Isang Yun in Korea und seine Neupositionierung in Deutschland

Abstract

This article examines social and cultural aspects of Isang Yun's musical activity during his time in Korea and Germany up to the 1960s, specifically, his actions as a protagonist in the dynamic framework of music creation and the assessment of his standpoints with respect to each locality. In Korea, Yun was part of a group of composers who opposed the suppression of their national, i. e. traditional music and who sought to create a specific Korean music. Upon his arrival in Germany, however, he repositioned himself with respect to the social expectations that confronted him and created a unique musical style grounded in East Asian philosophical traditions and musical elements informed by the idea of "foreign music.