Tryst, 2001

"Jacqueline" Jeeyoung Kim
Korea

Instrumentation:
kayageum (zither)/voice, oboe, cello

The lyricism of the voice is poignantly examined in the court traditions of Korea. Tryst, by Korean born composer "Jacqueline" Jeeyoung Kim, is a love song between the beautiful courtesan Chin Ok (whose name means "true jade") and the famed scholar and poet Jung Chul (1536 - 1593) (whose name means "pure iron"). During his exile in the village of Kang-Gye, Jung Chul met the lovely Chin Ok who performed an enchanting song on the kayagum [GA ya goom] (plucked long zither) for him. They exchanged the following poetry which which is the basis of this piece:

Jade had returned,
Impure jade had I remembered,
But your close, cold surface,
Belied a substance pure and real.
With an awl and bellows
My breath will shape you anew.

The courtesan's response:

Iron had returned,
Brittle pig iron had I known,
But your close, cold surface
Belied a substance tempered and annealed.
With a furnace and bellows,
My breath, you will not withstand the fire.

The visceral cries of the vocalist performing on kayagum are supported by the cello and the oboe (which is intended to mirror the Korean flute or piri). Korean jang-dan rhythmic patterns in alternating groups of 3 and 2 provide a lilting and dancelike cadence to the love song.