen Dac Xuan and poet Ton Nu Hy Khuong’s husband Tran Ba Thuy.

He wishes his funeral will be held at his home and a band of don ca tai tu (Southern folk music) consisting of his best friends and students will perform there. All the money donations will be used to create a scholarship fund or annual awards under his name to honor researchers of Vietnamese traditional music.

Prof. Khe’s severe pneumonia and heart failure have made headlines nationwide since he was brought to Gia Dinh Hospital in Binh Thanh District on May 25. As the 94-year-old cannot breathe normally and his heart beats disorderedly, medical tools have been in place to help him and music lovers are praying for his recovery.

The authorities of HCMC have paid special attention to Khe’s critical illness and pledged all the treatment costs for him will be covered by the city’s budget.

Prof. Khe was born in a family with four generations of composing traditional music in My Tho City in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang. At the age of six, he was able to play many types of traditional musical instruments. His grandfather Tran Quang Diem, father Tran Quang Chieu and aunt Tran Ngoc Vien were popular traditional artists in the country.

Khe went to France in 1949 to further his study. In the summer of 1951, he was admitted to study at the international relations faculty at a political school. In 1958, he researched music and got a PhD degree in music at Sorbonne University. From 1963, he gave lectures at an Oriental music research institute under the sponsorship of the Institute of Music of Paris.

Prof. Khe has taught and performed Vietnamese traditional music at 43 countries. The correspondent member of the European Academy of Sciences and many international music associations in the world had spent a half of century working overseas and promoting Vietnam’s local traditional music before he returned to Vietnam.

SGT