Carnival

Day by Chang Su Koh

Unit Study Compiled by Connor Penton

Unit 1: Composer
Chang Su Koh was born in 1970. He is originally from Osaka, Japan and received his Su
Koh, studied composition under Kunihiko Tanaka and Rudolf Kelterborn, and conducting
with Jost Meyer. He holds a degree from Osaka College of Music in composition and has
also spent time after graduation studying at Musik Akademie der Stadt Basel in
Switzerland. Su Koh has participated in many composition competitions and has had
much success. Some of his most prestigious awards include awards from the Twelfth
Asahi Composition prize and the Master Yves Leleu prize from the 1st CominesWarneton International Composition Contest. Su Koh holds positions at Osaka College of
Music and ESA Conservatory of Music and Wind Repair Academy and is a member of
the Kansai Modern Music Association. Other works by Chang Su Koh include Wood
Ling for 18 saxophones, at least 10 sonatas for chamber ensembles, Lament for Wind
Orchestra, and Korean Dances for Wind Orchestra.

Unit 2: Composition
Carnival Day was released into publication in 1999 by De Haske Publications. Carnival
Day is a grade 4 piece in De Haskes Inspiration Series. The complete work takes about 2
minutes and 30 seconds to complete. The piece features a rounded binary form. The
beginning features a motive based on 3 consecutive 16th notes while the B section
features more legato structures and portamenti. The aggressive runs and portamenti are
similar to techniques which are used in Japanese music written for the shakuhachi and
noh. One thing which is nice about the score of this piece is the condensing of clarinet,
alto saxophone, trumpet, horn and trombone into 1 line for 2 or more parts even though
the players will be reading from different parts. Stem directions, A2 and stacked harmony
enable the conductor to read the score with greater ease due to less clutter.

Unit 3: Historical Perspective

During the 1950s, many Japanese composers such as Ryo Noda and Toru Takemitsu
were leaving Japan because they were ashamed to be a part of a culture which controlled
what could and could not be produced in art. Noda and Takemitsu are known for their
works on flute and saxophone which imitate the Japanese instruments: the Noh and
Shakuhachi. Like these composers, Su Koh moved away from Japan in the 1990s even
though the government may not have been as controlling as the pre-world war Japan.
Another contrast is that Su Koh does not imitate the shakuhachi and noh flute as directly
as Takemitsu and Noda. De Haske is a publishing company started in Holland in 1983 by
Jan de Haan. Since its small start in Holland, De Haske made progress in the 1990s in
expansions to other countries such as Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States.
Due to the timing of Su Kohs study at Musik Akademie der Stadt Basel he wouldve
come into contact with the publishers were just getting their leg in the door with the
community.

Unit 4: Technical Considerations

The first technical consideration seen in the score is the articulation of sixteenth notes in
the beginning. The ability for members of the ensemble to double tongue at these brisk
tempos will make or break the clarity of the sections where the three sixteenth notes
make up the motif. These parts will also rush through the rests more than likely unless
time is taken to address it. Tuning chromatically will also be a key part to success in the
introduction. The next item which presents challenge is the running sixteenth lines which
begin in measure four of the woodwind parts. Like many marches, the french horns
encounter some extended sections of syncopated playing. The tempo will likely fluctuate
in these sections unless the members of the horn section are consistently subdividing. The
fermata in measure 34 presents 2 challenges for the ensemble. The members must have a
must air left at that point to achieve a no-caesura/portamento into the B section. The
ensemble must also have a good sense of intonation to tune the chromatic chord. The last
technical consideration for this piece also has to do with the horn part. They are asked to
play with an open bell which will cause the pitch to be rather sharp. Transposing
fingerings and manipulation of the embouchure will be necessary to correct this.

Unit 5: Stylistic Considerations

In this piece the silence is as important as the notes. In the Japanese culture of music
there is a great emphasis on ma or the settling of the room. The silence of this piece
needs to occur to allow for the notes to mean something. Thusly, the beginning
articulations should be very detached. The standard accents in this piece really help to
give a drive to the piece. The accents should be a bit more aggressive in style especially
the ones which are syncopated. This will help to make this piece feel like its not just
another march in simple meter. The dynamics of this piece are in a very French style; that
is they are extreme and change quickly. There are very few mezzo dynamics throughout
the piece so work should be done with the ensemble to create great contrast in the
extremes of the dynamic range. In the B section, it is very integral to make sure the
lyricism of the line comes through. Attaching all the notes will give the audience a break
from the very aggressive playing which has just occurred. Even though the lyricism is
coming out to the fore in this section, the accents are still just as important. They should
be a bit more round, but still firm in nature. The coda section which is a recapitulation of
the A theme and B theme together should be a bit aggressive in nature to really send the
piece out with a bang.

Unit 6: Musical Elements

Melody
The melody of this piece is very repetitive in the beginning section. After 2 bars of the
repeated 3 sixteenths noes and 1 sixteenth rest, the a 2 bar melody occurs and then it
typically repeats again. The melodies are rather chromatic in nature, but tend to revolve
around the key of E-flat major. The articulation patterns of the melody help to be heard
over the very demanding woodwind lines. Anytime the ensemble members have 16th note
runs which are a part of the melodic line, they should be viewed as embellishments of the

melody and not as the melody itself. This will help to create clarity as to what the actual
melody is.

Harmony
The harmonic motion of this piece is very modern. It does not always follow a I-V-I
pattern like most typical music does, but it does have pitch centers. E-flat is the major
pitch center of the beginning. The 16th note runs in the woodwinds revolve around the
key of E-flat major, but the melody lines in the trumpets is chromatic revolving around
the pitch E-flat. There are a few chord progressions within the B section which sound like
common practice music at first listen, but with a closer look and listen you can easily
discern that the chords are not related in a manner which is traditional what-so-ever.

Rhythm
The rhythm really drives this piece. The constant change of note, syncopation and
rhythmic variety created by Chang Su Koh is incredible. In this piece there are many
times where the rhythmic phrase is handed off to a different group of instruments even
though the melodic line remains within the same choir of instruments. The b section is
very much an rhythmic augmentation of the a section. With no notes quicker than a
quarter-note (except in the transition back to the A section), Su Koh is able to give the
audience a chance to catch up with what theyre listening to. Then he sprinkles on a
gradual accellerado to get us back into the A/B section which functions as a coda, which
layers the 2 sets of rhythms used previously.

Unit 7: Form and Structure

Introduction

MM. 1-2

MM. 3-35

MM. 35-51

Transition

MM. 51-63

Coda (A/B)

MM. 63-82

First statement of the first

half of the melody by all
voices except mallet
percussion
Theme A revolving
around E-Flat (Chromatic
harmony included)
Theme B revolving
around C (Chromatic
harmony included)
Accelerando back into the
A and B theme music
Recappitulation of both
Theme A and B.


Unit 8: Suggested Listening
Su Koh, Chang
Sousa, John Phillip
Noday, Ryo
Takemitsu, Toru
Chance, James Barnes
Creston, Paul

Lament for Wind Orchestra

With Pleasure
Improvisations I, II, III
Voice
Improvisation and Dance
Concerto for Alto Saxophone (Mvmvnt 3)

Unit 9: Additional References and Resources

Websites used:
Dehaske.com
http://www.naxos.com/person/Chang_Su_Koh/157994.htm