Who Is Isang Yun?

Isang Yun, born in September 17th, 1917, was a South Korean composer who wrote songs, his more famous ones being Piri, Exemplum in memoriam Kwangju, and Widow of Butterfly. He “learned” the violin at thirteen years old on his own- he was never formally taught music, given the political conditions Korea was in at that time. Between 1955 and 1956, Yun won the Seoul City Culture Award for his 1st String Quartet and Piano Trio, and studied abroad in Paris and Berlin. He then taught at Berlin as a professor and continued composing, and over his lifetime, he made over a hundred works, including operas, symphonies, chamber music, and traditional Korean styled music. Yun passed away in 1995, in Berlin, until his grave was moved to his home country of Tongyong (a city) in Korea, where he began his teaching job.

Yun had a very distinct style in music, which derived from the environment he lived in. Firstly, after living in both Korea and Europe and experiencing different styles of music, he started blending traditional Korean and European styles of music. For example, he would write techniques that match Korean instruments, but instead of using those specific instruments, Yun would find similar western ones and use those. He used European twists and variations of composing techniques to show his style as well. A common theme in Yun’s music is harmony and peace. In his lifetime, Yun faced many wars and political conflicts, like the Japanese occupation of Korea, the world wars and the Korean War, and the separation of North and South Korea, increasing Yun’s wants for peace. Yun spoke about his views on oppression through his musical works, and shared that his goal was reuniting the Korean peninsula.