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평론&기사

[평론:서강대] Contemporary Folk Music in Korea

by 팬더54 2008. 11. 7.
GaYo/Folk
Contemporary Folk Music in Korea


[트윈 훠리오] Two know you is to love you(1969 아이 러브유)

 

Koreans love to sing. One of the things that a foreigner notices here is that singing is a much more common and important activity than it is in western countries. Even before the karaoke explosion, Koreans sing at many occassions that others would find strange and many travel guide books warn visitors that they will be expected to perform at public functions.

It's difficult for me to imagine what music existed in Korea before the 1960s. Korea had it's own traditional folk music forms. Some of these forms are still widely enjoyed amongst people who wish to preserve Korea's unique culture. Somewhere along the line too there must have been the blending of popular music (ie the industry) with that enjoyed as a folk form by the masses who would sing songs at picnics, parties or other gatherings.

The student protest movements must have given a huge boost to a 'folk' music as a way to spread its message and bolster enthusiasm at rallies. Although a comparison can be made to the relationship of western protest and folk music movements, the situation must have been quite different in Korea. For one thing, although the causes of western protest may have been legitimate, they were never as immediate as the issues of the Korean protest movement. Protesters of the western world were (and are) often seen as being middle class liberals for whom protest was a luxury. In Korea, with frequent periods of martial law, curfews, state of war/brinksmanship, and so on, the issues were the daily life of the citizenry. For that reason, I think folk music would have been a medium or a product of the protest movement rather than a fashion unto itself as it became in the west.

From those beginnings folk music developed and merged with pop and rock music. Modern Korean performers who are associated with folk music cover a wide range of styles and provide some of the most genuine music in the contempory music industry, being unhindered by expectations and commercial demands.

During April and May 1999, a series of concerts were held to celebrate 30 years of Korean folk music. Following is an article (from the Korea Herald) about the concert.

Festival celebrates 30 years of folk music, symbol of love, freedom & democracy

While Japanese and American-style pop dominated the music scene after the Korean War, some young musicians, playing acoustic guitars, started singing songs about love, nature and freedom.

Then two singers, Song Chang-shik and Yoon Hyong-joo, released a historic duet album featuring acoustic guitars, for the first time in Korea. And a hippie named Han Dae-soo, Korea's first singer/songwriter, returned from the United States and held a concert singing a new type of song in 1969.

Folk music in Korea was born in that year. The music touched the hearts of young fans and swept the university campuses and concert halls. Along with draft beer and blue jeans, the acoustic guitar became an obsession for youngsters.

In the dark age of military rule, students sang folk songs yearning for freedom and democracy. The popularity of folk music continued until the '90s.

To celebrate 30 years of folk music in Korea, the nations' past and present musicians will hold "'99 Folk Festival" Friday and Saturday at Seoul's Ewha Womans University. Ewha was chosen for the event since it was the favorite place for folk musicians to gather in the early days.

The festival, under the theme of "the revolution of romance, the romance of revolution," will feature Korea's top folk stars of all-time. They include, An Chi-hwan, Kim Min-gi, Kim Se-hwan, Park Hag-gi, Lee Jung-sun, Shin Hyung-won and Nochatsa (People Seeking Music). A total of 16 artists will appear in each of the three scheduled concerts during the two-day festival.

However, popular singers Yang Hee-eun, Lee Jang-hee and Yoon Hyong-joo will not join because of scheduling problems.

The concerts will be held when the current Korean pop music market is dominated by dance and hip-hop music for teenagers.

The popularity of folk music plummeted when famous folk singer Kim Kwang-sok committed suicide by hanging himself three years ago. But a 10-day memorial concert for the deceased singer in January was a sold-out success. It encouraged some folk musicians to stage the festival to revive the ailing genre.

Folk music also showed signs of reemerging with the success of Kim Jong-hwan's "For Love," which was the biggest selling album of last year.

Various folk music events are scheduled throughout the year including the "Golden Folk Series Concert," which will be held from April 19 to May 2 at the Ho-Am Art Hall in Seoul. During the 14-day festival, 22 folk artists will perform and the only instrument to be used will be acoustic guitars.

An international folk music festival is also tentatively scheduled in June with guests including folk music legends such as Joan Baez and Bob Dylan.

by Yoon Jae-joon, Staff reporter 6 April 1999.

I don't agree with everything the author said but he does provide some insights that I could not. The concerts were not purely acoustic althought they were for the most part acoustic based. Some of the listed perfomers may not have appeared due to scheduling conflicts. The international folk concert has not eventuated.

Other artists that appeared at the concerts were Seo Yu-seok; Song Chang-sik; Jo Dong-jin; Im Chang-jae; Lee Jeong-seon; Jeong Tae-chun & Bak Eun-ok; Kim Chang-wan; Si'in kwa Chonjang; Jo Deok-bae; Noraereul Chajneun Saramdeul; Jang Pillsoon; Dongmeulwon; Han Dong-jun; Ilkiyebo; Seo U-yeong, Lee Jeong-yeol, Eom Tae-hwan, & Yun Do-yeon.

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