Computer Music from Korea: Fall 2000 Concert

Stanford's Center for Computer Research in Music & Acoustics (CCRMA) will present a concert featuring music by Korean composers, Monday, November 27, at 8 p.m. in the Ballroom at the Knoll (660 Lomita Drive). Admission is free.

For information, call the Music Department at (415) 723-3811.

Program

Dudri -- Seong Joon Moon
Sori 2000 -- Do Noung Lee
polychromatic... -- Eun Hwa Lee
Respiration -- Jong Woo Yim
The River -- Doo Jin Ahn
Hyungsan -- Sung Ho Hwang

Dudri
for tape

Seong Joon Moon

This work was created between March and May 1996 on the Power Macintosh computer with the sound-synthesis language CSound and CMask which was written by Andre Bartetzki for Granular Synthesis in electronic studio of Hochschule fuer Music "Hanns Eisler" in Berlin. "Dudri" is an archaic word of korean language. This word is derived from "dudrida" which means "beat" or in some cases "hammer". Some linguists infer that this word "Dudri" meant ancient "the smith god" or "an ode for the smith god". In the Iron Age was the capability of making iron tools or races. It is also supposed that it was prayed by this ode of the japanese traditional music theatre "Singga". The source sound materials were the text of the beginning from "Singga" which has been translated by novelist Young-Hee Lee into korean, sound of hammer on metal, various sounds of metalic percussion instruments and noises of fire, water and wind. By this work the smithery was considered also as a metaphor for a birth of civilization. Therefore the nature noises which was regarded ancient as elements of life was used. The following fragment of "Singga" was used: "dud ddal-ari dal-arira dal-ari a garinal nal-idu, chiriya dal-ari dal-arira dal-aria gari nal nal-idu. By this work the fragment is rather important as a symbol for a petition in the Korean language which are archaic, not actual. This piece was perfromed at ISCM'97(Seoul) and ICMF'98(Kobe). (12'00)

Sori 2000
for violoncello and live electronics

Do Noung Lee

This work intends to take the characteristic sound of the cello. For this particular purpose, the composer used the four open strings of the cello tuned in perfect fifths by the 2:3 frequency rate and their natural harmonics as the primary sound structure. This frequency rate is also used as the basic element for the temporal procedures. The overall frequency rate of each open strings, tuned in perfect fifth, is 8:12:18:27(C:G:D:A), and the time ratio of the vibration period is set in inverse proportion to the frequency rate. It is the rate of the numbers of vibration and temporal periods that all the rhythmic progressions and the formal structure as well as the performance oder of the strings are determined. Those rhythms and pitches are manipulated through the entire piece along with the electronic high-technology, repeating expansion and contraction in 2:3 ratio of the fifth. The audience will hear electronically enlarged spectrum along with the natural overtone spectrum produced by the cello.

polychromatic...
for tape

Eun Hwa Lee

The concept of the polychromatic has about as much meaning as the subtitle. In this piece, one finds the sounds of "movement," "copper," "cave," and "similarity" (the Chinese characters for which are all pronounced "tong" in Korean) used as material, with each of these meanings having their own subjective sense of color.

Respiration
for two percussionists and tape

Jong Woo Yim

Respiration I and Respiration II were two etudes out of four etudes for percussion and electronics. Respiration I is the first etude for percussion especially skin instruments with electronics. It is composed of the part of electronics resembling the percussion instruments timbres, and converse with rhythmical movements in the part of percussion. Respiration II was composed of voice with percussion instruments as the second etude.It is composed of the part of voice was imitation sounds of percussion timbres, and canonic movements each other.

The River
for tape

Doo Jin Ahn

This work took Catacomb from Pictures at Exhibition by Mussorgsky and the traditional Korean Songs as musical sources. These were synthesized through the various ways such as ring modulation, vocoding, and morphing. Having been edited, these materials symbolize the image of eterally flowing rivers of Korea.
Despite the deep anxiety years.
a crane takes to its wing,
as if a fair river flows
without creating any waves in the water passing by.
Poem from Crane by Jungjoo Shu.
The original version was recorded 6 channel surround music.

Hyungsan
for traditional voice and electronic sound

Hyun Moon, vocalist

Sung Ho Hwang

This piece is based on JUE Eui Sik's sizo(a genre of korean traditional poetry), "Bakok from Mount Hyungsan". Bakok means a natural jade. The piece shows strong timbral features, characteristic of traditional korean vocal music which places importance on rhythm and breathing techniques. The timbral features are brought to the forefront using techniques that dismantle, prolong and stretch poetic wording rather than effectively portraying its meaning. The poetic images that represent the dismantled poetic wordings were realized using manipulation of computer and electronic sound processing methods. (9'30)
If I show people the Bakok from Mt.Hyungsan.
For it is a stone, who can know the inner essence?
Let it be. Won't there be someone who will know?
Leave alone as if a poor stone.