Interview mit Dr. Andrew Killick

Hwang Byungki: 
Traditional Music and the Contemporary Composer
in the Republic of Korea

Dr. Andrew Killick (University of Sheffield)

Wann? Mittwoch, 20.11.2013, 18-20Uhr

Wo? Koreanistik, Wilhelmstraße 133, Raum 30

Herr Dr. Killick hat sich bereit erklärt, The Koins ein paar thematische und persönliche Fragen zu beantworten:

1. Where are you from? (Country and City)
Sheffield, UK.

2. Could you give us a short introduction of your presentation topic?

I'm talking about Hwang Byungki, a Korean composer who writes mainly for traditional Korean instruments. 

3. When did you first get in contact with Korea? How did you gain interest in Korean traditional music?

After learning about Indian classical music while growing up in Manchester and completing a bachelor's degree in music at Edinburgh University, I wanted to learn about other kinds of traditional music from around the world, how they work and how to listen to them. I went to the University of Hawaii to study ethnomusicology, and as one of the professors there (Lee Byong Won) was from Korea, I started to learn about Korean music from him.

4. What was the most memorable experience you made during your fieldwork in Korea?

It's hard to choose just one, but I could mention the time when I travelled to the island of Wando to learn the local version of the percussion band music p'ungmul. At the end of the workshop the leader, a designated “Human Cultural Treasure” in his eighties, handed me the small gong kkwaenggwari which is the lead instrument, and told me to lead the performance. I was honoured but also terrified! Fortunately the others knew what to do even without following my lead.

5. What about Hwang Byungki inspired you to make him the centre of your recent book?

I've known Hwang Byungki since the 1980s when I was working on my master's thesis on new music for traditional Korean instruments. I've always admired his approach to composition as a way of extending the tradition without just imposing Western techniques on it. I've also been intrigued by the way his compositions sound very different from each other while they all seem to bear his personal “stamp”, and I wanted to see if I could explain that somehow. I think I've succeeded at least in part.

6. How many different music instruments can you play and which?

As an undergraduate student I was quite a serious classical pianist, and also played violin and viola a bit. Since deciding to focus on ethnomusicology rather than performance, I've dabbled in a lot of different instruments from different cultures, such as Indian tabla drums and Japanese shakuhachi flute. The instruments I've played more seriously are the Korean kayagŭm zither (which I learned from Hwang Byungki) and more recently an English bagpipe, the Northumbrian smallpipes.

7. Do you consume Korean entertainment like TV shows and are you interested in Korean pop music?

To be honest, I don't watch any TV as I don't have much free time and when I do I'd rather read or watch a video that I've chosen for myself. TV makes me impatient. My interest in Korean music is mainly focused on traditional music and contemporary versions of it, although I'm interested in the way Korean pop music seems to have caught so much attention around the world. Students in my department have even made their own parody video of Gangnam Style!

8. Did you see much of the country of Korea and if so, which region do you like best?

Yes, I travelled around Korea quite a lot. I like walking in the mountains, and I've explored most of Korea's celebrated mountain areas, including the ones on islands like Chejudo and Ullŭngdo. Although less spectacular than Sŏraksan or Chirisan, I've always had a liking for Odaesan. I once spent a weekend camping there by a stream, just walking around and photographing the beautiful autumn colours.

9. What is your favourite Korean dish?

Tolsot bibimbap with lots of fresh mountain vegetables.

10. What is your favourite Korean composition and why?

Again, it's hard to name just one, but if someone asks what I like about Hwang Byungki's music, I would suggest that they listen first to his song “Ch’uch’ŏnsa” (Swinging Song), accompanied by 17-string kayagŭm, which is on his last album of compositions Darha Nopigom. (By the way, this album has been released in the UK under the title Best of Korean Gayageum Music.) The lyrics are about the p'ansori heroine Ch'unhyang riding on a swing, and the voice soars over a swinging accompaniment pattern on the kayagŭm, something that wouldn't happen in traditional Korean music, but it's a great example of how a traditional art form like p'ansori can be extended in a contemporary way, and the words and music work together to express the theme of longing to “rise higher” not just on the swing but on a more spiritual level as well.

Sehr geehrter Herr Dr. Killick, wir danken Ihnen nochmal recht herzlich für Ihre Zeit und Mühe!

Dear Dr. Killick, thank you once again very much for your effort and time!