'Our Country's First National Anthem' Created by a German 120 Years Ago, Played in Germany

'Daehanjeguk Aegukga' Composed by German Eckert
Han-Germany Orchestra Presents Original Song Chorus in Germany and More

An orchestra composed of Korean and German musicians and the Berliner Singakademie Choir performed the Korean Empire national anthem on stage in Germany for the first time. The Berliner Singakademie Choir sang the anthem in Korean on this occasion.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Nayeon] The first national anthem of Korea, the Daehan Jeguk patriotic song, composed by a German 120 years ago, was played for the first time in Germany.

On the 1st (local time), the Han-German Orchestra, consisting of the Berlin Kammer Symphony Orchestra and 15 Korean performers, performed the original Daehan Jeguk patriotic song and a choral and orchestral work at the Berlin Konzerthaus together with the Berliner Singakademie Choir.

On that day, about 60 members of the Berliner Singakademie Choir sang the Daehan Jeguk patriotic song in Korean.

The Daehan Jeguk patriotic song was composed in 1902 by Franz Eckert, the royal Prussian bandmaster invited by Emperor Gojong to lead the newly established Western-style military band, Yangakdae, Korea's first Western-style military band.

In this piece, Eckert used Western scales and rhythms, but in terms of musical ideas, he tried to express Korean sentiments based on traditional Korean music.

The Daehan Jeguk officially designated and announced this as the national anthem on August 15, 1902.

The Korean Cultural Center in Germany stated, "Eckert was the first to officially introduce Western instruments to Korea, organized the Western-style military band Yangakdae, and educated its members in composition and arrangement of Western music, playing a significant role in the introduction and development of Western music in Korea."

On the 2nd, at the Handel Halle in Halle, the city where the mother of music, Georg Friedrich Handel, was born, the Halle Boys' Choir Stadt Singekor, boasting a history of 906 years, will perform the Daehan Jeguk patriotic song.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.