A fusion of Korean and Western art music towards oneness in composition as an expression of personal identity

Abstract

The purpose of the exegesis is to explain the intercultural nature of my creative process and its seven scores. I argue that my music is a fusion of traditional Korean musical and cultural values alongside influences from intercultural Asia- Pacific and European avant-garde composition unified by a Catholic spiritual and Korean cultural oneness aesthetic. These diverse threads merge as a musical syncretism to create unity in the compositions. The point of view of the writing is from inside the creative process as a reflective practitioner, who investigates the nature of composing-in-action and reflects on the Korean-Australian ideas that enrich this process. It is told as a narrative utilizing my own personal history, ideas from Asia (especially Korea) and western art music, and is illustrated with musical examples. The analysis takes a selective musicological approach to support the Korean-Australian oneness argument. The structure of the exegesis moves from a compositional credo, to the cultural journey that generated it, and out into an analysis of the resulting compositions. The credo outlines the Christian spiritual and intercultural ideas and its physical dimensions within Korean and avant-garde music. It has five operating principles including spiritual symbols and oneness. The journey starts with improvisation and develops into diverse ideas linked by a traditional Korean sensibility. The analysis locates the music in traditional Korean-orientated and avant-garde influenced compositions; living-threads (colour and rhythm) and macrocosmic design unify the diversity.

Date of Award	2009
Original language	English