[KS] Re: Korean National Anthem

Richard C. Miller rcmiller at students.wisc.edu
Tue Jul 18 07:59:02 EDT 2000


Keith Howard, is of course right. Franz Eckert (1852-1916), formerly oboist
at the Dresden Music Institute, wrote the second version of the Aegukka. He
came to the Korean Royal court after stints as Director of the Japanese
Imperial Navy band (beginning 1879), consultant to the Japanese Education
Committee (now the Ministry of education) from 1883 to 1886, and instructor
to the Music Department of the Imperial Household from 1888. Along the way
(probably in 1882), he and a Japanese scholar composed the second version
of "Kimi ga yo." (The first version was composed in 1870 by British band
instructor John William Fenton, who was actually originally hired by one of
the "rebel" han that were the engines of the Meiji Restoration). Neither of
these versions is used anymore. I might also note that "Kimi ga yo" only
received official status as Japan's national anthem in the last year, along
with the Rising Sun flag, and that after years of quite bitter dispute. The
last report I saw in the Japan Times (a few months ago now) said that
nearly half of the schoolteachers in the country were still refusing to
start the day with a flag ceremony and singing of "Kimi ga yo."

Richard
--Richard C. Miller
--UW School of Music
--Manado, Indonesia
--rcmiller at students.wisc.edu
  http://www.sit.wisc.edu/~rcmiller/


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