Han Kuo-Huang () is a Chinese-born American ethnomusicologist and musician.

Early life and education

Han was born in

Xiamen Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an ...

(Amoy), China in 1936 and grew up in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. He obtained his bachelor's degree in Taiwan. In 1960 he assisted Elizabeth (Whittington) Hovhaness, the wife of the American composer

Alan Hovhaness Alan Hovhaness (; March 8, 1911 – June 21, 2000) was an American- Armenian composer. He was one of the most prolific 20th-century composers, with his official catalog comprising 67 numbered symphonies (surviving manuscripts indicate over 70) a ...

, in obtaining recordings of Chinese and Taiwanese music during her trip to Taiwan, and in 1962 served as translator for composer

Lou Harrison Lou Silver Harrison (May 14, 1917 – February 2, 2003) was an American composer, music critic, music theorist, painter, and creator of unique musical instruments. Harrison initially wrote in a dissonant, ultramodernist style similar to his for ...

United States

Han eventually relocated to the United States, and obtained U.S. citizenship. He received both his M.M. and Ph.D. degrees from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

and served as professor of music for over 30 years at

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois. It was founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895, by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld as part of an expansion of the state's system ...

DeKalb DeKalb or De Kalb may refer to: People * Baron Johann de Kalb (1721–1780), major general in the American Revolutionary War Places Municipalities in the United States * DeKalb, Illinois, the largest city in the United States named DeKalb **DeKal ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, retiring in 2003. He is now a professor of music at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

in Lexington,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

. He specializes in Chinese music as well as

gamelan Gamelan () ( jv, ꦒꦩꦼꦭꦤ꧀, su, ᮌᮙᮨᮜᮔ᮪, ban, ᬕᬫᭂᬮᬦ᭄) is the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments. T ...

(both Balinese and Javanese) and directs these ensembles, formerly in the Asian Ensemble of Northern Illinois University and now at the University of Kentucky. His Chinese music ensemble from Northern Illinois University, formed in the late 1970s, was the first such ensemble at a North American university, and toured the United States and

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both Geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The modern State (polity), states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ...

. Han has a particular interest in the subject of music education, with an emphasis on the teaching of Asian musics. He has published widely in both Chinese and English, with twelve books and numerous articles appearing in journals and music reference works, and textbooks. Han lives in Lexington, Kentucky.

Writings

* 1974 - ''The Use of the Marian Antiphons in Renaissance Motets''. Ph.D. dissertation. Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University. * 1992 - ''The Lion's Roar: Chinese Luogu Percussion Ensembles''. Book and CD set. Danbury, Connecticut: World Music Press.

Discography

*1981 -
West Meets East: Chinese and Balinese Music
'. Performed by the Asian Music Ensemble, Northern Illinois University; Han Kuo-Huang, director. LP. New York: Folkways Records. Recorded in the Recital Hall, Music Building, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb. Side 1, band 1, and side 2, band 1, were recorded in December 1980; all other pieces were recorded in December 1978.

References

External links

Han Kuo-Huang page
from University of Kentucky site {{DEFAULTSORT:Han, Kuo-Huang Hokkien people American ethnomusicologists Chinese ethnomusicologists Northern Illinois University faculty Bienen School of Music alumni Musicians from Lexington, Kentucky Taiwanese emigrants to the United States University of Kentucky faculty People from Xiamen Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American people of Chinese descent Taiwanese people from Fujian Chinese Civil War refugees People with acquired American citizenship