Ryul Chamber Choir - Kumbaya

Topic: Movement - Dance
Samuel Moffett joined seven Presbyterian missionaries already in Korea in 1890. He stressed "intensive Bible study for all believers, and evangelism by all believers." To that end, he established a seminary in 1901 [1] that grew into Chongshin University. [2]

Sang-Kil Lee suggested the Presbyterians brought choirs that spread beyond the denomination in 1913, when a private vocal group was established. After Korea’s independence from Japan in 1945, more choirs were organized. By the 1960s, they were becoming part of the school programs in South Korea. These were augmented in the 1970s by government-sponsored choral competitions. Civic and professional choirs formed as a consequence of the increased support for group vocal music. [3]

The infiltration of local traditions into the western vocal form can be seen in a comparison of versions of "Kumbaya" performed by the Ryul Chamber Choir of Seoul and by the Far East Broadcast Company Women’s Chorus in Busan. [4] The gestures both groups used were abstract rather than literal, and performed by rows and sections.

The Ryul conductor placed ten men in black suits in the back row. In front on them were two rows of nine women in black, floor-length sheathes. The piano was at stage right and the djembé at stage left for Neil Ginsberg’s arrangement.

They stood still during the first "kumbaya" verse, but during the "crying" stanza the men waved their arms twice to the left like Hawaiian dancers, then twice to the right. The women bent their knees so they could be seen, and stood like the women in Busan while the men repeated their combination. The women’s hands were flexed.

Both sets of movements were repeated in the verse. At one point, the men introduced a single hand clap that was not in the score.

During the "singing" verse, everyone took a step to the left and twisted their bodies back to the front. They repeated it to the right. The men’s arms were out at their waists. They all kept their faces toward the audience. On the second line the women remained still while the men continued the step and twist combination. On the next line, the women moved and the men stood still. They all remained in place on the last line.

The group stayed in place for the "praying" verse. In the concluding amen section, the individuals at stage right bent their knees on the first "oh lord." They were joined by those stage left on the next, and by those in the center on the third repetition. They stood en masse on the final "oh lord" and spread their arms as they held the last syllable. This echoed the Busan women’s opening.

The singers’ arms returned to their sides for the final "kumbaya," each of which was quieter. The woman playing the djembé hit one final note that echoed through the Lutheran church. It had been converted into a swimming pool by the Soviets, and the acoustics changes weren’t eliminated after the church was returned to the congregation. [5]

Performers
Vocal Soloist: none
Vocal Group: 18 women, 10 men
Vocal Director: Lee Kison
Instrumental Accompaniment: upright piano played by a woman
Rhythm Accompaniment: djembé played by a woman

Credits
None given

Notes on Lyrics
Language: English
Pronunciation: koom BY yah
Verses: kumbaya, crying, singing, praying

Vocabulary
Pronoun: someone
Term for Deity: Lord
Special Terms: none

Basic Form: four-verse song
Verse Repetition Pattern: none

Ending: repeated "oh Lord" five times followed by three repetitions of "kmbaya"

Unique Features: none

Notes on Music
Opening Phrase: Neil Ginsberg’ arrangement, discussed in the post for 21 August 2018.

Tempo: moderate
Singing Style: little vibrato

Vocal-Accompaniment Dynamics: piano loud before the choir sang, then subdued.

Vocal-Rhythm Dynamics: the camera microphone didn’t often pick up the sound of the djembé.

Notes on Performance
Occasion: concert, 11 July 2015

Location: altar, Lutheran Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Saint Petersburg, Russia

Microphones: none

Clothing: the women wore sleeveless, black, Empire-stye sheathes with tan bands under their busts; the men were in black suits and bow ties; the conductor also wore a black suit.

Notes on Movement
The choir was arranged in three rows with two risers. The conductor stood in front center at the beginning, then sat in the first pew to conduct with both arms while seated. He stood again for the final repetitions of "kumbaya."

Notes on Audience
They applauded at the end.

Notes on Performers
Kisan Lee did his undergraduate work in choral conducting at Chongshin, then earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Juilliard. He returned to Korea to teach at Chongshin and directed city choirs in Sungnam, Goyang, and Daegu. He apparently retired from the university in 2017, but remained active in the Hallelujah Praise group of the Church of Love Presbyterian Church. [6]

The Ryul Chamber Choir and Orchestra may have been a private one. I found nothing about it, except it had invited Bruce Chamberlain, of the University of Arizona, to appear as a guest conductor. [7] Lee earned a doctorate from Arizona in 2009. [8]

The church where the choir performed in Saint Petersburg had been built by Germans in 1837. After the Russians returned the church, services were conducted in both Russian and German. Wikipedia said Korean Presbyterians held their services in the nearby Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saint Katarina. [9]

Availability
YouTube: uploaded by JiYeong Noh on 23 July 2015. Notes were in both English and Korean.

End Notes
1. Jae Guen Lee. "Moffett, Samuel Austin." Boston University website.
2. Wikipedia. "Chongshin University."

3. Sang-Kil Lee. "Korean Choral Music from its Inception to the Present Day." The IFCM Magazine website. 15 July 2012.

4. The Far East Broadcasting Company version was discussed in the post for 21 October 2018.

5. Vincent Rampino. "Non-Orthodox Religious Spaces on Nevsky Prospekt: Oppression, Privacy, and Memory." William and Mary in Saint Petersburg website. 19 December 2013.

6. "About: Lee Sun-sun." Facebook. Google Translate wasn’t consistent in rendering his name.
7. "Bruce Chamberlain." University of Arizona website.
8. Facebook.
9. Wikipedia. "Lutheran Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul."