This dissertation examines Joon-il Kang’s life and the world of his music by analyzing his seven compositions for haegeum, aiming to comprehend the musical and aesthetic characteristics of his works to propose efficient performing methods. The findi...
This dissertation examines Joon-il Kang’s life and the world of his music by analyzing his seven compositions for haegeum, aiming to comprehend the musical and aesthetic characteristics of his works to propose efficient performing methods. The findings of this study are as follows:
First, Kang regarded music as a temporal art form, shaped by the physical phenomenon of sonic vibrations and approached it from a perspective that blends physics with East Asian philosophies, and he opined that traditional Korean music was built upon the philosophies of “yin and yang (陰陽)” and “the three realms (三才, that is, heaven, earth, and humanity)”. He endeavored to express the numeric symbolism of East Asian thought and the mysterious and rich resonance of ancient Korean music through melodies employing double overtones and quartal harmony. He also aimed to compose music that conveys the vibrant vigor of yin and yang, reflecting the essence and aesthetics of traditional Korean music.
Second, as for the tonal structure of these seven works, most of them are atonal, and they employ traditional modes such as pyeongjo (the “Changbu Taryeong” mode), gyemyeonjo (the “Beteulga” mode), and menarijo while also making partial use of contemporary-sounding whole-tone scales. They also repeat characteristic intervals. In addition to combining the intervals of perfect fourths and major seconds, as traditional Korean music frequently does, and employing stepwise progressions consisting of major seconds and minor thirds in unaccompanied pentatonic scales, Kang makes use of augmented fourth/diminished fifth intervals, which are considered dissonant in Western music. This can be seen as a contemporary reinterpretation of sound combinations that evoke traditional music despite employing traditional tonal structures.
Third, thematic figures are varied in diverse manners: 1) reversal of thematic melodies; 2) inversion of thematic melodies; 3) rearrangement of pitch orders and intervals; 4) augmentation and diminution of melodies; 6) transposition of melodies; 7) sequential progression. Additionally, Kang uses various types of sigimsae, or melodic ornamentation, such as downward vibratos and glissandi, upward vibratos and glissandi, and brief ornaments, imbuing universally practiced melodic progressions with Korean aesthetics.
Fourth, when it comes to harmony, Kang utilizes quartal chords such as those made up of a perfect fourth stacked on top of another perfect fourth and those built with a major second on top of a perfect fourth; he also utilizes augmented fourth/diminished fifth chords, chords made up of double overtones, and various triads and seventh chords. Although his music is predominantly atonal, he does not rule out traditional functional harmony.
Fifth, a wide range of rhythms are employed: rhythms of sequential figures; cheerful and dynamic dotted rhythms; syncopations; hemiolas that frequently appear in traditional rhythmic patterns made up of triplets; uneven rhythms; changing meters; and eotbuchim. Attaching rhythmic patterns to melodic phrases in a way in which they do not match up.
Sixth, Kang delineates the specific sentiments of his works in Korean instructions, which combine traditional melodic forms and Korean sentiments shaped by the Korean way of living, providing an important clue for understanding his music and oeuvre. Kang sought the identity of Korean music and transformed ordinary Korean lives into music that expresses Korean sensibilities characterized by kindness and humor.
Last, this study examines effective performing methods for Kang’s haegeum music in terms of fingering and bowing. There are techniques for 13 finger positions based on melodic progressions involving the lowest tones and central tones. As for bowing, the composer notably provides specific bowing directions in regard to slurs, ties, and various articulations. He employs traditional Korean bowing techniques such as ingeojil A technique where the end of the bow briefly plays the next tone as if snatching it.
and daruchigi A technique where the bow plays a repeated tone as if pressing it each time. This technique is mostly employed in folk music.
as well as Western techniques like tremolos, spiccatos, and slur staccatos, so the performer must consider all the elements of bowing, that is, the direction, length, speed, pressure, angle, and position of bowing, so as to effectively express the sesigimsae and dynamics.
It is hoped that this study will help readers gain a deeper understanding of Kang’s works and provide practical assistance for the performance and appreciation of Joon-il Kang’s haegeum music.