Byeon Gyewon (b. 1969)

List of Works

Autumn Sky for 25-string gayageum solo 2001

Eternity for daegeum and jing 2001

Chaos but Hope for Korean traditional orchestra 2001

Going to Asia for gayageum, geomungo and soegeum 2001 (CD KBS FM Series for the Twenty-First Century: Korean Traditional Music no. 55, 2002)

Habitus for four twenty-five-string gayageums 2002 (Minsokwon: Forgotten Love in Everyday Life, 2006; CD with same title, Seoul Records, 2006) 

Sinpungryu for twenty-five-string gayageum and soegeum 2002 (Minsokwon: Forgotten Love in Everyday Life, 2006; CD with same title, Seoul records, 2006) 

Multitone for daegeum and electronically manipulated daegeum and voice 2002 (Minsokwon: Forgotten Love in Everyday Life, 2006; CD with same title, Seoul records, 2006) 

Chepitongjakkot for haegeum solo 2002

Rule of Circulation (alternate version of Chepitongjakkot) for three haegeums 2002

Flying for Korean traditional orchestra 2002

New Sangjeoga (alternate version) for Korean male singer, daegeum, piri, haegeum, yanggeum, ajaeng, cello, janggo, buk, gong, and brass wind chime 2003

Prism and Spectrum for piri/taepyeongso, daegeum/soegeum, ajaeng, and three percussionists 2003 (Minsokwon: Forgotten Love in Everyday Life, 2006; CD with same title, Seoul records, 2006) 

A Trip to West – Out into the World for daegeum, violin, and cello 2003

Pak and Pak for new pansori and Korean traditional orchestra 2004

His Life was the Light for Korean traditional orchestra 2004

Joy, Anger, Affection and Pleasure for Korean traditional orchestra 2004

The Moment for daegeum and five-string revised pipa 2005

The Neighbor for daegeum and eighteen-string gayageum 2005

Love Myself (alternate version of Chepitongjakkot) for haegeum and piano 2005 (Minsokwon: Forgotten Love in Everyday Life, 2006; CD with same title, Seoul records, 2006) 

New Sangjeoga (alternate version) for Korean male singer, daegeum, haegeum, and piano 2005 (Minsokwon: Forgotten Love in Everyday Life, 2006; CD with same title, Seoul records, 2006) 

Seven Stories for soegeum, daegeum, saenghwang, haegeum, four gayageums, ajaeng, yanggeum, and percussion 2006

Beauty of Snow for ajaeng and piano 2006

Hung for daegeum and piano 2006

New Yeomillak for haegeum and piano 2006

The Fragrance of Nature II for gayageum and piano 2006

Lost Words for Korean traditional orchestra 2007

Sensibility and Intelligence for gayageum duet (two performers on each part) 2007

Red Bird for traditional ensemble and female voice 2007

Respect the Heaven and Work for People for traditional voice and female voice 2007 

Narasha for female voice and three gayageum parts 2007

Euphoria for nine twenty-five-string gayageums (three performers on each part) 2008 

Journey to the Memory for solo haegeum with Western orchestra 2008

Cognitive Dissonance for daegeum, human voice (vocalizing), and electronic music 2008

Asian Bossa Nova for thirteen-string koto, seventeen-string koto, twelve-string gayageum, piano, and two percussionists (janggo and various instruments) 2008 

Ta for soegeum, daegeum, piri, haegeum, modernized yanggeum, twenty-five-string gayageum, geomungo, ajaeng, Western wind chimes, the two largest buk drums, and large jing 2009

Cheomseongdae, the Dream of a Thousand Years for Korean traditional female voice haegeum, and piano 2009

 

Music Examples

Chepitongjakkot

Example 1: opening section, mm. 1-15, showing Korean influence through the slow tempo. Ornaments, vibrato, and emphasis on major seconds/perfect fourths.

Example 2: mm. 81-90 (central section beginning in m. 82), showing reorganization of ten beat otmori changdan into various patterns. 

Example 3: haegum trio version, mm. 38-49, showing heterophonic second section beginning in m. 42 that is not in the haegum/piano version. 

 

Habitus

Example 1: movement 1, mm. 1-23, showing the introduction of the A1, A2, A3, B, C and D motives. 

Example 2: movement 2, mm. 64-82, showing the eight-measure idea, its first variant, and the two-measure ostinato pattern. 

Example 3: movement 3, mm. 244-257, showing the nine measure melodic idea and the beginning of its first variant. 

 

Ta

Example 1: opening section, mm. 12-28, showing conflicting ostinato patterns in the kayagum and the Korean-influenced melody. 

Example 2: section three, mm. 160-169, showing new pentatonic scale (C-Eb-F-Ab-Bb) used for melody in the soegum and yangkum, with arpeggios in the kayagum and slower-moving komungo and ajaeng parts. 

Example 3: section four, mm. 207-214, using the chajinmori pattern in 12/8.