[A song of heart 14] is...

[A song of heart 14] is a modernized composition work among female repertoires of Gagok. The lyrics were excerpted from the original pieces with brand-new melody created by the composer. The songs included in this album are dealing with heart feelings to convey to others. Kang Eun-koo, the composer, has actively performed in the field of Western music and Korean traditional music as well as drama theater, dance music, and producing after graduation of Seoul National University, College of music in 1993.

The traditional genre of Gagok is a long suite music consists of 26 male and 15 female repertoires, respectively. Its original format of singing is one-by-one order based by male and female in turns, and for the both sex at the final song, as known as Taepyeongga. The very first song of the Gagok in history begins with Chosakdaeyeop, of which unit to count the number of songs is a ‘leaf(yeop in Korean)’. Since many derivative repertoires were put to the end of the first song, the word of leaf(yeop) is like a suffix at the end of each songs’ title, for example of Yisakdaeyeop, Banyeop, and etc.

Of the original, the composer picked 14 pieces into the modernized work, and they are also in suite music format as the original. The lyrics are from female repertoires of Gagok. Some of them are same as the original, some were re-written in presently spoken Korean with relevant annotation. Also, some elements reflect those of the drama theater and dance music, where which the composer has built up his careers so far.

The composer has a strong will to succeed the tradition. Korean traditional music has formed such repertoires what we have now through re-interpretation of the past and derivatives. Those pieces of Mandaeyeop, Boheoja, Sangnyeongsan has undergone such a process. A composer Yi Seongcheon named such a process earlier as “ formation.” Therefore, such a “formation” process is the result about the past by challenging re-interpretation. This album not only re-interprets the tradition, but also contains the present form of art. Old and new constantly intersects bearing the seed of creation. The strong will of creation is to be found under the connection between the past and future through: the intersection between old lyrics and its annotation, the vocal practice of the past and modern way, the harmony between piano and daegeum, and the wordings of Gagok lyrics and Western music.

Kang Eun-koo, the composer, has pursued to connect people to people through heart. The heart, maybe this would be the very mostly wanted for all of us right here and right now facing the 4th industrial revolution, when technology deeply influences every individual lives. The album reminds us of a space next to the ‘leaf’ just like the composer’s rigidly right path, hopes to connect heart to heart, and people to people in an expedited desolation after COVID-19.

Written by Kim Myung Ock