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The Musical Characteristics and Cultural Acculturation of Arirang: Based on the Sound Sources of the Short Recording (SP)

Soyoung Lee 1

1한국학중앙연구원

Candidate

ABSTRACT

Arirang is considered the most representative folksong in Korea and Arirang can be largely divided into three folksong categories: indigenous (hyangto minyo), popular (tongsok minyo) and newly-composed or new folksong (sin minyo), according to the context of the performance culture and reception history. Among them, arirang(s) which fall into the categories of hyangto minyo and tongsok minyo are widely recognized as the "traditional folksongs"that have been performed and transmitted among Korean traditional musicians, while thosecomposed during the Japanese colonial era are considered as sin minyo, as circulated in the stream of popular music. This paper focuses on the cultural aspects of the developmental stage and performance environments of arirang during the 1920s and 1930s based on in-depth research of the SP recordings. The paper further explores the musical characteristics and differences between sin minyo and tongsok minyo versions of arirang. The most remarkable differences between tongsok minyo and sin minyo arirang versions are found in that the former are derived and developed from the variations of the existing melodies, takgok, while the latter are created by the specific composers, jakgok, and these differences of the creative subjects affect musical content and characteristics. Tongsok minyo, an oral tradition that is created by a group of miscellaneous individuals, is based on the regional melodic idioms and stylistic tendecies, tori, while in sin minyo it is apparent that both composer and lyricist participate in creating the new song and popularized by popular singers at that time. These newly-composed songs are considered as "hybrid musical activities," influenced by both Korean indigenous melodies and Western musical elements. The sin minyo arirang have contributed to the opportunities that accelerate the popularity of arirang not only in the traditional music market but also in the popular music industry. By the same token, the popularization of tongsok minyo arirang has further supplied the needs of commercialization for the mass popular market.

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

This paper was written with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea.
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