Harmonia Koreana: A Short History of 20th-century Korean Music (Contemporary Korean Arts Series #3)

Harmonia Koreana: A Short History of 20th-century Korean Music is a brief overview of how Western classical music was introduced and developed in Korea. This book tells about the distinguishing features of the Korean composer's musical work in general and goes in to more depth on several of modern music's most important compositions.

To understand 20th century Korean music, it is necessary to examine how Western classical music took root in Korea during the period between the late 19th to the early 20th centuries, as this formative period involved the incorporation of Western music sometimes in its entirety, and at other times in the form of adaptations that created a new style. Since its introduction, Western classical music enjoyed growing prosperity at the beginning. However, composers' creativity were oppressed under the Japanese colonial rule and successive Korean war followed by political and social turbulence. Through harsh environments, a closer look into specific works demonstrates that Korean composers always sought to internalize, or "Koreanize," imported techniques to reflect Korean sensibilities, including the individual artists' personal styles.

From the late 1990s, however, Korean composers began accepting and recognizing 20th century Korean music as a new musical legacy of their own, while enjoying greater freedom to choose their musical languages. Additionally, they have become more personally motivated to write music, bringing more diversity into contemporary Korean music. Now, at the dawn of the 21st century, Korea is ready to produce composers with unrestricted inspiration and mature musicality.