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Papers by Nathan Hesselink

Yearbook for Traditional Music, 2002

From palace to village street to international stage, Korean dance is a vibrant and complex art c... more From palace to village street to international stage, Korean dance is a vibrant and complex art comprised of many different forms. In Perspectives on Korean Dance, Judy Van Zile brings together the first comprehensive English language study of this multifaceted art. Van Zile's broad overview includes explanations of key terminology and iconography, as well as discussions of the Korean National Treasure system, the role of shamanic dances when they are performed outside of sacred or ritual contexts, and facets of the careers of Kim Ch'on-hung, a former court dancer, and Ch'oe Sung-hui, who toured the US in the late 1930s. A final chapter examines the role of Korean dance in Hawai'i, where it is an important and at times contested identity marker for residents of Korean ancestry. Explorations of specific dances and dancers illustrate how Korean dance functions in a variety of contexts as an expression of cultural identity. As Van Zile shows, the forms of Korean dance have been modified and reinvented through the process of cross cultural influence through colonialism, governmental support and intervention, and community building among emigrants as they vie for legitimacy on the national and international stages. The book is lavishly illustrated with 42 color plates and includes a helpful glossary of Korean terms."

Journal of Musicological Research, Jul 1, 2004

... well). 11 11 See Lee, A New History of Korea, 118; Kim Du-gyu [Kim Tugyu] and SuhJai-sik [So ... more ... well). 11 11 See Lee, A New History of Korea, 118; Kim Du-gyu [Kim Tugyu] and SuhJai-sik [So Chaeshik], “Feng Shui (Pungsu): Chain of Life that Connects Ancestors with Descendants,” Koreana 16/4 (2002), 26. View all notes. ...

Page 1. Page 2. P'ungmul Page 3. Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology A series edited by Phili... more Page 1. Page 2. P'ungmul Page 3. Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology A series edited by Philip V. Bohlman and Bruno Nettl Editorial Board Margaret J. Kartomi Hiromi Lorraine Sakata Anthony Seeger Kay Kaufman Shelemay Martin H. Stokes Bonnie C. Wade Page 4. ...

Journal of the Society for Korean Historico-Musicology, Dec 1, 2002

Analytical Approaches to World Music, 2022

The current interest in cross-cultural comparison in music studies signals a rapprochement with t... more The current interest in cross-cultural comparison in music studies signals a rapprochement with the nineteenth-century practices of the anthropological comparative method and “comparative musicology” that gave birth to it. While recognition and identification of such affinities on the level of what the cultural anthropologist John Blacking would have referred to as the “surface structure” (1971) is important in its own right, it is generally understood that just because two scales or rhythms from different places in the world might sound identical, it doesn’t mean they were generated with the same intentions under the same conditions, or that they “mean” the same thing. In this article I explore the possibility of a deeper, cultural-performative resonance between two historically unrelated cultures in the process known in the West as the cadential hemiola. Here I focus specifically on the existence of alternating groupings — rather than simultaneous — of twos and threes occurring at formal, cadential junctures in what in Western music theory we would identify as bars of 12/8 and 6/4 (12/4 and 6/2 at slower speeds), or a composite bar of 6/8 and 3/4. What is significant in the context of this research is that two very different genres and cultural traditions — Anglo-American indie/alternative rock and South Korean folk drumming — both choose to alternate between twos and threes at section and piece endings, drawing the listener’s attention to such formal markers through the temporary displacement of where the beat is or might be felt. The rhythmic-formal play of the cadential hemiola thus suggests a cognitive base to such cross-cultural resonance in musical composition and performance practice.

Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 2007

Ethnomusicology, 2004

... It is the technique of the musicians and how well they craft the music in a contemporary sett... more ... It is the technique of the musicians and how well they craft the music in a contemporary setting that will ensure its ... The stated goal is to locate the purest or most "authentic" form of the art, though unofficially the art form should reflect well on a sense of Korean iden-tity and ...

World of Music, 2007

This article outlines my personal search for a working theory of democratic music in the context ... more This article outlines my personal search for a working theory of democratic music in the context of South Korean folk drumming and dance (p'ungmul). Motivated by the call of Korean political theorists and folklor ist s of the late twentieth century for the identification and investigation of democratic elements within traditional culture , I attempt to locate such ideals in the musical structure and performance practices of an indigenous drumming tradition. Through an extensive review of the pertinent literature, I was able to identify five general principles of musical democracy that are consistent with established democratic theory. My analysis hopes to highlight the ways in which we can move beyond discussions of performative art in purely aesthetic terms, revealing the socially transformative potential of the artistic realm. Instrumental Music of the Peasants- The farmer's dance is Korea's most representative and democratic performing arts tradition. (Postcard from t...

Yearbook for Traditional Music, 2007

Through scientific understanding, our world has become de-humanized. Man feels himself isolated i... more Through scientific understanding, our world has become de-humanized. Man feels himself isolated in the cosmos. He is no longer involved in nature and has lost his emotional participation in natural events, which hitherto had a symbolic meaning for him. Thunder is no longer the voice of a god, nor is lightning his avenging missile. No river contains a spirit, no tree means a man's life, no snake is the embodiment of wisdom, and no mountain still harbors a great demon … His immediate communication with nature is gone forever, and the emotional energy it generated has sunk into the unconscious. (Jung 1976:255) At the heart of the resurgence and popularity of traditional music in South Korea during the closing decades of the twentieth century lie the concerted efforts of an intimate group of friends and musical colleagues who came of age in the late 1970s. Inspired by their mentors and artistic forbearers borne of itinerant troupe performance traditions and bound together by the com...

In 1978, four musicians crowded into a cramped basement theater in downtown Seoul, where they, fo... more In 1978, four musicians crowded into a cramped basement theater in downtown Seoul, where they, for the first time, brought the rural percussive art of p'ungmul to a burgeoning urban audience. In doing so, they began a decades-long reinvention of tradition, one that would eventually create an entirely new genre of music and a national symbol for Korean culture. Nathan Hesselink's "SamulNori" traces this reinvention through the rise of the Korean supergroup of the same name, analyzing the strategies the group employed to transform a museum-worthy musical form into something that was both contemporary and historically authentic, unveiling an intersection of traditional and modern cultures and the inevitable challenges such a mix entails. Providing everything from musical notation to a history of urban culture in South Korea to an analysis of SamulNori's teaching materials and collaborations with Euro-American jazz quartet Red Sun, Hesselink offers a deeply researc...

Popular Music and Society, 2021

This article examines the intersections between popular music studies, ethnomusicology, and curr... more This article examines the intersections between popular music studies,
ethnomusicology, and curricular reform in college and university
music programs in North America and the United Kingdom.
Scrutinized through the lens of the positioning of Western popular
music studies in ethnomusicology, it will be argued that ethnomusicology
itself must undergo reform before being held up as a model to
emulate for educational transformation.

I t is commonly assumed in Korean musicology and folklore studies that geographical and economic ... more I t is commonly assumed in Korean musicology and folklore studies that geographical and economic conditions of the Honam region of South Korea (North and South Crolla provinces) have influenced corresponding musical and philosophical characteristics of this same area, both in traditional instrumental and vocal musical genres.1 Western plain counties, the so-called "right side/way" a~ea (udo), are contrasted with the predominantly mountainous eastern counties, the so-called "left side/way" area (chwado).2 This distinction is officially recognized by the Ministry of Culture/Office of Cultural Assets in its granting of Important Intangible Cultural Asset status to two local percussion bands (nongak/p'ungmul) of the Honam region, one from the right side or udo tradition (Iri Nongak) and one from the left or chwado (Imshil P'ilbong Nongak).3 From 1995-96 I lived in North CMlla province, conducting field research

Music Theory Online

This article demonstrates how the confluence of ambiguity and rhythm in a pop/rock song creates a... more This article demonstrates how the confluence of ambiguity and rhythm in a pop/rock song creates a powerful force for audience participation. Focusing on Radiohead’s “Pyramid Song” (2001) as a case study, I document in detail the myriad ways listening audiences have made sense of its meter and how this knowledge has informed their interpretations of compositional intent. I conclude with further thoughts on the roles and possibilities of ambiguity and the directions it points towards mass participation and collaborative problem solving in the realms of aesthetics and music theory.

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

Yearbook for Traditional Music, 2002

From palace to village street to international stage, Korean dance is a vibrant and complex art c... more From palace to village street to international stage, Korean dance is a vibrant and complex art comprised of many different forms. In Perspectives on Korean Dance, Judy Van Zile brings together the first comprehensive English language study of this multifaceted art. Van Zile's broad overview includes explanations of key terminology and iconography, as well as discussions of the Korean National Treasure system, the role of shamanic dances when they are performed outside of sacred or ritual contexts, and facets of the careers of Kim Ch'on-hung, a former court dancer, and Ch'oe Sung-hui, who toured the US in the late 1930s. A final chapter examines the role of Korean dance in Hawai'i, where it is an important and at times contested identity marker for residents of Korean ancestry. Explorations of specific dances and dancers illustrate how Korean dance functions in a variety of contexts as an expression of cultural identity. As Van Zile shows, the forms of Korean dance have been modified and reinvented through the process of cross cultural influence through colonialism, governmental support and intervention, and community building among emigrants as they vie for legitimacy on the national and international stages. The book is lavishly illustrated with 42 color plates and includes a helpful glossary of Korean terms."

Journal of Musicological Research, Jul 1, 2004

... well). 11 11 See Lee, A New History of Korea, 118; Kim Du-gyu [Kim Tugyu] and SuhJai-sik [So ... more ... well). 11 11 See Lee, A New History of Korea, 118; Kim Du-gyu [Kim Tugyu] and SuhJai-sik [So Chaeshik], “Feng Shui (Pungsu): Chain of Life that Connects Ancestors with Descendants,” Koreana 16/4 (2002), 26. View all notes. ...

Page 1. Page 2. P'ungmul Page 3. Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology A series edited by Phili... more Page 1. Page 2. P'ungmul Page 3. Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology A series edited by Philip V. Bohlman and Bruno Nettl Editorial Board Margaret J. Kartomi Hiromi Lorraine Sakata Anthony Seeger Kay Kaufman Shelemay Martin H. Stokes Bonnie C. Wade Page 4. ...

Journal of the Society for Korean Historico-Musicology, Dec 1, 2002

Analytical Approaches to World Music, 2022

The current interest in cross-cultural comparison in music studies signals a rapprochement with t... more The current interest in cross-cultural comparison in music studies signals a rapprochement with the nineteenth-century practices of the anthropological comparative method and “comparative musicology” that gave birth to it. While recognition and identification of such affinities on the level of what the cultural anthropologist John Blacking would have referred to as the “surface structure” (1971) is important in its own right, it is generally understood that just because two scales or rhythms from different places in the world might sound identical, it doesn’t mean they were generated with the same intentions under the same conditions, or that they “mean” the same thing. In this article I explore the possibility of a deeper, cultural-performative resonance between two historically unrelated cultures in the process known in the West as the cadential hemiola. Here I focus specifically on the existence of alternating groupings — rather than simultaneous — of twos and threes occurring at formal, cadential junctures in what in Western music theory we would identify as bars of 12/8 and 6/4 (12/4 and 6/2 at slower speeds), or a composite bar of 6/8 and 3/4. What is significant in the context of this research is that two very different genres and cultural traditions — Anglo-American indie/alternative rock and South Korean folk drumming — both choose to alternate between twos and threes at section and piece endings, drawing the listener’s attention to such formal markers through the temporary displacement of where the beat is or might be felt. The rhythmic-formal play of the cadential hemiola thus suggests a cognitive base to such cross-cultural resonance in musical composition and performance practice.

Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 2007

Ethnomusicology, 2004

... It is the technique of the musicians and how well they craft the music in a contemporary sett... more ... It is the technique of the musicians and how well they craft the music in a contemporary setting that will ensure its ... The stated goal is to locate the purest or most "authentic" form of the art, though unofficially the art form should reflect well on a sense of Korean iden-tity and ...

World of Music, 2007

This article outlines my personal search for a working theory of democratic music in the context ... more This article outlines my personal search for a working theory of democratic music in the context of South Korean folk drumming and dance (p'ungmul). Motivated by the call of Korean political theorists and folklor ist s of the late twentieth century for the identification and investigation of democratic elements within traditional culture , I attempt to locate such ideals in the musical structure and performance practices of an indigenous drumming tradition. Through an extensive review of the pertinent literature, I was able to identify five general principles of musical democracy that are consistent with established democratic theory. My analysis hopes to highlight the ways in which we can move beyond discussions of performative art in purely aesthetic terms, revealing the socially transformative potential of the artistic realm. Instrumental Music of the Peasants- The farmer's dance is Korea's most representative and democratic performing arts tradition. (Postcard from t...

Yearbook for Traditional Music, 2007

Through scientific understanding, our world has become de-humanized. Man feels himself isolated i... more Through scientific understanding, our world has become de-humanized. Man feels himself isolated in the cosmos. He is no longer involved in nature and has lost his emotional participation in natural events, which hitherto had a symbolic meaning for him. Thunder is no longer the voice of a god, nor is lightning his avenging missile. No river contains a spirit, no tree means a man's life, no snake is the embodiment of wisdom, and no mountain still harbors a great demon … His immediate communication with nature is gone forever, and the emotional energy it generated has sunk into the unconscious. (Jung 1976:255) At the heart of the resurgence and popularity of traditional music in South Korea during the closing decades of the twentieth century lie the concerted efforts of an intimate group of friends and musical colleagues who came of age in the late 1970s. Inspired by their mentors and artistic forbearers borne of itinerant troupe performance traditions and bound together by the com...

In 1978, four musicians crowded into a cramped basement theater in downtown Seoul, where they, fo... more In 1978, four musicians crowded into a cramped basement theater in downtown Seoul, where they, for the first time, brought the rural percussive art of p'ungmul to a burgeoning urban audience. In doing so, they began a decades-long reinvention of tradition, one that would eventually create an entirely new genre of music and a national symbol for Korean culture. Nathan Hesselink's "SamulNori" traces this reinvention through the rise of the Korean supergroup of the same name, analyzing the strategies the group employed to transform a museum-worthy musical form into something that was both contemporary and historically authentic, unveiling an intersection of traditional and modern cultures and the inevitable challenges such a mix entails. Providing everything from musical notation to a history of urban culture in South Korea to an analysis of SamulNori's teaching materials and collaborations with Euro-American jazz quartet Red Sun, Hesselink offers a deeply researc...

Popular Music and Society, 2021

This article examines the intersections between popular music studies, ethnomusicology, and curr... more This article examines the intersections between popular music studies,
ethnomusicology, and curricular reform in college and university
music programs in North America and the United Kingdom.
Scrutinized through the lens of the positioning of Western popular
music studies in ethnomusicology, it will be argued that ethnomusicology
itself must undergo reform before being held up as a model to
emulate for educational transformation.

I t is commonly assumed in Korean musicology and folklore studies that geographical and economic ... more I t is commonly assumed in Korean musicology and folklore studies that geographical and economic conditions of the Honam region of South Korea (North and South Crolla provinces) have influenced corresponding musical and philosophical characteristics of this same area, both in traditional instrumental and vocal musical genres.1 Western plain counties, the so-called "right side/way" a~ea (udo), are contrasted with the predominantly mountainous eastern counties, the so-called "left side/way" area (chwado).2 This distinction is officially recognized by the Ministry of Culture/Office of Cultural Assets in its granting of Important Intangible Cultural Asset status to two local percussion bands (nongak/p'ungmul) of the Honam region, one from the right side or udo tradition (Iri Nongak) and one from the left or chwado (Imshil P'ilbong Nongak).3 From 1995-96 I lived in North CMlla province, conducting field research

Music Theory Online

This article demonstrates how the confluence of ambiguity and rhythm in a pop/rock song creates a... more This article demonstrates how the confluence of ambiguity and rhythm in a pop/rock song creates a powerful force for audience participation. Focusing on Radiohead’s “Pyramid Song” (2001) as a case study, I document in detail the myriad ways listening audiences have made sense of its meter and how this knowledge has informed their interpretations of compositional intent. I conclude with further thoughts on the roles and possibilities of ambiguity and the directions it points towards mass participation and collaborative problem solving in the realms of aesthetics and music theory.

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America