| Isang Yun (1917 - 1995), a German composer of Korean origin, is known for incorporating an Asian philosophy called Taoism and Korean traditional music into contemporary Western art music. These diverse materials contribute to his unique musical language including his idea of Hauptton and Hauptklang. This treatise explains factors essential to understand the music of Isang Yun, specifically his compositions that use the violin.;In order to provide appropriate performing guidance for violinists, four pieces, Kontraste Zwei Stucke fur Violine solo (1987), Gasa fur Violine und Klavier (1963), Piece concertante fur Kammersensemble (1976), and Reak fur grosses Orchester (1966), are explored. These four pieces were selected to provide representative examples from each period of Yun's career as well as variety in instrumentation, with a solo, duet, chamber ensemble and orchestral piece. In addition, accessibility to the music and frequency of performance, or popularity were also considered. Therefore, these pieces represent each period and my discussion identifies important compositional features for each period. Kontraste illustrates how Yun simulates the sound of Korean string instruments, especially the gayageum. Gasa shares distinctive features with Korean court music called Jung-ak. Piece concertante shows Yun's newly inflected musical, political, and philosophical thoughts after his imprisonment by Korean dictatorship. Lastly, Reak is a work where his musical ideas and techniques are condensed. |
