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Discourses on Tradition in Korean Contemporary Music

Lee, Heekyung 1

1독립연구자

Candidate

ABSTRACT

This article explores the problem of 'tradition', a key issue under Korean composers. Unlike the European, it is difficult to grasp the substance of 'musical tradition' in Korea; for some composers it is associated with western classical or modern music, whereas for others it is related to Korean 'traditional music'. In any case, 'musical tradition' in Korea is not regarded as a living process of a prerequisite as well as a creation, but rather as a not-living object of the past. Interestingly, since the 1960s when the Korean society turned into a modernized one with a will, the problem of tradition has been prominently issued in a form of discourse. It means that Korean tradition began to be dissolved in this period and the emphasis of tradition shows a symptom of crisis of tradition. This article examines three main discourses on tradition in the socio- political context, especially during the 1960~80s: first, the discourse of tradition in the 'newly composed Korean traditional music'(Shin-gukak or Ch'angjak-gukak) related to the tradition ideology of the regime of Park Chung-Hee; second, the tradition in the works of the composers following western modern music in the 1970s; third, the issue declared by the 'Third Generation Group', the creative succession of tradition in the 1980s.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2024 are currently being built.