A peculiar love song: Maestro Ahn Eak-tai’s 'Aegukga'

Maestro Ahn Eak-tai, composer of the Korean national anthem “Aegukga,” conducts the Vienna Symphony Orchestra during a rehearsal in 1942. Below is the score for “Aegukga.” /Korea Times file By Lee Hyo-won It’s impossible to forget Yoon Do-hyun’s infectious rock tune “Oh, Pilseung (victorious) Korea,” which took the entire country by storm during the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, as red T-shirt-clad fans cheered for South Korea in perfect unison. “Where there is pressure, there is folk dance,” according to Danish artist Fos, and the same can be said of other art forms and traditions that take root when groups are bound by a unifying sentiment or goal, be it love of the game or political propaganda. The power of folk music can be said to have propelled the adoption of Ahn Eak-tai’s “Aegukga” as Korea’s national anthem. Cult activities translate most palpably into popular culture, and many countries have picked up widely loved tunes as its national song. Just as the French opted for “La Marseillaise,” Ahn’s melody deeply resonated with Koreans’ collective feelings of bitter loss — and undying hope — during Japanese colonial rule (1910-45), and continues to define the Korean identity to this day. “Aegukga” literally means “Song for Love for the Nation.” Last Sunday, the familiar tune resounded in the farthest corners of the country as it feted the 65th anniversary of Liberation Day when Korea was freed from Japanese rule on Aug. 15, 1945. The anthem is expected to resound even louder since this Sunday marks the centennial of the annexation of Korea by Japan on Aug. 22, 1910. The tribute to Ahn and his iconic legacy continues next month through a concert and photo exhibition organized by the Ahn Eak-tai Foundation. Ahn’s love song for Korea, and moreover, the dramatic life of Ahn himself, deserve special attention, and The Korea Times looks into his artistic merit and humanitarian spirit. A peculiar love song “Aegukga” today is known as a proper noun that refers to songs Koreans sing when the “taegeukgi” or national flag starts waving in the air. This remains true to the etymology of the word “anthem,” which derives from the Greek word “antiphony,” meaning a song one sings in response to something — like a Gregorian chant sung in a call-and-response style. In this case, it’s a musical call to patriotism or belonging of sorts. But in the past “aegukga” denoted a broad genre of songs aimed to inspire patriotism. In 1896 a variety of aegukga lyrics were published for the founding of Korea’s first modern daily Tongnip Sinmun (The Independent), and “The Korean Empire Aegukga” was commissioned by the emperor and was sung during major state ceremonies. Among these was a popular set of lyrics that is believed to be written by independence fighter An Chang-ho and/or Yun Chi-ho. During the colonial period, the lyrics gained popularity among Koreans, particularly during the March 1, 1919 independence movement. The words however were sung to the melody of “Auld Lang Syne”; while studying in the United States in the 1930s Ahn noticed his compatriates singing “Aegukga” to the tune of the Scottish folksong and was inspired to compose his most enduring legacy. “Aegukga,” now bearing an original melody, was first sung among Korean expatriates in San Francisco and then spread to Shanghai, where the Korean provisional government was based (1919-45). The anthem thus reached the Korean Peninsula last; even after liberation, the lyrics were often sung to the notes of “Auld Lang Syne.” Kim Gu, the sixth and last president of the provisional governing body, decided that “Aegukga” would be Korea’s national anthem until the two Koreas were reunified, true to this day. When the Republic of Korea was founded in 1948, “Aegukga” as it appears today was featured in official state ceremonies and school textbooks. Ahn’s legacy, however, was not just composing the Korean national anthem — he was the country’s first internationally renowned maestro. He was among the first Asians to become a core part of the Western classical music scene, as he mingled with composers like Zoltan Kodaly and Richard Strauss and conducted premier ensembles such as the Berlin Philharmonic. His love song for Korea, moreover, is manifest in his famous symphony “Korea Fantasy,” which features the melody of “Aegukga” as its main theme. The piece premiered in 1938 in Dublin, and won the hearts of the Irish audience who, like the Koreans, were under foreign rule. Throughout his conducting career he almost always showcased “Korea Fantasy,” and on one occasion he was barred from the Rome Philharmonic Orchestra for performing the symphony since Italy’s then-ally Japan found the piece politically offensive. The three-part symphony, however, remains incomplete to this day. A globe-trotting maestro It is difficult to discuss his work in depth without looking into the life of the maestro cellist, conductor and composer. Ahn was born in 1906 in Pyongyang, which is now the capital of North Korea. He exhibited a strong proclivity for music at an early age, and by junior high school he was playing the violin, trumpet and cello. In addition to musical pursuits, the teen-aged Ahn was also preoccupied with anti-Japanese activities. He faced possible imprisonment when the March 1, 1919 uprising broke out, but quite ironically a Japanese doctor helped him flee to Japan. After graduating from the Kunitachi Music School he moved to the United States in order to pursue music more freely. He studied at the University of Cincinnati and the Curtis Institute of Music, and in 1932 the cellist became the first ever Asian member of the presitigious Philadelphia Orchestra. It 1935 he composed “Aegukga.” Afterwards, Ahn continued his studies in Europe, where he forayed into conducting under renowned Maestro Bernhard Paumgartner. He then moved to Hungary, where he studied composition under the auspices of Kodaly. He became part of the exciting local music scene and it was during this time that he composed “Korea Fantasy.” While working in Spain he met his wife Lolita Talavera and the couple married in 1946. They resided in Majorca, where he founded the Palma de Mallorca Symphony Orchestra. Following Korea’s liberation, Ahn returned to his homeland for the first time in 25 years. He initiated various projects such as an international music festival and conducting what is now the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. He was also invited to give concerts in Japan, including one during the 1964 Summer Olympics. He received the Cultural Order of Merit from the Korean government in 1965. Dissension with local musicians, however, led to the halt of his music festival in Seoul, and before an envisioned amendment Ahn passed away suddenly from an illness in September 1965, while he was visiting Majorca. He was 59. His ashes were transferred from the Spanish island to the Korean National Cemetery in 1977. In 2009, a statue of Ahn was erected in Budapest. While Ahn is one of Korea’s most recognized composers he has also been subject to much controversy, including being labeled a Japanese sympathizer. As much as political and social issues with Japan remain heated, some argued the need to adopt a new national anthem, particularly since “Aegukga” was never legally adopted. “It’s up to historians to figure out the truth. In any case the fact remains clear that Ahn was Korea’s first maestro conductor who was highly respected overseas and that he left behind a legacy that means a great deal to Koreans to date. In paying our tribute to Ahn, we only deal with his life and work as a musician, as the composer of Korea’s national anthem,” Kim Yun-kyung, executive director of the Ahn Eak-tai Foundation and piano professor at the Soongsil University Conservatory, told The Korea Times. “Ahn has left behind 10 compositions but unfortunately some scores no longer exist. Historians and musicians are continuing their efforts to find the missing links in his life and career.” In the meantime, Ahn’s most enduring legacies speak for themselves through the universal language of music. Biographical information has been extracted from text provided by the Ahn Eak-tai Foundation and music critic Han Sang-wu’s work for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 1991 —ED. Tribute to Ahn The Ahn Eak-tai Foundation will host its annual concert commemorating Ahn’s musical achievements on Sept. 1 at Seoul Arts Center. This year’s performance will reenact the 1938 world premiere of “Korea Fantasy” by offering the same program that was staged in Dublin. The KBS Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Chung Chi-yong, will play Beethoven’s “Egmont” overture, Op. 84 and pianist Ian Young-wook Yoo will appear as the soloist for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491. Instead of Schubert’s Incomplete Symphony No. 8, three vocal pieces will be offered: Soprano Kim Hyang-ran and bass Im Cheol-min will sing Ahn’s “White Lily” as well as “Geu-jip-ap (In Front of That House)” and “Ga-go-pa (I Want to Go)” by Korean composers who attended the same school as Ahn in Pyongyang. “Korea Fantasy” will be the grand finale of the evening. In addition to the concert, an exhibition of Ahn’s private photographs will be open to the public for the first time at V-Gallery within Seoul Arts Center, from Sept. 1 to 10. Some 100 photos, selected from more than 1,600, will be displayed. Admission to both events is free. It is recommended that seats for the concert be reserved in advance by telephone before Aug. 25. Call (02) 821-8494 or visit www.ahneaktai.or.kr (Korean only) for more information.

source:Korea times