THE MUSICAL AESTHETICS OF JEAJOON RYU: AN INTERPRETIVE STUDY OF SUITE PER PIANOFORTE NO. 2
Cheon, Jooae
This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130445
Description
Title
THE MUSICAL AESTHETICS OF JEAJOON RYU: AN INTERPRETIVE STUDY OF SUITE PER PIANOFORTE NO. 2
Author(s)
Cheon, Jooae
Issue Date
2025
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Carrillo, Carlos
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Ehlen, Timothy
Committee Member(s)
Magee, Jeffrey
Wu, Chi-Chen
Department of Study
School of Music
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
A.Mus.D. (doctoral)
Date of Ingest
2025-12-08T16:25:27-06:00
Keyword(s)
Jeajoon Ryu
Korean Composer
Suite per Pianoforte No. 2
Piano Suite
Apartment
21st Century Classical Music
Musical Analysis
Language
eng
Abstract
This dissertation introduces the Korean composer Jeajoon Ryu (b. 1970) to an international audience through a comprehensive analysis of his Suite per Pianoforte No. 2
(2023). It argues that Ryu’s compositional voice emerges from a synthesis between reverence for the Western classical tradition and engagement with contemporary social realities. Through this synthesis, Ryu forges a unique individual aesthetic.
The Suite per Pianoforte No. 2—derived from Ryu’s two-person opera and song cycle Apartment (2021), a work exploring the psychological and social narratives connected to modern urban living spaces—serves as the paradigmatic work for exploring this fusion. The movements for piano solo in Apartment are uniformly titled "Prelude" and vocal movements have programmatic titles. In the suite, however, Ryu recontextualizes each movement to reflect specific genres, forms, or techniques of the Western classical instrumental works that serve as its models. This process, achieved through the integration of baritone melody and piano accompaniment into the solo piano writing, not only increases the technical and expressive demands on the performer but also generates a new structural coherence.
Through the development of interrelated rhythmic, intervallic, and harmonic ideas, each movement conveys its own narratives and emotions centered on the theme of human living spaces. Detailed analysis reveals that these shared materials create a strong underlying sense of
unity across the diverse movements. Ultimately, this study illuminates how Ryu harmonizes musical tradition with contemporary topical concerns, positioning his Suite per Pianoforte No. 2 as a notable contribution to the 21st-century piano suite repertoire.
Use this login method if you
don't
have an
@illinois.edu
email address.
(Oops, I do have one)
IDEALS migrated to a new platform on June 23, 2022. If you created
your account prior to this date, you will have to reset your password
using the forgot-password link below.
