A sound of Korea: Hunminjeongeum by Byunghee Oh

Choral musicians worldwide are eager to explore new music characterized by diverse languages, backgrounds, and messages. The growing number of languages found in choral repertoires performed internationally is reflective of a global trend in choral music conducting. There is a significant surge of interest in music by women and, amid this growing global enthusiasm for female choral composers, women are currently at the forefront of the choral scene in South Korea. Even the most acclaimed Korean composers’ work, both male and female, often remains unrecognized internationally due to language barriers and the challenges of grasping traditional Korean melodies and rhythms. This dissertation addresses these challenges through an in-depth study of Hunminjeongeum (훈민정음, 2021), a 70-minute choral composition by a prominent Korean composer, Byunghee Oh. Inspired by the historical origins of the Korean writing system, Hangeul (한글), the work blends traditional Korean musical idioms with modern choral textures. Many ideas and materials explored will be familiar to Korean readers; however, the primary effort of this work is to synthesize and translate elements to facilitate an increased understanding by a larger choral conducting audience—and in a manner that will be engaging and accessible to conductors and ensembles worldwide. By providing detailed linguistic analysis, including International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) transcriptions, this research aims to support non-Korean-speaking conductors and performers in approaching the work with linguistic and stylistic accuracy. Ultimately, this paper contributes to the broader effort of making contemporary Korean choral music more accessible to international audiences and encourages a more inclusive and diverse choral repertoire worldwide.

Name thesis:degree_name

A.Mus.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Music

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Kwon, Seungah

Contributors dc:contributor

• Eagen-Jones, Megan
• Solya, Andrea
• Taylor, Stephen
• Tharp, Reynold

• Music
• Choral
• Korea
• Korean
• Korean Choral Music
• Hangeul
• Hunminjeongeum
• Byunghee Oh
• Korean letters
• Composer
• IPA
• Performance practice

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Seungah Kwon

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132675

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/132675