:: 민 속 원 ::

Writing new music for Korean traditional instruments

Minsokwon Korean Studies Series 5 / Music

저자Byeon, Gye-won(변계원)

판형|쪽크라운변형 양장 | 368쪽

발행일2009년 6월 18일

ISBN 978-89-5638-767-3

가격33,000원

Kim Kisu, representative of the first generation of the genre, accepted new elements from Western music in his compositions and was the pioneer in the genre. Although he had personal social limitations as a court musician, he developed new compositions and preserved
traditional music when it was rapidly declining. The development of the changjak kugak genre was one way of preserving traditional music.

Yi Sung-Chun, who belongs to a second generation of composers, aimed to solve this dilemma by distinguishing Korean identity from traditional identity. His “"improved”" 21-string zither was a considerable contribution in its own right and also prompted others to develop new and experimental instruments. He also improved the playing techniques for kayagum, allowing performers to exploit the full range of the instrument’s potential. His compositions for this new instrument demonstrate that we need a contemporary Korean identity that is not or should not be exactly the same as traditional identity.

Yi Haeshik, who also belongs to the second generation of composers, has taught the need for cultural exchange with other countries in Asia, Europe and Africa. As a composer who is especially concerned with the folk music of his own country, Yi shows that one can still access musical features from all over the world for inspiration and imagination in composition. He has succeeded in borrowing from various folk traditions and giving them a contemporary texture. Going beyond the conventional limitations of the genre, that is, beyond Western and Korean tradition, he has attempted to broaden the music of the genre. While Kim Kisu emphasised melody and Yi Sung-Chun tone colour, Yi Haeshik prefers to think of his music as being comprised of bricks which are mortared together to create a musical edifice. His method of fashioning a piece of music from small motives had been promoted in essential Western music theory. Though entirely different from any traditional Korean style of composition, Yi succeeded in employing it in this genre.

Now, it is time for a new generation, including myself, to assist with the development of this genre. Young composers must create and expand their own styles without being tied to old conventions. We need to be able to go beyond our forebears in terms of our preparation in and knowledge of Western music and awareness of the distinctiveness of Korean society, which must nevertheless be reflected in our music. In this way, the genre can achieve a broader scope of expression, which will increase its accessibility.

Dr. Byeon, Gyewon is not only active in the academia of musicology but also deeply involved in musical composition and performance of traditional Korean music. She studied traditional Korean music and usical composition as an undergraduate at SNU, and received her M.A. in traditional Korean music composition from SNU and her Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from SOAS, University of London. She is currently a lecturer at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and the Seoul National University of Education (SNUE). She has written various academic articles, in English and Korean, for publication in academic journals, and has published books. Among them, “"Multicultural music education and Intercultural music education”", “"To Formulate Globalization of Korean Traditional Children’s songs for Multicultural Music Education”", “"The Terminological Investigation of ‘World Music’”", “"The Present State and Prospects of the Ethnomusicology in the U.K.”", “"Western Influence and Changes in Korean Music”", “"The Improvement of the kayagum and a piece for the 21-string”", “"The Concept of Composition in Korean music”" and so on are included. She was Secretary of the Korean Society for Music Research and member of Korean Society for Traditional Music, the Society for Korean History Musicology, Korean Society for Women Composers, International Council for Traditional Music, and British Forum for Ethnomusicology. Furthermore, she has composed various musical pieces using different traditional musical instruments of Korea, and these have been performed in Korea as well as Japan, USA and Great Britain. Several her pieces were commissioned by such renowned institutions and orchestras as KBS (Korean Broadcasting System), Kyunggi and Chonbuk Korean Traditional Music Orchestras, the Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts, the Department of Korean Music at Seoul National University, and Arts and Humanities Research Board of England etc. Especially, her composition concerts, held in Edinburgh Fringe Festival for several days in 2006, were the big achievement. She also published her own composition CD and the score book of her music in 2006. With these accomplishments, she was awarded the biggest KBS Great Prize for composer in the Korean traditional music world in 2006. About eleven CDs with her music are sold in Korea.