Ahn Eak-tai
Ahn Eak-tai | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 16 September 1965 Mallorca, Spain | (aged 58)
Burial place | Seoul National Cemetery |
Nationality | Korean Empire->Francoist Spanish |
Alma mater | Kunitachi College of Music University of Cincinnati Curtis Institute of Music |
Known for | Composer of the South Korean national anthem |
Spouse |
Lolita Ahn (née: Talavera)
(m. 1945) |
Korean name | |
Hangul | 안익태 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | An Iktae |
McCune–Reischauer | An Ikt'ae |
Ahn Eak-tai (
Ahn Eak-tai was born in the northern part of the
Early life and education
Ahn was born into a wealthy family in the city of
In the meanwhile, Ahn Eak-tai was drawn into music and sang hymns at a village church.
In 1919, the Rev. Mowry led the school orchestra in participating in the March 1st Movement, a nationwide effort among Koreans to protest against Japanese rule over the Korean peninsula.[13][14] From this experience, Ahn developed a fervor for the Korean independence movement, and began a student-held movement to protest against pro-Japanese teachers; the school deemed Ahn's actions inappropriate, and punished him accordingly. Sometime in September, Ahn involved himself in an effort to raid a jail in order to rescue the 1 March Movement activists caught by the Japanese police. When the police raided one of the meetings, Ahn successfully fled to Dr. Mauri's. The doctor treated Ahn's injuries for a week, and, upon receiving requests from the police to surrender Ahn, made a personal visit to the local police station to discuss alternatives. Impressed with Dr. Mauri's character, the department head let Ahn forego imprisonment by forging papers that permitted Ahn to study music in Tokyo.[15]
Study in Japan
On 6 October 1919, Ahn took a train to
In 1928, Ahn's father died, and his mother faced financial difficulty in providing for all five of her sons' education. Therefore, Ahn was hired by a luxurious restaurant as a cellist.[15] Even then, Ahn could not fully pay for his tuition, and the school therefore forbade Ahn to graduate. Furthermore, Ahn accidentally broke his cello, and had to borrow his classmate's. One of Ahn's Japanese peers expressed his respect for Ahn by purchasing him a new Suzuki violin. Eventually, Ahn was able to graduate when his teacher Hansford paid all of Ahn's tuition fees.[17] Ahn had a late graduation, which, although for only one person, proceeded as if it were for many. Following his teacher's proposals, Ahn performed a cello concert; at this performance, a Japanese newspaper appraised Ahn as "a genius with a bright future".[18]
In May 1930, Ahn returned to Korea. Upon his visit to the Soongsil Middle School, Dr. Mauri suggested to Ahn that he continue his studies in the United States. After being prohibited by the Japanese police from holding a concert, Ahn concluded that following Dr. Mauri's advice would be necessary in order to avoid the social barriers placed on the Koreans.[19]
United States
Upon arriving in San Francisco, Ahn was jailed during the immigration inspection process, because he refused to hand his cello over to the officials. During the night, Ahn obtained permission from a prison guard to practice on his confiscated cello; unable to make a connection between a musician and a criminal, the prison guard investigated the cause of Ahn's imprisonment and arranged for his release the next day.[20]
Back in San Francisco, Ahn went to a Korean church introduced by Dr. Mauri. During a service led by Pastor Hwang, Ahn heard the Korean national anthem, which, at that time, was sung to the tune of the Scottish song, "Auld Lang Syne".[21] Ahn thought of the tune as unfit for a national anthem, and decided to try composing a new national anthem for Korea.[22] As Ahn waited in the train station to head toward Cincinnati, Pastor Hwang gave him a black suitcase and a fountain pen with which to write the new national anthem.[23]
As arranged by Pastor Hwang, Ahn met Park Wonjung, Ahn's senior alumnus at the Soongsil Middle School and the Kunitachi Music School, at the train station. Park, then a student at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, assisted Ahn in entering the Conservatory.[9][24] Ahn had to work at a restaurant for low wages in order to make a living, as expected during the Great Depression.[25] In 1930, Ahn was accepted into the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra[9] as the first cellist,[26] and, during the spring break of his second year, he toured the United States playing recitals in major cities. In New York City, Ahn was allowed to perform in Carnegie Hall, a show that New York newspapers wrote about with positive commentaries.[25]
After his successful tour, Ahn changed his career goal from cellist to conductor. In 1935, Ahn transferred to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia,[9] graduating in 1936.[9][24] Around this time, Ahn successfully led a choir in Candem Church; having heard about Ahn and then attending a service at the church, conductor Leopold Stokowski invited him to join the Philadelphia Orchestra.[27] Unfortunately, Ahn was unable to pay his rent, as he was focused on writing his first orchestral score called Symphonic Fantasy Korea; however, the Peables, Ahn's neighbors, offered to pay his rent for him.[28]
Ahn successfully submitted Symphonic Fantasy Korea to a competition in Carnegie Hall, and Ahn was given the chance to conduct the New York Philharmonic for the work's premiere. However, the performance turned out to be chaotic, as Ahn was unable to control the orchestra. Greatly angered, Ahn threw down his baton. The audience followed with shouts requesting another fresh performance; Ahn refused, expressing his disappointment at the orchestra.[29] The Peables praised Ahn's actions, and apologized; they also offered to send Ahn to Europe to study and to pay his tuition.[citation needed]
Europe
On 8 April 1936, Ahn left
In 1937, Ahn was invited to
In December 1940, Ahn was invited to conduct the
During a social gathering, Ahn was introduced to Lolita Talavera (1915–2009),
Return to Korea
On 15 August 1948, Ahn's Aegukga was sung during the ceremony commemorating the establishment of the Korean government. After the Korean War, President Syngman Rhee invited Ahn to be part of his 80th birthday celebration,[9] and, on 19 February 1955, Ahn returned to his motherland after 25 years away from home.[40] The military band played the Aegukga upon Ahn's arrival. Soon after, Ahn was awarded the Cultural Medal of Merit.
On invitation from the
After a successful concert in
In 2008, Ahn was included in the list of pro-Japanese collaborators by the Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities and the Committee for Publication of a Directory of the Biographies of Pro-Japanese Collaborators because he was a conductor at a concert which commemorated the 10th anniversary of Manchukuo.[48][49]
See also
References
Notes
- ^ a b c d "The Centennial Celebration of National Anthem Composer's Birth". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2007.
- ^ a b c "Korean Patriot's Musical Scores Uncovered". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 29 November 2006.
- ^ a b Kim Nam-seok (김남석) (27 December 2004). (역사 인물의 흔적을 찾아서) 안익태 선생 [(In search for tracing historical people) Maestro Ahn Eak-tai] (in Korean). Sonyeon Hankook Ilbo. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
- ^ "S. Korea marks centennial of national anthem composer's birthday". Yonhap News. 12 February 2006. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
- ^ Geum, No-sang (금노상) (18 January 2003). 예술칼럼 안익태와 손기정(금노상 인천시립교향악단 예술감독) (in Korean). Incheon Ilbo. Retrieved 6 September 2009. [dead link]
- ^ Kim Byeong-gyu (김병규) (23 June 2003). (교과서 속 인물) 안익태 선생 (in Korean). Sonyeon Hankook Ilbo. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
- ^
안익태 선생 유학 기록에 무엇이 담겨있나 (in Korean). Yonhap / JoongAng Ilbo. 13 November 2006. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
- ^ According to the school record on Ahn Eak-taik at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, his mother's name is styled as "Ahn, Dungook"; "Ahn" being used instead of her maiden surname of "Kim", following the Western convention for married women, and "Dungook" being a direct transcription of Pyongyang dialect.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n
안익태[安益泰] (in Korean). Britannica. Archived from the originalon 21 February 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
- ^ p. 8 Baek Sukgi
- ^ 안익태 安益泰 (in Korean). Nate / Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
- ^ p. 10 Baek Sukgi
- ^ a b "JAIL OR FINE FOR MOWRY.; Korean Missionary Has Choice in Japanese Supreme Court Sentence". The New York Times. 8 December 1919. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
- ^ "JAPANESE ARREST AMERICANS IN KOREA; Houses of Rev. Drs. Moffett, Gillis, and Mowry at Pyeng Yang Searched by Police. DR. MOWRY IS DETAINED Accused of Permitting Use of His Premises for Printing Revolutionary Propaganda". The New York Times. 14 April 1919. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
- ^ a b "걸어오신 길". Ahn Eak Tai Foundation. Archived from the original on 21 February 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2007.
- ^ pp. 31–32 Baek Sukgi
- ^ pp. 41–42 Baek Sukgi
- ^ p. 43 Baek Sukgi
- ^ pp. 45–46 Baek Sukgi
- ^ p. 50 Baek Sukgi7
- ^ "Anthem". National Symbols. Archived from the original on 27 December 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2007.
- ^ p. 54 Baek Sukgi
- ^ p. 58 Baek Sukgi
- ^ a b "안익태". Archived from the original on 14 March 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2007.
- ^ a b p. 59 Baek Sukgi
- ^ a b c "Han-gook-in, Han-gook-in". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2007.
- ^ p. 66 Baek Sukgi
- ^ p. 70 Baek Sukgi
- ^ p. 72 Baek Sukgi
- ^ p. 78 Baek Sukgi
- ^ a b p. 83 Baek Sukgi
- ^ ""안익태선생, 헝가리정부 장학금 받아 공부": 해외 유학 '학적부' 첫 발견 코다이 등 대가로부터 배워". Archived from the original on May 15, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2007.
- ^ p. 90 Baek Sukgi
- ^ p. 91 Baek Sukgi
- ^ p. 93 Baek Sukgi
- ^ a b pp. 94–95 Baek Sukgi
- ^ "애국가 작곡가 안익태". Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2007.
- ^ p. 96 Baek Sukgi
- ^ p. 97 Baek Sukgi
- ^ p. 99 Baek Sukgi
- ^ p. 103 Baek Sukgi
- ^ p. 106 Baek Sukgi
- ^ p. 107 Baek Sukgi
- ^ pp. 107–108 Baek Sukgi
- ^ p. 110 Baek Sukgi
- ^ "Musicians – Ahn Eak-tai". Listing Index. Archived from the original on 23 December 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2007.
- ^ p. 111 Baek Sukgi
- ^ "New list of pro-Japanese collaborators sheds new light on history". The Hankyoreh. 30 April 2008.
- ^ "Ahn Eak-tay: composer of national anthem". The Korea Times. 25 April 2012. Archived from the original on 16 January 2016.
Cited source
- Woongjin weeinjungi #34 Ahn Ikte by Baek Sukgi. Woongjin Publishing Co., Ltd., 1987
External links
- Composer's Widow Recalls His Love for Korea, Choson Ilbo, 16 March 2005.
- "Berliner Symphoniker to Perform 'Fantasia Korea', The Korea Times, 29 November 2005.
- "Ahn Eak-tai's Sheet Music Discovered", The Korea Times, 16 February 2006.
- Hoffmann, Frank (2015). Berlin Koreans and Pictured Koreans (PDF). Koreans and Central Europeans: Informal Contacts up to 1950, vol. 1, ed. Andreas Schirmer. Vienna: Praesens. ISBN 978-3-7069-0873-3.