Isang Yun and Taoism
In his works for Western instruments, Isang Yun tried to capture the sounds of Korean traditional music. His symphonies, concertos, chamber music, cantatas, and instrumental solo compositions all included Korean musical approaches. In his pieces, Yun also kept up his training in German westernized music. As a result, he was able to include both eastern and western musical ideas into his songs.
Gugak is the name of the musical style that encompasses all traditional national Korean music. Gugak's rhythmic structure is built on cycles and patterns, and it flows in a circular manner. The cycle often has a symmetrical or asymmetrical 6 beat or 12 beat rhythm.
This rhythmic pattern is frequently played by a drummer in support of a vocalist or musical group. There was no notation that captured the tones, rhythm, number of repeats, or pace of earlier generations of Korean music. As a result, Korean music lacks a set meter. The beat is adaptable and has an improvised quality to it. 6 Particularly in Korean vocal music, the concept of regulating sound with the "breath" and conveying the lyrics or character of the music are essential to the performance. This theatrical technique represents the emotional side of life.
During her pregnancy, Isang Yun's mother had a dream about a dragon soaring through the sky until it abruptly collapsed and was hurt. Many older Korean generations believe that a pregnant woman's dreams will determine the course of her unborn child's life. A son's tremendous achievement is often the meaning of a dragon in a dream. A wounded dragon, on the other hand, is a bleak premonition of Isang Yun's ups and downs in life. Isang Yun experienced ongoing political upheaval and social turbulence all of his life. He started using music as a medium to communicate his wish for peace and philosophical ideas. East Asian philosophy and the sounds of Korean traditional music that Yun first heard as a youngster are combined in Shao Yang Yin (1966).
Yun was kidnapped by the South Korean KCIA in 1967 on the assumption that he was a North Korean spy. Yun was kidnapped, subjected to torture while being interrogated, and given a life sentence. Several Korean students in Western Europe and West Germany met with North Koreans stationed in East Berlin during this occurrence, which is also known as the East Berlin Affair.
In Yun's example, he accepted an offer to travel to North Korea in 1963 so that he could observe the Goguryeo wall murals, which would serve as an influence for his music.
He focused his research on Taoism principles while imprisoned. The incarceration and abduction of Yun prompted the creation of action groups in a number of nations. Important musicians and politicians from Germany and other European nations wrote President Park Jung Hee on several occasions pleading for the release of Isang Yun. As a result, his life sentence was subsequently commuted following intense international pressure on South Korea. Isang Yun was freed and sent into exile from South Korea in 1969. Isang Yun relocated to Germany and obtained citizenship there. He never returned to his own country.
