Ahn Eak-tae
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Ahn Eak-tae (1906 December 6 in Pyongyang, Korea - 1965 September 16 in Barcelona, Spain) was a Korean composer of classical music. His work includes Aegukga, now the national anthem of South Korea, and the Symphonic Fantasy Korea.
In 1919, Ahn was expelled from school due to his involvement in the March First Movement for Korean independence. He later traveled to Tokyo, Japan, and studied the cello at the National Music School. In 1932 he went on to America where he entered the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. He later gained a position with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. He traveled to Europe in 1934, completing the Aegukga in 1935. He studied under Richard Strauss from 1937. He worked as a conductor in Germany during the late 1930s and early 1940s.
In 1945, he married a Spanish woman, Lolita Talavera, and took on Spanish citizenship. He returned to South Korea three times, in 1957, 1961, and 1963, conducting various of his pieces. He received the President's Medal of Culture in 1965.