LAMC Presents: Seoul Ladies Singers

Program Notes

by Hyojook Paik French composer André Caplet (1878-1925) was born in Le Havre, and died at Neuilly-sur-Seine on April 22, 1925. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire from 1896-1901, winning the Grand Prix in 1901 for his cantata Myrrha. His compositions were strongly influenced by his friend, Claude Debussy. He began conducting during this time. He was entrusted with the orchestration of Debussy's Le martyre de St.-Sébastien (1911) and conducted the premiere performance. His major works include Le miroir de Jésus for women's voices, harp and strings (1923). The Mass for Three Voices was composed in 1924 after a visit to the Solesmes Monastery where he was deeply impressed by the monks performance of Gregorian Chant. This three-voice a cappella mass uses four sections from the Ordinary, omitting the Credo and adding the eucharistic hymn O Salutaris hostia as the concluding movement. Giovanni Giacomo Gastoldi (c.1550- c.1622) was born in Caravaggio and died in Mantua. He served in the Gonzaga Chapel at Mantua beginning in 1572 and was the director of music from 1592-1608. His published works include 16 books of sacred music and 11 books of secular music. His madrigal style, represented by Amor Vittorioso, is similar to Luca Marenzio's in its bright sonorities, crisp rhythmic melodies and diatonic harmonies. Orlando di Lasso (1532-1594) was born in Mons, Belgium and died in Munich at the age of 62. He entered the service of the house of Mantua at age 12. He began composing while in Naples and became maestro di cappella at the Cathedral of St. John Lateran in Rome. His first published compositions were printed in 1555 while he was in Antwerp. In 1556 Lasso joined the court of the Duke of Bavaria, singing in the chapel, and in 1563 he became the chapel's director of music, a position he held until his death thirty years later. My Heart Doth Beg You'll Not Forget recounts the separation of two lovers and tells of the man's hope that his love will not be forgotten. French composer Pierre Passereau (c.1509-1547) sang tenor in the chapel of the Duke of Angouleme (1509) and possibly in the Cambrai Cathedral (1525-1530). His compositions were almost exclusively secular with only one motet representing his sacred output. He was published by Attaingnant, the first royal printers of music, along with Janequin. The ever popular II est bel et bon, with its onomatopoeic imitation of the clucking of hens, was sung in the streets of Venice. English composer Thomas Morley (1557-1602) was born in London where he died at the age of 45. A chorister at St. Paul's Cathedral, he became a pupil of William Byrd and graduated from Oxford in 1588. He became the organist at St. Paul's the following year. In 1592 he was sworn as a gentleman of the Chapel Royal. Fire, Fire, My Heart is from The First Booke of Ballets to Fine Voyces, published in 1595, and represents the English adaptation of the Italian style. The text is a call for help, but, alas, no one comes. The "fa Ia Ia's" give the English text a certain degree of expressiveness. The American folk songs being sung this evening have three different origins. The Old Chisholm Trail and Old Mac Doodle Had A Band are based on folk songs. I'm A Poor Wayfaring Stranger is derived from a spiritual. I'm Goin' Up A Yonder is based on the music of Walter Hawkins, an itinerate blues performer in the Mississippi Delta tradition. The arrangements are by four accomplished composers working in this field today. For God So Loved The World, composed by Mr. Moon Seung Lee, is a Korean contemporary anthem taken from St. John 3:16-17. The composer is professor of music in the church music department of Seoul Theological Seminary and earned a B.A. in composition from the College of Music at Yon-Sei University in Seoul in addition to studying in Germany. He has composed several choral works and published three volumes of anthems. This three-part women's anthem begins with a short piano introduction followed by unison and three part sections while expressing a solemn and mysterious mood throughout. Psalm 23 (The Lord Is My Shepherd) was composed in 1951 and is one of the most famous anthems in Korea. It has been arranged for solo, SSA, and SATB voices. The composer, Mr. Un Young La, was the forefather of nationalism in Korean music, both in his sacred and secular music. He composed 13 symphonies, chamber music and several cantatas. God Is Our Refuge And Strength, adapted from Psalm 46, begins with a solo section followed by the chorus. It is characteristic of a Korean peasant song, using combined meters with triplets expressing an underlying 6/8 rhythmic pattern. Both of Mr. La's anthems are strong in their devotional feeling and demonstrate the dramatic impact of the words taken from the Psalms. Park Jung Sun's song is about a young man named Jung Gwajung, whose real name was Jung Suh, who was politically misunderstood by the king and exiled to a small town. Wishing that the king would soon recall him, he waits patiently for a long time. As he waits for news, a lover waits longingly for his presence. Toad was composed by Mr. Jong Chan Oh, who earned his B.A. degree from the College of Music at Jung-Ang University in Seoul, Korea. This composer strives to uphold Korean musical traditions and eschew excessive western influence. He uses wide leaps between pitches while adapting western musical articulation into the pentatonic scale found in Korean music. Kasiri is the 18th century unknown Korean lyrical poem that pleads, "Do not leave me alone. Do you have to go away?" The lady asks him to stay, but she is not sure of his mind and she worries. Composer Tae Kyun Han was commissioned to arrange this work for the Seoul Ladies Singers. Kayagum is a 12-string long zither with 12 movable bridges; its strings are either plucked by the thumb, index and middle fingers, or are flicked with the index finger of the right hand. It is a traditional string instrument. The Fisherman's Song is a traditional Korean folk song of the sea. It tells of fishermen going to sea with the hope of catching enough fish to fill their boat. As they return home, they are in a gay mood as they have filled their boats with fish. The rhythms in this song are powerful but weary. The tempo varies greatly, perhaps expressing the ebb and flow of a boat upon water. Han O Baek Nyun (About 500 years) "I wish that our love could last for 500 years. Your body is gone but your love, through your spirit, is still with me. Your love, like the snow capped mountains, surrounds me and keeps me secure. Why did you leave me? My eyes are filled with tears and my heart cries as I beg of you; could we not have 500 years together?" Han River Taryung is a song that symbolizes the culture and customs of the Korean people. This river flows through the middle of the city of Seoul. At times the song represents the river running quietly, at other times it represents people dancing to an exciting rhythm. It concludes with a representation of the river's peacefulness. Jajunsan Taryung (a rapid rhythmic country tune) reflects the many beautiful landscapes of Korea. The joyful singers are sightseeing around the countryside and dance softly. They readily display their merriment as they travel around their beautiful country.