곡에 대하여

  파싸칼리아(Passacaglia)란, 주제가 베이스에서 반복되는 동안 주로 상성부가 예술적으로 발전하는 곡으로 일종의 변주곡이다. 음악사적으로는 바흐의 오르간을 위한 파싸칼리아가 지고의 예술성을 보여주며 브람스의 교향곡 4번의 4악장 역시 유사한 형식이다. 현대에 이르러 쇤베르크의 제자 베베른의 오케스트라를 위한 파싸칼리아(Op.1)가 유명하다.   

  “할렐루야-파싸칼리아”는 제목이 말하는 대로, 잘 알려진 찬양곡 “할렐루야”가 주로 베이스에서 반복된다는 점에서는 분명 파싸칼리아지만, 몇 가지 측면에서 기존의 파싸칼리아와는 차이점을 나타낸다. 모든 파싸칼리아가 예외 없이 베이스에서 주제를 제시하며 시작하는데 비해 이 곡에서는 주제가 제시되기 전, 주제의 형성과정을 유추적으로 묘사하고 있으니(그리하여 온전한 주제는 12마디부터 나타난다.), 여기에는 작곡자의 영적 의도가 있다. 이 곡의 진정한 주제는 단순히 음과 리듬의 조합으로서의 “할렐루야” 모티브(이하 H 모티브)가 아니라 “모든 세대에 걸쳐 나타나는 신앙의 중심으로서의 하나님에 대한 찬양” 그 자체인 것이다. 그리하여 이 곡은 온전한 의미의 찬양이 처음으로 드려지고 찬양 사역이 시작되는 때인 다윗 왕 시절(B.C. 10C)부터 현대에 이르기까지의 모든 찬양을 단지 H 모티브라는 그릇 속에 담고자 하는 것이요, 다르게 말하자면 H 모티브라는 선글라스를 통해 이제까지의 찬양을 하나의 색으로 보이도록 하는 것이다.   

  첫 번째 주제는 “할렐루야”로 시작하는 시편150편 1절을 가사로 한 히브리 시편가의 형태로 나타난다. (H 모티브는 유대 시편가의 형태와 상당히 일치하는 형태로 변형되었다.) 유대 시편가는 결국 그레고리안 성가의 모체가 되었고, 후자는 다시금 서양음악의 근간이 되지 않았는가! 그리하여 두 번째 주제는 그레고리안 성가의 발전의 가장 마지막 시기에 나타나는 프랑코 플레미안 다성부 모텟의 형태로 변형되어 16세기까지의 찬양을 반추한다.  

  세 번째 주제부터는 온전한 H 모티브를 노래하는데 8마디 길이의 이 곡은 반복될수록 상성부가 화려해지며 리듬이 잘게 분할된다. 화성이 다양해지면서 재즈풍의 화성도 등장하는데 이는 대중음악에서의 찬양을 암시한다.   

  길지 않은 경과부를 거쳐 75마디부터는 단조로 할렐루야가 불려지며, 이는 욥의 찬양과 같이 고통과 슬픔 가운데서의 찬양을 나타낸다. 127마디에서 제시되는 선율은 H 모티브의 대선율이다. 때로 우리는 처음에는 이해되지 않던 일들이 시간이 지난 후에야 비로소 하나님의 축복이었음을 알게 되는 경우가 있다. 이해할 수 없는 대선율이 먼저 나온 것은 바로 그런 상황을 묘사한 것이다. 그 대선율은 H 모티브와 어울어지면서 결국 곡의 절정으로 이끌어간다. 164마디부터는 주제 자체가 점점 짧아져 심지어 183마디에서는 단 한 마디에 H 모티브 전체를 압축하기도 한다.   

  숨가쁘게 흘러가는 선율은 255마디에 이르러 마침내 애국가로 변형되며 곧 이어 H 모티브와 완전한 융합을 이룬다. 결국 이로서 이 곡은 한국의 애국가는 H 모티브의 변형의 일종이라는 것을 유추적으로 설명하고 있으며 이는 한민족 전체가 하나님을 찬양해야 함을 웅변하고 있다. 한편 애국가의 조성은 내림라장조로 원곡과는 증4도관계에 있는데, 이는 속세가 하나님의 거룩함으로부터 얼마나 먼가 하는 것을 설명하고 있으며 그 조성에서도 결국 H 모티브가 뚜렷해지는 것은 마침내 세상에서 찬양받으실 주님을 나타낸다.  

  예수 그리스도의 생애를 상징하는 33번의 주제가 여러 가지 모양으로 반복되는 이 곡은, 주제가 거대한 스케일로 베이스에서 마지막으로 울려퍼진 후, 말세, 또는 천상의 찬양을 상징하는 종소리화성과 함께 대단원의 막을 내린다. (작곡자) 

About the Music

  Passacaglia is a type of a variation, a musical piece in which the upper voices artistically develop while the theme repeats at the bass. In the history of music, Bach’s Passacaglia for organ exemplifies the highest level of artistic achievement, and the first movement of Brahms’ symphony no. 4 is in a similar format as well. In modern times, Passacaglia for Orchestra (Op.1) by A.v. Webern, a student of Schoenberg, is famous.

  Although “Halleluiah - Passacaglia” is definitely a Passacaglia in the sense that the well-known praise music “Hallaluiah” repeats at the bass, it is different from the existing Passacaglias in certain aspects.

  While all the Passacaglias, without exception, begin by presenting the theme at the bass, this piece analogically describes the formation of the theme, and thus the whole theme appears only in the 12th measure.  The spiritual intention of the composer can be seen here; the true theme of this piece is not the “Halleluiah” motif (“H motif” hereafter) as a mere combination of tone and rhythm, but the very “praise of God who is the center of faith throughout generations.”  Therefore, this piece tries to embrace in the vessel called “H motif’ all the praises from the time of King David (B.C. 10th century), when the praise in its holistic sense was offered for the first time and the ministry of praise began, up until today. In other words, it intends to present all the previous praises in one color through the sunglasses called the “H motif.”

  The first theme appears in the form of Hebrew psalms with the words from the first verse of Psalms 150 which begins with “Halleluiah.” (“H motif” was modified into a format that accords with the format of Jewish psalms.) Jewish psalms became the matrix of Gregorian chant, which again became the root of western music. Therefore, the second theme resonates the praises up to the 16th century.  It is modified into the format of Franco-Flemish polyphonic motet, which appears during the last period in the development of the Gregorian chant.

  From the third theme, the piece sings the whole “H motif.” This eight-measure unit makes the upper voices more splendid with every repetition and the rhythm divides into shorter pieces. With the harmonic variations, a Jazz style harmony appears, which suggests the praise in popular music.

  After the not so long transition phase, Halleluiah is sung in minor from the 75th measure, which signifies the praise in agony and sadness, as in the praise by Job. The melody presented in the 127th measure is the counter subject of the “H motif.” At times we realize that the events we did not understand initially were the blessings of God after all. Presenting of the incomprehensible counter subject first describes such situations. This counter subject harmonizes with the following “H motif,” leading to the climax of the music. The theme becomes shorter from the 164th measure on; by the 183rd measure, the whole “H motif” is condensed in just one measure.

  Breath-taking melody transforms finally into the South Korean national anthem as it reaches the 255th measure, and it immediately reaches a perfect reconciliation with the “H motif.”  What this motif ultimately explains by analogy is that the South Korean national anthem is one of the variations of the “H motif”; thus, it eloquently speaks that the whole Korean nation must come to praise God.  By the way, the key of the Korean national anthem here is D flat major, in tri-tone relation with the original key, which explains how far the secular world is from the holiness of God.  And the fact that the “H motif” is becoming clear in D flat major shows that the Lord will eventually be praised in the world.

  In this work, the theme repeats 33 times in various ways, which symbolizes the life of Christ. After this theme is resounded at the bass on a grand scale, the music comes to a grand finale with the bell-harmony.  This symbolizes the end of the world or the heavenly praise.

- Written for all pianists who want to praise God wholeheartedly