A Conductor's Guide to Un-Yung La's Choral Music As Reflected in Easter
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
A CONDUCTOR’S GUIDE TO UN-YUNG LA’S CHORAL MUSIC AS REFLECTED IN EASTER CANTATA Hanpil Ryu, BM, MM Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS August 2016 APPROVED: Richard Sparks, Major Professor and Chair of the Division of Conducting and Ensembles Jeffrey Snider, Committee Member Greg Hobbs, Committee Member Benjamin Brand, Director of Graduate Studies in the College of Music John Richmond, Dean of the College of Music Victor Prybutok, Vice Provost of the Toulouse Graduate School Ryu, Hanpil. A Conductor’s Guide to Un-Yung La’s Choral Music as Reflected in Easter Cantata. Doctor of Musical Arts (Performance), August 2016, 54 pp., 8 tables, 17 musical examples, bibliography, 45 titles. Un-Yung La was one of the first Korean composers of Western style choral music who used Korean folk elements in his compositions. According to Un-Yung La’s musical theory, which he demonstrated in Easter Cantata. Korean-style melody and rhythm were created based on Korean traditional scales and he also used Western-style harmonization. He attempted a new Korean style of expression through Sikimsae technique in Korean traditional vocal music genres: Pansori and Sijo. The purpose of this paper is to discuss traditional Korean performance elements related to melody, harmony, and rhythm as employed in La’s Easter Cantata. The study will increase the knowledge of western conductors who wish to understand Korean folk music in preparation for performances of choral works such as La’s Easter Cantata. Copyright 2016 By Hanpil Ryu ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express special gratitude to my advisor Dr. Richard Sparks for the continuous support of my dissertation. Thanks are due to the member of my committee, Dr. Jeffery Snider and Greg Hobbs for their insightful comments and encouragement. My sincere thanks also goes to Dr. Jerry McCoy for his encouragement and guidance at all stages of my studies and thesis. Finally, I owe to special debt to my family for devotion and love. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS……………………………………………………………………..…iii LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………………………..v LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES…………………………………………………………….....vi CHAPTERS 1. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………...1 2. UN-YUNG LA……………………………………………………………………………3 2.1 Biographical Information……………………………………………………………..3 2.2 Compositional Style and Influence…………………………………………………...6 3. INFLUENCES OF TRADITIONAL KOREAN ELEMENTS WITHIN EASTER CANTATA …………………………………………………………………….………...10 3.1 Melody………………………………………………………………………………10 3.2 Harmony……………………………………………………………………………..16 3.3 Rhythm………………………………………………………………………………21 4. REHERSAL AND PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATION………………………….…27 4.1 Issues of Korean Performance Style………………………………………………...27 4.2 Manner of Rehearsal Presentation…………………………………………………...34 5. CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………….…43 APPENDICES..............................................................................................................................45 BIBLIOGRAPHY...………………………………………………………………………….....52 iv LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Korean traditional scales in Fifth movement …………………………………………..14 Table 2. Central Note in Fourth movement……………………………………………………...20 Table 3 First Movement (Transfiguration)……………………………………………………….25 Table 4 Second Movement (The Entry into Jerusalem)………………………………………….25 Table 5 Third Movement (The prayer of Mt. Gethsemane)……………………………………...25 Table 6 Fourth Movement (The Way to Golgotha)………………………………………………26 Table 7 Fifth Movement (Hallelujah)……………………………………………………………26 Table 8 Pansori of voice colors……………………………………………………………….…29 v LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES Pages Example 1. Motive in movement 4……………………………………………………………….10 Example 2. Speech style of Pansori in movement 4, mm. 33-38…………………………………13 Example 3. Singing style of Sijo…..……………………………………………………………...15 Example 4. Movement 4, mm. 1-2……………………………………………………………..…17 Example 5. Ryukyu Scale in Movement 1, mm. 25-28……………………………………………17 Example 6. Kyemyogijo in Korean Harmony…………………………………………………….18 Example 7. Korean harmony (Mirroring) of Movement 1, mm. 11-12…………………………..18 Example 8. Korean harmony (Parallel) of Movement 2, mm. 37-38…………………………… 19 Example 9. Sae-ya Harmony and Mulgunamu harmony of Movement 5, mm. 49-51…………….20 Example 10. Cadence in movement 4, mm. 49-52………………………………………………..21 Example 11. Syncopated Rhythm pattern………………………………………………………...22 Example 12. Movement 4, mm.3-6………………………………………………………………22 Example 13. The basic pattern of the Taryung Changdan………………………………….……..23 Example 14. Taryung Jandan of Movement 4, mm.3 – 6…………………………………...…….23 Example 15. The basic pattern of the Saemachi Changdan………………………………………24 Example 16. Saemachi Changdan of Movement 5, mm.5-8……………………………………...24 Example 17. Korean Vocal Technique in movement 3, mm.3-5……………………………….…32 vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION In the late 19th century, various nationalist compositional styles appeared in Western music. Nationalism, defined as a purely musical phenomenon, represents a national or regional character in the music of the late 19th and early 20th century.1 Well-known choral composers of Nationalistic music were interested in folk music, collected their native folk-tunes, and set them for vocal and choral music.2 Some examples are the Eastern European composers, Béla Bartók (1881-1945), Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967), and the English composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958). Among these composers, Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály collected and edited popular folk songs of Hungary and nearby places.3 They employed folk tunes in their various works and played an important role in influencing future generations of music composers.4 In Korea, three composers who followed this example are Jung-Sun Park (b. 1945), Hwo-Won Woo (b. 1974), and Un-Yung La (1922-1993). Un-Yung La (1922-1933) was prolific composer, theorist, teacher, choral conductor, and church musicians. Greatly influenced by Bartok and Kodaly, he advocated the marriage of Korean folk elements with Western techniques. Melodic and harmonic aspects of his music often rely on church modes. Among his approximately fifteen hundred compositions are nine cantatas (including those for Christmas and Easter) for various choral-instrumental combinations, many pieces for children’s choir, and some eleven hundred hymns. La’s ten- 1 Don Michael Randel, The Harvard Dictionary of Music 4th ed., (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2003), 548. 2 Dennis Shrock, Choral Repertoire (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009), 621. 3 Donald Jay Grout, A History of Western Music 7th ed., (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2006), 830. 4 Malcolm Gilles, “Béla Bartók” in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 2nd ed. Stanley Sadie, (New York: Grove's Dictionary Inc, 2001), 790. 1 volume music theory text-a standard resource for Korean musicians-includes a volume on choral arranging.5 Un-Yung La was one of the first Korean composers of Western style choral music who used Korean folk elements in his compositions.6 The purpose of this thesis is to discuss traditional Korean performance elements related to melody, harmony, and rhythm as employed in La’s Easter Cantata. There is a paucity of knowledge among western conductors about specific native Korean musical elements in La’s Easter Cantata. The study will increase the knowledge of western conductors who wish to understand Korean folk music in preparation for performances of choral works such as this. 5 Nick Strimple, Choral Music in the Twentieth Century (New Jersey: Amadeus Press, 2002), 287. 6 Mun-seung Lee, “Study of Un-yung La’ Compositional Style,” Umak & Minjok, 9 (1995): 54. 2 CHAPTER 2 UN-YUNG LA 2.1 Biographical Information Un-Yung La was born in Seoul, South Korea on March 1, 1922 and was the youngest son of Won-Jung La and Jung-soon Park. He has been known as a bright musical talent since a little child. Un-Yung La's father, Won-Jeong La (1888. 6. 4 ~ 1929. 1.25) had a considerable knowledge of music, enough to be called an amateur musician, through he was a biologist as well as an educator.7 Particularly, his father was interested in traditional Korean instruments, and participated in musical activities while performing instruments with his friends several times a month. During his childhood, Un-Yung La was musically influenced a lot by his father, and showed interest in Korean classical music while learning the Korean traditional instrument, Yang-geum, from his father.8 He came to learn voice and singing from his class teacher who realized his musical talent during his elementary school days, and he showed enough talent and musicality to compose short melodies. He then entered the Jung-ang Middle School of Korea, and after starting to study music by participating as a member of the Brass band, he started regular music study by entering the regular course of the Japan Tokyo Empire High Music School. After graduation, he studied composition with Moroy Saburo, entering the department of composition.9 In her Life of Un-Yung La, Kun La says that Moroy Saburo advised him whenever giving a composition lesson, "Why do 7 Kun La, Life of Un-Yung La (Seoul: Un-Kyung-Chulpan-sa, 2013), 11. 8 La, Life of Un-Yung La, 12. 9 “Un-Yung La’s Life”. http://www.launyung.co.kr/life/La_life_web_04.pdf (accessed March 10, 2016). 3 you try to imitate only the western music? Make your own music, the music of your own country”. Ever since that time Un-Young La composed Korean style modern music with a firm resolution to create a modern Korean music with a western style. 10 After returning