A Study of Selected Choral Compositions Based on Korean Traditional Children's Songs by Jung Sun Park

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to introduce Korean choral repertoire to the United States and to help American choral conductors understand and prepare Korean choral music. I chose the selected choral compositions of Jung Sun Park because they are based on Korean traditional children's songs. Jung Sun Park was one of the pioneers in the use of Korean children's songs in choral compositions, merging them with twentieth-century compositional techniques. Recognizing the artistic value of Korean traditional children's songs and their intimate place in the heart of Korean culture, Jung Sun Park integrated Korean traditional children's songs into highly sophisticated choral compositions for professional performance by musically trained choirs. In these compositions, He merges Korean traditional tunes and rhythms with twentieth century compositional techniques and is the first to create such new music.I selected four of his choral works as the subject of this study: Sum Bag Ggog Jil [hide and go seek], Rope Skipping Song, Wal Wa Ri Cheong Cheong [a welcoming song of the first full moon of the new year], and Mom and Sister. In this study, I analyze and examine his music both from Korean and twentieth-century western theoretical perspectives. In addition to my own analysis of these choral works based on children's songs, I conducted a phone interview with Jung Sun Park to obtain his motivations, insights, and personal thoughts for his works.The intent of the study is to analyze the four selected pieces to determine how Jung Sun Park combines his unique musical language with the melodies and rhythms of children's songs. As part of the analysis, I examine the general characteristics of Korean children's songs. In addition, I analyze Jung Sun Park's integration of representative Korean music and cultural expression into his choral works, and observe the characteristics of the original children's songs in his compositions. I also provide performance suggestions for the four choral compositions, focusing on intonation, melodic structure, rhythmic accentuation, and pronunciation.