The Development of Contemporary Korean Music with Emphasis on Works of Isang Yun
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THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONTEMPORARY KOREAN MUSIC WITH EMPHASIS ON WORKS OF ISANG YUN D.M.A. DOCUMENT Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Musical Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Joo Won Kim, B.A., M.M. Graduate Program in Music The Ohio State University 2011 D.M.A. Document Committee: Dr. Thomas Wells, Advisor Dr. Jan Radzynski Dr. Caroline Hong Copyright by Joo Won Kim 2011 ABSTRACT Although Korean contemporary concert music today occupies an important place in the international music scene, its development is largely a twentieth-century phenomenon, played out against a backdrop of turbulent political unrest: from the Japanese occupation (1910-1945) through the Korean War (1950-1953), and unsettled relations with North Korea. The major developments in internationally-recognized Korean composer Isang Yun‘s (1917 – 1995) career closely mirror those in Korean contemporary composition, and Yun is today venerated as the father of Korean contemporary concert music—making a discussion of Yun‘s music inescapable for the subject of this document. Although he was well versed in European avant-garde techniques through his studies there in the 1950‘s and early 60‘s, Yun worked, however, to blend these Western methodologies with those of Korean traditional music to achieve a unique expressive personal style. This amalgam of Eastern- and Western expression is exemplified in two of his works, Loyang, and Reak, which are discussed as representatives of this hybrid style. The document concludes with observations on the state of Korean composition after Yun, and some thoughts on the future influence of East-Asian music. ii It is hoped that this document will give the reader a background in and appreciation for the aesthetic goals and achievements of Korean contemporary music-- namely, how Korean composers have utilized Western music materials and combined them with Korean sensibilities, and what they hope to accomplish culturally and artistically. iii Dedicated to my family iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am heartily thankful to my advisor, Dr. Thomas Wells, who gave me encouragement, guidance and advice from beginning to end. Completing a DMA is a long journey, and I would not have been able to complete this without his steadfast support and enthusiasm. I also would like to express my gratitude towards to Dr. Caroline Hong for her efforts and outstanding teaching. Many thanks go in particular to Dr. Jan Radzynski for his time and encouragement. I want to thank my parents, my wife Ki Young Lee, and my daughter Sarang Kim for their support and patience. Most of all I wish to give thanks to God for the musical gifts, blessings, and everything has done for me. v VITA August 18, 1971 .............................................Born Kyungsan, South Korea 1997................................................................B.A. Music Composition, Kyungpuk National University, South Korea 2001................................................................M.M. Music Composition, Western Michigan University 2003 – 2008 ...................................................Director of Music, Grace Korean United Methodist Church, Columbus, OH 2008 – 2010 ...................................................Director of Music, The Church Next Door, Columbus, OH 2010 – Present ...............................................Director of Music, Havens Corners Church, Blacklick, OH Fields of Study Major Field: Music Studies in Music Composition Dr. Thomas Wells Studies in Piano Performance Dr. Caroline Hong Studies in Choral Conducting Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………ii Dedication…………………………………………………………………………...……iii Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………….iv Vita…..…………………………………………………….………………………………v List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………...viii Chapters 1. Introduction………………………………………………………………...…………1 2. Contemporary Korean Music…………………………………………...……………..2 2.1 Origin and History………………………...……………………………..……….2 2.2 Composers……………………………………………………………….……….5 2.2.1 First generation…………………………………………………...….…....5 2.2.2 Second generation……………………………………………..........…….7 2.2.3 Third and current generation....………………………………………...…7 2.3 A Brief History of Korean traditional music…………………………..………...10 2.4 Characteristics of Korean traditional music….…………………………..………13 2.5 The influences of Korean traditional music………….………...…………..….…15 2.6 Combination among Eastern Asia countries…….……………………………….17 3. Isang Yun……………………………………………………………………...…..…19 vii 3.1 Life and musical background……….……………………………………..….….20 3.2 Stylistic Characteristics...……………...…………………………………....……27 3.3 Loyang………………...………………………………….……………....…..…..34 3.4 Reak……………………………………………………………………....…..…..43 4. Conclusion and looking forward………………..…………………………..….….…59 Bibliography……..………………..……………………………………………………..61 Appendix A: List of Isang Yun‘s Composition………………………………………….63 Appendix B: Conversation of Isang Yun and Bruce Duffie…………………….……….74 Appendix C: Consent Letter from Boosey & Hawkes, Inc……………………………...87 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 3.1 First section of Sangyeongsan of Yeonsanhoesang ......................................... 32 Figure 3.2 Voices in Sangyeo-sori of Kochang ................................................................ 34 Figure 3.3 Instrumentation of Loyang .............................................................................. 36 Figure 3.4 Musical form scheme of Loyang ..................................................................... 37 Figure 3.5 Loyang m.1 – 7 ................................................................................................ 38 Figure 3.6 12 tones in Loyang m.1 – 5 ............................................................................. 38 Figure 3.7 (0,1,3) Pitch-Class-Set Formations in Loyang ................................................ 39 Figure 3.8 Loyang m. 8 – 14 ............................................................................................ 40 Figure 3.9 Loyang m. 32 – 37 ........................................................................................... 41 Figure 3.10 Loyang m. 15 – 25 ......................................................................................... 42 Figure 3.11 Instrumentation of Reak ................................................................................ 45 Figure 3.12 Musical Form Scheme of Reak...................................................................... 46 Figure 3.13 Reak m.1 – 5 ................................................................................................. 48 Figure 3.14 Reak m.11 – 16 .............................................................................................. 50 Figure 3.15 Reak m. 43 – 49 ............................................................................................. 52 Figure 3.16 Reak m. 64 – 68 ............................................................................................. 54 Figure 3.17 Reak m. 88 – 91 ............................................................................................. 55 ix Figure 3.18 Reak m. 166 – 168 ......................................................................................... 57 x CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION The advent of contemporary Korean music coincides with the introduction of Western music into the country‘s musical life, and the historical development of contemporary Korean music continues to be the subject of intense musicological investigation. After a period in which Korean composers imitated western compositional styles from 1900, a blending of the two musics emerged, and that approach has been generally acknowledged as one of the most fruitful and creative paths for Korean art music. It is that philosophy that was espoused by Isang Yun (1917 – 1995), a focus of this paper, and the greatest and most well known Korean composer in Europe and the West. This document will describe the history of this hybrid style that Yun developed, its characteristics, its influence on Korean contemporary-music composers, and its influence in other countries. The paper will also include a discussion of two musical compositions of Isang Yun (1917 – 1995)--Loyang and Reak, works that illustrate how his compositional technique combined Eastern musical elements and Western music. Although Yun‘s music was more well known in Europe than in Korea, he was a strong influence and great inspiration for young Korean composers. 1 CHAPTER 2 CONTEMPORARY KOREAN MUSIC 2.1 Origin and History Western-style music in Korea was actively introduced through Christian Hymnals at the end of nineteenth century through the missionary work of Henry Appenzella (1858 – 1902) and Horace Underwood (1859 – 1916), two American Methodist churchmen. The Western hymnody, with its tonal harmony and regular rhythm, had a strong influence on the music of early Korean composers. Among the early composers influenced by Western church music were Sang-Jun Lee (1885 – 1962), In-Sik Kim (1885 – 1962), and Nan-Pa Hong (1897 – 1941). Although the works of these composers consisted mainly of art songs and children‘s songs written in a simple tonal language, they were a significant contribution to that repertoire. Hong‘s writings about the direction Korean music should take show him to be one of the first to advocate a hybridization of eastern and western styles to create a new Korean music. Hong said that ―A new (Korean) music should be built based on our [Korean] thought and emotion and by taking advantage