A conductor's guide and analysis to Korean traditional choral music techniques in Creo by Hyowon Woo

Abstract

The music of Korean choral composer Hyowon Woo (b.1974) is known throughout the world. Woo’s oratorio, Creo was commissioned for Dr. Hakwon Yoon and the Incheon City Chorale, and was premiered in 2012 in Incheon, South Korea. Creo, which means "Create," is an oratorio composed of 11 movements. The Latin text used by Woo is based on the first chapter of Genesis, the first book of the Bible. Creo is an outstanding example of Woo's compositional style. The combination of traditional Korean music and Western music elements in her choral work, Creo, has created a new musical genre. This dissertation will explore the compositional background of Creo wherein are combined characteristic elements of both East Asian and Western music. By way of examining Creo, Korean choral music in general will be treated from a historical and stylistic perspective. It is interesting to note that Woo used Korean traditional elements of vocal style, scale, texture, and structure, in addition to variety of choral composition techniques. In particular, the combination of Latin text and instruments depicts scenes in Genesis, such as the light and the darkness, the firmament, the earth and plants, the firmament of heaven, the seasons, the living and moving creatures, and the story of Adam and Eve. Text painting, and Korean traditional instruments play a very important role in expressing the beauty and sound of Korea. Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, Korean choral music enjoyed a dramatic expansion in terms of quantity and quality. Nevertheless, resources for Western conductors of Korean choral music remains limited, thus hindering a wider international reception of this distinctive and engaging music. This document is written with the goal of providing the necessary historical and stylistic information that will give conductors an understanding to perform Hyowon Woo’s Creo to the highest possible artistic standard.