Mallory Goldsmith

Introduction

For as long as humans have been in existence, art has been an integral piece of any culture. Various forms of art have been found preserved, dating back to as far as 60,000 B.C.. From cave art, to sculptures, to music, art has been one of the most prominent ways for historians to study cultures. By studying art, historians can take a peak first-hand into what life was like in a certain culture at a certain point in time- art can be telling of cultural values, norms, and structure.

One type of art that truly speaks volumes to what a culture or society was like at the time is music. Music is different from other art forms, in the sense that you can’t physically preserve it- it cannot simply be found in a museum, or preserved in a box. And, with no way of recording music in ancient history, it is an art form that has been passed down almost purely orally. Unfortunately, this means that over time, the music is (often) subject to change. Different people in different generations can add their own flare to their renditions of the folk songs they perform. Over time, the songs are likely to change quite a bit (while at least hopefully maintaining the same basic structure and lyrics). However, this also means that as long as people can keep up the oral traditions of historical music, and at least maintain its basic structure, it will remain well preserved (you can read more about the tradition of the oral pass down of music in Asia here: Oral Tradition in the Transmission of Ancient Music). This is because unlike other art forms (sculptures, paintings, etc.), music that is passed down orally cannot be physically destroyed.

Because music can be preserved (for the most part) through generations through practice and oral tradition, it remains a primary source for historians to study other cultures, and even the changes cultures undergo over time.

Fifteenth-century to twentieth-century Korean music: gugak and p’ansori

One culture specifically that lends itself to the study of history through music is that of the Korean Peninsula. In ancient Korea, most music was typically used for special occasions, ceremonies, and a symbol of national pride. This type of music is now referred to as“gugak”, which translates to “national music”. Gugak rose to importance in the fifteenth century. Even then, gugak was almost solely utilized for the enjoyment of royalty. ^[1] However, in the early eighteenth century came the first known mention of p’ansori. P’ansori was a type of folk music created by the more “common” people of society, or the large, lower class, for everyday enjoyment and entertainment, and not just special occasions.^[2] P’ansori was largely a form of story telling. Similarly to folk tales and folk songs of many other cultures across the world, these songs displayed themes and messages of Korean legends, historical events, religion, and explanations for the way life was. For example, one song that emphasizes and tells of the nature surrounding Koreans is “The Beauties of Nature: Song from the riverbank” (found here: The Beauties of Nature: Song from the riverbank).  They were quite simply constructed, often featuring a cho, which was the melody of the song, and a changdan, which was the rhythm.^[3] The p’ansori songs’ melodies were like narrative stories set to the rhythm of a drum, and were often performed quite dramatically (Check out a traditional p’ansori song that features the drums and dramatic singing here:

Because it’s a type of music based in storytelling, listening to traditional p’ansori songs can give a pretty accurate glimpse into the lives of the lower classes in Korea at the time, and the creation story of p’ansori as a way for the lower classes to enjoy music gives some good insight into the politics of Korea at the time, and the separation between those who were royal, and those who were not.

In the nineteenth century however, p’ansori caught the attention of royalty and more elite classes. In the past, p’ansori was written and performed by people who were largely uneducated. Because of this, many songs went under a few changes from the elite and higher up, who added more intellect and flare to better serve their own purposes.^[4]

Although art and music were already somewhat segregated by class in Korea from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century, it soon became separated in a whole new sense. In 1950 came the Korean War, which by 1953, had divided the Korean Peninsula into two countries- North and South Korea (unfortunately, I will not be going into the complexities of the colonial period in this chapter). The separation has remained strong and intact to this day. It resulted in the two countries developing their own, completely different ways of government, religion, structure. This included the development of two very different forms of art and music for both North and South Korea.

Post-Korean War music: South Korea

In the 1990s, a sort of cultural revolution started to develop in South Korea. As an attempt to further distinguish themselves from North Korea and the Korean War that had taken place years prior, South Korea tried to diversify itself, and bring in some new culture, politics, and plans to create a new image for the country. From this, there was a shift of values in the country, and with a new, more freeing political and economic system (that came with Kim Young-sam, who took presidential office in 1993), came more of a platform for art, music, and other kinds of cultural prosperities.^[5]

This meant that South Korea now had, and supported a platform for musicians and artists. It was around then that K-Pop began to rise to prominence. One group that was especially notable in bringing K-Pop to the level it is at today was Seo Tae-ji and Boys, which was a boy band that first introduced hip-hop to mainstream to the country, and left a lasting impression on the music scene, even to this day, in South Korea.^[6] (Check them out here- Seo Taiji&Boys – Come Back Home, 서태지와 아이들 – 컴백홈, MBC Top Music 19951124). K-Pop took influences, such as hip-hop, from all around the world. At this time, Korean music took its focus off of meanings and stories in the songs, and put more emphasis on the performances, dancing, and other new exciting additions to a song. K-Pop was seen as a sort of freedom of expression, and became sort of a symbol of the “New Korea” that was being built. Today, K-Pop has become a well known genre not just in Korea, but all around the world.

Post-Korean War music: North Korea

In contrast, North Korea has not experienced the same sort of cultural boom that South Korea had in the 90s. Instead of taking a step out and onto a more international stage (pun intended) in the musical sense like their South Korean neighbors, North Korea seemed to take a step in a very different direction. Music there is not used for self-expression but quite the opposite. It has become a sort of propaganda, that has themes of North Korean history, policy, and values. Songs are typically either patriotic, or about the North Korean Leader directly.^[7] Check out this example:

In this video, we see about 35 handpicked children to sing, dance, and represent in a public performance the country’s love and respect for North Korea and Kim Jong-Un. Music in the socialist North Korea has become essentially an ode to the country and its leader, and far less self-expressive than the p’ansori- it’s more similar to gugak, the old national music of the Korean Peninsula.

Conclusion

Music and art allow historians to study a country’s background through a completely different lens. It is evident that music can be an indicator of a country’s growth, or lack thereof, and of their financial, political, and economic standing.

Bibliography