Widow of national anthem composer Ahn dies in Spain

PARIS, Feb. 17 (Yonhap) -- Rolita Ahn, widow of Ahn Eak-tai, the composer of
South Korea's national anthem, died of old age in Spain on Monday, the South
Korean embassy to Spain said. She was 94.
The Spanish-born Rolita married Ahn in 1946, when the Korean musician was staying
in Majorca, an eastern Spanish resort island, to conduct an orchestra. She
maintained Korean citizenship even after her husband died in 1965 on the island.
She visited Seoul in 2005 and donated the copyright of the South Korean national
anthem, named "Aegukga (nation-loving song)," to the Korean people. The song has
been used as the official anthem since 1948 when the Republic of Korea, official
name of South Korea, was founded.
She also attended a concert in Seoul commemorating the 100th anniversary of the
birth of the composer.
The late composer, born in Pyongyang in 1906, studied in Japan, the United
States, Germany and Austria before marrying Rolita. He traveled around the world
to conduct nearly 200 orchestras, including those in Vienna, Berlin, Rome and
Budapest.
He composed the slow-paced, solemn-toned Aegukga in 1936 to clothe lyrics written
anonymously in Korea decades earlier. The song praises Korea's sovereignty and
cultural dignity as it struggled under Japan's colonial rule.
brk@yna.co.kr
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