Arirang
SSA - Sheet Music

SSA choir a cappella (SSA choir)

SKU: AN.AMP-0092

Edited by Lawrence Kaptein. Arranged by Shin-Hwa Park. Octavo. Alliance Music Publications #AMP 0092. Published by Alliance Music Publications (AN.AMP-0092).

Park.

ARlRANG

arranged by Shin-Hwa Park

The Korean word arirang means literally rolling hills. Korean monophonic arirang songs have been sung for centuries throughout Korea, passed largely from generation to generation through oral tradition. In this arrangement, three well-known arirang melodies are utilized; they are Jung-Sun Arirang, Mil-Yang Arirang, and Arirang. They appear simultaneously on page six. While most songs within this genre aremelancholy, others can be joyful. The prevailing character of this arrangement is of the plaintive type. The pentatonic melodic lines have been largely preserved, although western homorhythmic and imitative techniques are used to create a polyphonic texture.

Choral singing is a relatively new phenomenon to many Asian countries. Korean choirs rely heavily on western choral models for guides to vocal production, tone quality, and style. Consequently, it is suggested that rather than trying to create or imitate Korean tone color (of which no universal model exists), better resultswill be gained by carefully observing the indicated mood/articulation indications that appear throughout the music. To facilitate learning, the text that appears in the music has been written out phonetically; used in conjunction with the pronunciation audio tape, singers should quickly assimilate the sounds of the Korean words.