This hauntingly beautiful poem of Yun Dong-ju (1917-1945) speaks of a desire to walk through life with an unwavering commitment to do what is right. Indeed, this very commitment to what is right is what got Yun arrested and killed in Japan during the movement for Korean independence. My setting of this text seeks to convey the fearless conviction and heavenward bent of Yun’s words by juxtaposing intense, rhythmic sections with floating, lyrical sections. The liquid rhythms and gestures in the piano serve to loosely evoke the sound of the Korean gayageum (가야금), as well as perhaps to embody the motif of wind that runs through Yun’s poem. Certain rhythms in the choir are my interpretations of Korean jangdan (장단), the rhythmic modes that characterize all traditional Korean music; specifically, the gutgeori (굿거리) mode. Additionally, the initial rhythmic motif of five dotted-quarter notes recurs all throughout the piece, appearing in both additive and subtractive rhythmic patterns on the critical phrases, ‘goerowohaetda’ (괴로워했다) and ‘saranghaeyaji’ (사랑해야지), and at the end in a more subdued manner.
Commissioned by the Taylor University Chorale, dir. Dr. Reed Spencer, for their tour to South Korea in the Spring of 2026.
SATB Choir (divisi), piano; ~6:30
To license this score, please contact me using the button below (1-2 days’ response time):
Perusal Score
Text
죽는 날까지 하늘을 우르러
한점 부끄럼이 없기를,
잎새에 이는 바람에도
나는 괴로워했다.
별을 노래하는 마음으로
모든 죽어가는것을 사랑해야지
그리고 나한테 주어진 길을
거러가야겠다.
오늘밤에도 별이 바람에 스치운다.
- 윤동주
Until the day I die
I long to have no speck of shame
when I gaze up toward heaven,
so I have tormented myself,
even when the wind stirs the leaves.
With a heart that sings the stars,
I will love all dying things.
And I will walk the way
that has been given to me.
Tonight, again, the wind brushes the stars.
- Yun Dong-ju
(translation by Chae-pyong Song and Darcy Brandel)
https://jaypsong.blog/2012/03/13/prologue-by-yun-dong-ju/
Performances
3/21/2026, Upland Community Church, Upland, IN. Taylor University Chorale, dir. Dr. Reed Spencer.