ABSTRACT

This chapter aims to elaborate on a stylistic collaboration between Western art music and Korean traditional music, supported by a sociological explanation. It examines the composer Sukhi Kang, who followed Yun to Germany and established his own career in both Europe and East Asia. The range of sources for information about Kang’s creativity and philosophy are overwhelmingly diverse. The existing research suggests that Kang is regarded not only as a composer of Western-style music but also as a pioneer who looks for a meeting point where the Western can contain the Korean historical tradition. ‘Manp’a’ was a composition dedicated to exploring the sound of the taegum and was inspired by the old myth ‘Manp’a shik chok’, as the title implies. A table showing the instrumentation of ‘Manp’a’ divided into three parts: solo, bamboo chorus and waves. The myth, as embedded in ‘Manp’a’, maintains its traditional elements on the surface level.