Traditional Korean folk songs have been newly reborn as artistic art songs that Western classical vocalists can perform directly on the world stage.
Soprano Lee Rae-jin, a professor of voice at La Sierra University, and Ahn Jin, a senior lecturer in the music department at UC Berkeley, have published a new songbook titled ‘Korean Art Songs: Folksongs Revisited’, which reinterprets traditional Korean folk music into vocal and piano pieces.
The two collaborated with traditional sorikkun (folk singers) to collect folk songs and then reinterpreted them into modern art songs while preserving their unique sentiment and musical coloring. It is characterized by faithfully capturing the charm of Korean folk songs while harmoniously composing vocal melodies and piano accompaniments so that Western vocalists can sing them naturally.
In particular, it includes a variety of learning materials for foreign performers who previously found it difficult to approach Korean art songs due to language barriers. Detailed English translations and International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) pronunciation guides were included for all tracks, and QR codes directly linked to performance and pronunciation audio sources were provided so that performers could prepare flawless performances on their own.
Through this, even foreign vocalists who cannot speak Korean can learn accurate pronunciation and expression to perform on stage. This is evaluated as contributing to not only the globalization of Korean art songs but also expanding the cultural boundaries of existing vocal repertoires.
The included works have already proven their musical completeness by being staged by foreign performers at prestigious music universities such as the Peabody Institute, Curtis Institute of Music, UC Berkeley, and UC Davis.
The solid backgrounds of the two musicians who led this project are also drawing attention. Lecturer Ahn Jin, who was in charge of composition, graduated from the Seoul National University College of Music and received a doctorate in composition from UC Berkeley. He has drawn attention for his original creative world of combining elements of traditional Korean music with Western contemporary and electronic music, and has served as a resident composer for the California Symphony.
Soprano Professor Lee Rae-jin, who led the vocal completeness, earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Indiana University, an artist diploma from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a doctorate from Rutgers University. She is a mid-career vocalist who has been active in leading roles in ‘The Magic Flute’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in the United States, Italy, and South Korea, receiving the Italian America Cultural Foundation Performance Special Award and being listed in international biographical dictionaries.
Professor Lee Rae-jin, who has taught foreign students for the past 21 years, shared, ‘There were many foreign vocalists who wanted to sing Korean art songs, but a significant portion of existing works stopped at Western-style piano accompaniment, which was always disappointing.’ She added, ‘I am glad to be able to introduce works containing Korea’s unique musical colors to the world.’
