Inter-Intra

The piece interweaves two popular melodies from Japan and Korea (one from each country): Hamabe no Uta (浜辺の歌) and Doraji Taryeong (도라지 타령), symbolizing the relations between the two countries. Both of them are relatively recent creations, composed in the early twentieth century, as I felt that they are more relevant to the modern history of these two countries. The first four pitches (excluding repeated notes) of these two melodies happen to be the same, but in retrograde (sol-do-re-mi and mi-re-do-sol). I used this four-note chord throughout the piece with various modifications to derive other melodic and harmonic ideas. However heavily modified, I also incorporated the characteristic chromatic chord progression from the chorus of Hamabe no Uta and the Korean rhythmic system (jangdan). I titled my piece " Inter - Intra " to celebrate the friendship, inseparably tight, between the two countries.