The Journey to Best Sound: <Toccata for Piano Solo>
- WOMCO
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Joochan Kim, from South Korea, started majoring in composition in middle school. He was impressed by some works based on his early piano experience. He then continued learning music theory and composing pieces for many years. After entering Chugye University for the Arts, the extensive experience he gained there helped him grow musically and individually. He recently graduated from the university this year. He won the Absolute First Prize in the World Melody Music Competition while preparing for graduate school, with his composition Toccata for Piano Solo. The competition ran from 15 May to 15 August 2025, with results announced on 3 September.
Could you please introduce your award-winning Composition Toccata for Piano Solo? When and under what circumstances was it composed? Could you share the inspiration behind the composition and the message you hope to convey through it?
Joochan Kim:
"First, I’m very happy to hear that I’ve been nominated for the Absolute First Prize! It was such amazing and surprising news as I didn’t expect to. <Toccata for Piano Solo> was originally composed as part of portfolios for graduate school applications. When thinking about plans to build, I asked to myself: “Wait, how about using the genre of toccata?” Many works using the term of toccata have interesting ideas. I wanted to compose a toccata with piano solo and that is the process of this piece.
Finally, my main idea in composing music is based on change, especially emotional change. When you listen to my music, you can experience diverse feelings like powerful, light, dark, mysterious mood, which reflect real life; ever-changing journey."
What was your creative process like while composing Toccata for Piano Solo? How did you approach the structure and dynamics of the piece?
Joochan Kim:
"I’ve always focused on the meaning of toccata when making <Toccata for Piano Solo>. Toccata is a virtuoso piece of music for any keyboard instruments and keyword ‘virtuoso’ was important for me. For this, I put emphasis on three main ideas: rapid tempo, unexpected accent, colorful texture. And I used a simple but basic ternary form of A-B-A’.
The beginning section is usually made of perfect fourth which makes music more scherzando. I tried to make use of piano’s range. From high range to low range, piano’s wide range has different effects of sound despite same motive. That is the main motive development in this part. Next section is B, first chord looks familiar, and yes it is as I brought material from the first section. I changed the character like nocturne with chords of heavy texture for relaxing previous tension.
And you can see the tempo of ‘Maestoso’ at the end of this piece. This is why I’d like to leave a strong impression to the audience by intentionally cutting the last part of the first section."
Could you talk to us about yourself, your journey in music, and your future goals? Could you also share your perspective on what defines a great composer in today’s digital age, and what you consider to be the most significant artistic or professional challenges facing composer today and in the coming years?
Joochan Kim:
"I’ve been studying composition as my major for over ten years. And I had learned piano as a hobby to play favorite music before I majored. But as time passed, I was showing more interest in composition while learning piano. I wanted to make music to express my mind. Choosing every note and crafting music helps me understand deeply myself. The more I learn, the better music becomes. This is my ultimate goal to achieve in the future.
And today, we’ve suddenly experienced rapid technological advancements since the COVID-19 pandemic. Artificial intelligence(AI) is also growing faster and faster from daily lives to art activities. But in these confusing social situations, I think it’s important to train steadily and build own compositional skills.
Finally, I’m still trying to bridge the gap between composer and audience whenever I make pieces of music."
Would you like to share your experience participating in our competition and anyone you'd like to thank?
Joochan Kim:
"Composing <Toccata for Piano Solo> was challenging but rewarding work. I spent a lot of time sitting at the piano to think about the best note. And also it’s been hard days when no ideas came out. You may know this is the pain if you study or major composition. However, I’ve enjoyed making this piece with sound I really wanted to use. And I felt a great sense of accomplishment when I finally draw the double bar line. Participating in the World Melody Music Competition was very special experience. In my whole career, it must be great opportunity to go to the next step.
Thank you for your organization so that we can join the international competition with many people from all over the world. I’d like to express my gratitude to teachers, professors and family for their active support."