Y Van: Author of the song "Mother's Heart", 60 years of life - A filial musician, rare love!

Y Van (SN 1993) whose real name is Tran Tan Hau, he is known as a typical musician of Vietnamese New Music - from the late 1950s to 1990s. Many of his compositions have become immortal - such as: Mother's Womb, 60 Years of Life, Saigon is beautiful.

Y Van means "Love Van", the name of Miss Tuong Van - his first lover. He chose this name when his love affair with his partner, Tuong Yun, broke up. Some songs of the musician were also written by him to express this sentiment such as: Poor boat, Illusion, Pale sunshine....

Y Van was born in Hanoi (originally from Thanh Hoa). In his youth, he studied music with Professor and musician Ta Phuoc and also practiced composing at an early age. Orphaned fathers, poor houses, the whole family of musicians had to take refuge in a ramshackle hut in Kham Thien market lane. Because of that, he loved his mother and younger siblings. Growing up, with a little job in hand, he spent his time teaching the piano to help his mother raise the children.

In 1952 he entered the South, where he continued composing, playing, mixing and teaching music. In addition, here the musician wrote music and guitar books. Y Van is also known as a pioneer of light music with songs with chachacha, disco, twist melodies such as: "Saigon", "Illusion", "Sixty years of life", "Cui".

Later - in 1975, he joined the Southern Huong Music Troupe, then wrote music for many sources: writing soundtracks, background music for the stage... He worked hard day and night to make a relative living for his family. Also from this work, he gradually became known and loved by many audiences.

Y Van is one of the few Vietnamese musicians who lives entirely on music. In addition to composing and working for TV and radio stations, he also plays bass and guitar at tea rooms and American clubs.

As an artist, he was less commercially minded, so he often sold off the rights to hit songs. For a while, he and his wife made several tapes named Pink Cloud, but it didn't last long.

After 1975, Y Van became as poor as many other artists. Yi Yun's song was forbidden to be performed - during this period, he was forced to live off his savings. It wasn't until the 1980s that he resumed his musical activity, but wrote few songs, only making soundtracks and mixing.

Y Van's music is very diverse. At the beginning of his career - in the 1950s, his music was calm and earnestly reminiscent of the peaceful countryside, such as: Pale Sunshine, Shadow of the Same Village, Moon Paddles ... In the 1960s-1970s, Y Van composed songs about love such as Compartmentalization, Illusion, Well, A Day Without You.... In addition, he also composed music about the times and soldiers, such as Petals of Rebellion, Shang Anh,.... Besides, there are exciting songs such as 60 Years, Saigon, Urban Nights, 20-40, Highland Drums...

Typically, the pinnacle of Y Van's glorious music career is the composition "Mother's Heart" - a soft and emotional song, which has been called the "national anthem of motherhood". It sounds big, but Mother's Heart truly deserves that name.

Musician Y Vu – Y Van's younger brother once said about this song as follows: " In the late 1950s, Y Van was a musician playing for restaurants in Saigon. Every night, Mom stayed at home to wash clothes at the public water machine, once until 2 a.m. when the police came to remind her because it was past curfew. In the morning, my brother came home, found out that he had cried, and wrote down Mother's Womb. Earnest Song: My heart loves you like a full moon in autumn.

Motherhood is as dear as the breeze playing with the lake. The lullaby was as smooth as a kite flute. Early afternoon sun and rain with children's singing... Love you awake for so many long nights, how restful you are, how happy you are. Love you early at night, wandering and sowing, your hair drenched in dew..." When he finished writing, he sang to his mother and she cried."

It is known that musician Y Van has 2 wives and 8 children. The first son is Tuan Vu, the next children are named respectively: Thy Van, Ngoc Tuyen, Thanh Hang, Tan Phong, Kim Sa, Ngan Ha and Ngoc Tu. He died on November 28, 1992 (i.e. November 5, 1992). He was 60 years old (as he predicted in 60 Years of Life).

Besides his inherent multi-talent, he was also a very hardworking and loving family person. He worked a lot, even near the end of his life, to ensure that his family had a stable life.

Ms. Minh Lam, wife of the late musician Y Van once confided: "Many people embroider Y Van into a polyamorous person. As husband and wife, I have been on my knees for decades, so I know my home very well. He was a decent man who told his wife honestly. He was very hospitable to his mother and loved his wife and children...

He worked hard day and night. At noon, watching him turn the ceiling to write music under the hot low corrugated iron roof, I felt very sorry. Heaven forbid, so at that stage he was "ordered" in a lot, so to speak, "eat, make", so that our family rebuilt the so-called tidy house, but he made it for our mother and children, because only a year later he died.

Standing in front of his coffin being laid in state at the HCMC Music Festival, my mother-in-law did not cry for a moment. Perhaps all the tears to mourn him, the old woman swallowed silently back inside. We heard the old lady say, "It is unfilial for you to 'go' before me, but I don't blame you for fulfilling the word piety from the moment I finished writing Mother's Heart..."