“A passionate record of musicians ahead of their time,
“A human story we encounter beyond that.”

Changes in music have always accompanied changes in humanity.
This book follows the sounds born at each moment of change, conveying the courage and beauty of those who heard the future first.
The unfamiliarity of contemporary music is unraveled in a familiar narrative, and the journey of artists who did not stop even in times of turmoil, from Stravinsky and Schoenberg to Pärt and Jin Eun-sook, unfolds.
As unfamiliar contemporary music becomes closer, we hear the 'music of the future' still in progress amidst the echoes of the 20th century.

“Redrawing the topography of contemporary music.
“Testimony from artists who heard the future first”

As unfamiliar contemporary music becomes more accessible, we follow the journey of sounds that changed the times.
In the records of creation that never ceased even in times of chaos, the courage and passion of artists who heard the future first shine vividly.
Their music is a journey of innovation, resistance, and human breath, unfolding as a map in a book.
Kim Seong-hyeon, a journalist and commentator who has been documenting the music scene for a long time, tells us about the 'music of the future' that is still ongoing along with the resonance of the 20th century.

Creating a blueprint for navigating the vast sea of ​​contemporary music
Writing a review of a work that no one had ever seen or heard of before was a strange and unfamiliar experience.
Since then, it has become my personal task and wish to create a blueprint that will allow me to safely navigate the vast sea of ​​contemporary music of the 20th and 21st centuries.

--- p.10

Artistic events of our time
Even the works of Stravinsky and Schoenberg, which are considered the starting point of modern music, are only 100 years old.
In fact, it means that these are artistic events of the same time as us.
Just as studying history doesn't necessarily have to begin with prehistoric times and Gojoseon, classical music can also be viewed by turning the timeline upside down.
Even in the history of music, attempts like the 'Egg of Columbus' are possible.
I sincerely hope that this book will become one of those works.

--- p.11

All these stories are the stories of us living now.
By the late 20th century, diversity in gender, region, and race had become a hot topic in contemporary music.
There has been a growing movement away from studies of European white male-centered composers and towards a reevaluation of female and people of color composers and performers.
Regionally, interest in 'regional balanced development' has grown not only in Europe and the United States, but also in South America, Asia, and Africa.
The history of modern music is not much different from modern history in general.
That is why all these stories are also the stories of us who are living now.

--- p.20

From a radical work of fiction to a modern classic
Sometimes myths create paradoxes that hinder a full understanding of the work.
The evaluation of any work is not completed on the day of its premiere, but rather, like life, it gradually goes through the process of birth, aging, illness, and death.
"The Rite of Spring" is also a case in point, having endured the test of time for a century, transforming from a radical work of controversy into a modern classic.
--- p.30

At the twilight of life, at the end of romanticism
"Four Last Songs" became a final farewell to the fading tradition of late German Romanticism.
At the same time, it remains a contradictory masterpiece that fully preserves its retro sentiment even amidst the turbulent waves of modern music that goes beyond atonality and twelve-tone techniques and rushes toward serialism.
--- p.124

Shaking up the old, outdated aesthetics and bringing about a change in new tastes
In the 21st century, we no longer consider the Impressionist art of the Musée d'Orsay to be groundbreaking or radical.
Likewise, no one complains that the sea is not seen or heard in Debussy's works.
A century has passed since the work's premiere, and our aesthetic standards themselves have changed.
Perhaps Debussy's greatest achievement is that he shook up the old, outdated aesthetics and brought about a change in new tastes.

--- p.137

Elgar.
A true British composer after Purcell
There is a very ironic aspect to Elgar's life.
Although he may seem like Britain's national composer now, he was actually more of an outsider during his lifetime.
In England, where the Church of England was central, he was a minority Catholic and was from the suburbs of Worcester, not London.
He was also born the son of a music books and musical instrument dealer, and was virtually self-taught in music.
It seems that there was nothing that fit the mainstream conditions in terms of religion, region, or class.

--- p.143

American music's "Declaration of Independence"
As the introduction shows, Ives is easily understood as a musical outsider, as radical as Schoenberg.
This sonata, which Ives devoted four years to composing, is also considered a difficult piece full of technical difficulties due to the continuous flow of notes and the rapid tempo.

However, with the release of numerous albums featuring this song in the latter half of the 20th century, these harsh criticisms have been ably refuted.
(...)
After his death in 1954, Ives was called "a pioneer of American modern music."
In that sense, Ives's sonata was like a 'declaration of independence' for 20th-century American music.

--- p.156

The Great Exception, Janáček
The Glagolitic Mass is one of Janáček's later masterpieces, premiered in 1927.
Although the composer was already in his seventies, Janáček displayed his experience as he continued to produce operas, orchestral works, and chamber music in his later years.
(...)
We live in constant fear of falling behind the times, but 'great exceptions' like Janáček subtly point us in the right direction.
In life and art, what is more important than momentary evaluation is your own originality.
--- p.163

Zemlinsky, teacher of Korngold and Schoenberg
It seems that both Korngold, Vienna's greatest musical prodigy, and Schönberg, a late bloomer, were Zemlinsky's students.
Korngold later made a significant contribution to the development of Hollywood film music.
Schoenberg left a significant mark on the history of 20th-century modern music by nurturing students such as Alban Berg and Webern.
As a result, Zemlinsky indirectly influenced both film music and modern music through his students.

It seems that both Korngold, Vienna's greatest musical prodigy, and Schönberg, a late bloomer, were Zemlinsky's students.
Korngold later made a significant contribution to the development of Hollywood film music.
Schoenberg left a significant mark on the history of 20th-century modern music by nurturing students such as Alban Berg and Webern.
As a result, Zemlinsky indirectly influenced both film music and modern music through his students.
--- p.193

Appalachian Spring, a work that captures the turbulent times and their meaning.
"Appalachian Spring" contained a triple meaning: the utopia of the Old Testament's Book of Genesis, the pioneering spirit of the early days of the United States, and the optimism of wartime America.

“Appalachian Spring” is, in fact, a product of the fusion of artists with disparate and contradictory backgrounds.
Yuriko Kikuchi, a Japanese-American dancer who participated in the work's premiere, was detained in an Arizona immigration center for two years immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988), who was in charge of stage design, was also investigated by the FBI on suspicion of espionage.
Even in an era when the mere fact of having Japanese ancestry made them objects of suspicion and surveillance, Graham accepted them into his dance troupe without hesitation.
If you think about it, Copland was also a composer with a non-mainstream identity: he was a Lithuanian Jew, a political leftist, and a homosexual.
However, in 1945, the year after its premiere, Copland won the Pulitzer Prize for this work, solidifying his position as the 'Dean' of American modern music.

--- p.236

Ligeti, a musician who expanded boundaries beyond the narrow-mindedness of his time
The self-consciousness of the uprooted tormented the composer throughout his life, but conversely, it was also the driving force that enabled him to be free from the laws and trends of modern music.
Even after his exile in the West, Ligeti tried to keep a certain distance from the narrow-minded and dogmatic atmosphere of the contemporary music world.
He first became known in 1957 through the Darmstadt Music Festival, the cradle of modern music.
However, when looking at composers fighting and strife for hegemony within the narrow world of contemporary music, some have compared it to the power struggles of the Nazi or Stalinist regimes.
Later he said, “I am not a guru (spiritual leader).
I have no desire to preach or improve the world.
“All these utopias are so strange to me,” he confessed.
For this reason, Ligeti not only never created his own musical school throughout his life, but also constantly sought to break away from his already established style.
In 1993, Ligeti confessed:
“I have no definite vision of the future, no overarching plan.
I just feel like a blind person in a maze, groping my way through various paths.
“The moment you succeed in taking a step forward, it immediately becomes the past, and there are many forks in the road for the next step.” Perhaps, discontinuity and continuity were keywords that ran through his life and music.

--- p.266-267

A self-image filled with maturity, development, dreams, and the unconscious: Jin Eun-sook's "Alice in Wonderland"
As Alice sings, “Who in the world am I?”, the opera continually poses questions about identity.
Like the lyrics of Alice's Aria, it is a question of "Am I still the same person when I wake up this morning?"
This question is, of course, the original author Carol's, but it is also the question Jin Eun-sook poses to us.
At a 2011 conversation with the composer at London's Barbican Centre, the audience peppered Jin Eun-sook with questions about her composing habits and even her process for preparing for the opera's premiere.
To the final question, “Do you sometimes identify with Alice, the main character of the original Carol?” Jin Eun-sook answered as follows.
“In my dreams, I am always Alice.” As a result, “Alice in Wonderland” became a work that fully embodies the composer Jin Eun-sook’s maturity and development, as well as her dreams and unconsciousness.

--- p.276-277

A Journey of Resistance and Endurance
Whenever his health recovered and he rose again like a rock, he would always pick up his pen.
In the late 1980s, concerts highlighting his works were held in London, Berlin, Stockholm, and other cities, and he also served as resident composer at the Salzburg and Old Lover Festivals.
The powers that be in the Soviet music world, who had oppressed and harassed him throughout his life, lost their power after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Meanwhile, in 1994, a music festival highlighting Schnittke's work was held around the world.
One of those cities was Moscow.
It was the moment when the city where Schnittke had studied, taught, and composed music all his life finally 'officially recognized' his music.

--- p.294-295

Minimalism and the spiritual world born through silence
When he returned in 1976 after a long silence, Part was a completely different composer.
Since the mid-1970s, Part has called his musical style 'tintinnabuli'.
The Latin word 'tintinnabulum', meaning 'little bell', refers to the bells or bell sounds used in events such as church services or papal processions.
In fact, Part enjoyed using chime-like sounds in his works, but more importantly, there was a change in the musical language itself.
“Tintinabulli is an area I encountered during a time when I was searching for answers in my life, music and work,” the composer said. “When I was going through dark times, I felt that anything outside of that one answer was meaningless.”
The conclusion reached after a long period of searching in the dark was that it was Tin Tinabuli.
As a result, the initial difficult dissonances disappeared, and the main melody and the tonic triad stood out in a quiet and meditative atmosphere.

--- p.303-304

Escape from the cage
Although Cage was a lifelong self-proclaimed "anarchist," he was largely indifferent to real-world politics.
(...) But it is also true that pop and rock musicians, including John Lennon and Yoko Ono, guitarist Frank Zappa, and rock band Sonic Youth, also embraced topics such as noise, silence, and chance through Cage.
In that sense, Cage's words, "Escape from the bird cage that is imprisoning you," still sound meaningful.
Where will contemporary music fly to after breaking free from its cage?

--- p.359