Contemporary Korean music piece shows influences from different cultures and eras. Many instruments and styles are popular today. The gayageum, the star traditional Korean instrument, and the piano, a star Western instrument, are at the heart of Korean composition. However, was the concept of "movements" in a composition imported from the West or did Korean musicians develop that concept independently? Is the composition of 21st century music more closely related to the music traditionally composed for the piano or for the gayageum? So, is today's Korean music more closely related to the Western or Eastern tradition? These are the questions I hope to answer in this IB Music Links Investigation.
-Jong Yun Lee-
