Event Title

Exploring Three East Asian Composers: Toru Takemitsu, Chen Yi, and Jiyoun Chung

Performer / Ensemble

April Ryun Kim (Piano)

Streaming Media

Date of Publication

3-26-2021

Document Type

Event

Abstract / Program Notes

In a society where studying and composing in the traditional Western classical style is more common, there has been a large growth of non-Western composers and musicians in the twentieth and twenty-first century, especially from the East Asian countries. This presentation will examine three East Asian composers’ works: Toru Takemitu’s Rain Tree Sketch, Chen Yi’s Variations on “Awariguli”, and Jiyoun Chung’s 가위 (“Scissors”): Fantasia Toccata. Just as there are multiple aspects to a culture, there are multiple ways composers can portray these aspects within their music. The similarities between Takemitsu, Chen, and Chung lie in the fact that they synthesize cultural aspects from their native countries with traditional Western musical techniques. However, the journey each composer took to create their works differs immensely. Takemitsu did not begin to appreciate Japanese musical tradition and regularly incorporate aspects of it in his compositions until he had been composing for over a decade. Chen had a greater appreciation for Chinese musical tradition early on and incorporated it into her early compositions and continues to infuse traditional Chinese elements into almost all of her works. Although integrating traditional Korean elements does not come as a priority for Chung, depending on what she specifically wants to communicate through her music, it provided her with a larger musical vocabulary. How Takemitsu, Chen, and Chung preserve aspects of their native culture, ranging from music to aesthetics while fusing traditional Western music techniques, will be observed mainly through their compositional and culture’s influences.

Biography

A native of Minnesota, Dr. April Ryun Kim is currently Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at St. Olaf College. She completed a D.M.A. piano performance at the University of Missouri - Kansas City, M.M. in solo and collaborative performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a B.M. in piano performance with a collaborative emphasis at St. Olaf College. As an active performer and an advocate for new music, Dr. Kim has performed in the Musica Nova ensembles at the University of Missouri - Kansas City, St. Olaf Faculty Chamber Ensemble, and is a regular performer in 10th Wave, a new music chamber ensemble based in the Twin Cities. As part of her lecture recital, she commissioned and gave the world premiere of “가위 (Scissors): Fantasia Toccata,” written by composer Jiyoun Chung. In addition to performing and teaching, she has presented at various conferences including the the 2017 and 2018 Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Collegiate Chapters Piano Pedagogy Symposium, the 2018 and 2019 Minnesota Music Teachers Association (MMTA) Conventions, CMS Regional Conferences, the 2019 Music By Women Festival, the 2019 Women Composers Festival of Hartford, the 2019 CMS International Conference held in Belgium, and the 2020 Compositions in Asia Symposium and Festival.

Keywords

East Asian composers, composition, culture

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Exploring Three East Asian Composers: Toru Takemitsu, Chen Yi, and Jiyoun Chung

In a society where studying and composing in the traditional Western classical style is more common, there has been a large growth of non-Western composers and musicians in the twentieth and twenty-first century, especially from the East Asian countries. This presentation will examine three East Asian composers’ works: Toru Takemitu’s Rain Tree Sketch, Chen Yi’s Variations on “Awariguli”, and Jiyoun Chung’s 가위 (“Scissors”): Fantasia Toccata. Just as there are multiple aspects to a culture, there are multiple ways composers can portray these aspects within their music. The similarities between Takemitsu, Chen, and Chung lie in the fact that they synthesize cultural aspects from their native countries with traditional Western musical techniques. However, the journey each composer took to create their works differs immensely. Takemitsu did not begin to appreciate Japanese musical tradition and regularly incorporate aspects of it in his compositions until he had been composing for over a decade. Chen had a greater appreciation for Chinese musical tradition early on and incorporated it into her early compositions and continues to infuse traditional Chinese elements into almost all of her works. Although integrating traditional Korean elements does not come as a priority for Chung, depending on what she specifically wants to communicate through her music, it provided her with a larger musical vocabulary. How Takemitsu, Chen, and Chung preserve aspects of their native culture, ranging from music to aesthetics while fusing traditional Western music techniques, will be observed mainly through their compositional and culture’s influences.