Vocal genres in Korean traditional music encompass a wide range of song forms, including Gagok, Gasa, Sijo, folk songs (Minyo), and Pansori, the majority of which are performed with instrumental accompaniment. Such accompaniment is generally based on ...
Vocal genres in Korean traditional music encompass a wide range of song forms, including Gagok, Gasa, Sijo, folk songs (Minyo), and Pansori, the majority of which are performed with instrumental accompaniment. Such accompaniment is generally based on suseong-garak, a term referring to improvised melodic patterns performed by melodic instruments that follow the vocal melody or rhythmic cycle. Among the instruments used to accompany Namdo folk songs, the Ajaeng is regarded as a highly expressive instrument due to its powerful volume and sustained resonance. In particular, it blends well with the human voice and is frequently employed in accompaniment, playing a leading role in shaping the musical flow through interaction with the singer’s vocal techniques.
Despite its importance, academic research on Ajaeng suseong-garak in Namdo folk songs especially in Heungtaryeong, one of 山 the most representative pieces of the genre has yet to be systematically established. Therefore, this study transcribes, compares, and analyzes the Ajaeng suseong-garak of Heungtaryeong as performed by two master musicians, Park Jong-seon and Yoon Yoon-seok, with the aim of identifying their respective performance tendencies and providing foundational data for a more systematic approach to the study of Ajaeng suseong-garak. The results are summarized as follows.
First, analysis of the melodic progression types in the suseong-garak of Heungtaryeong reveals that both performers most frequently employ the “identical melodic progression” type, in which the accompaniment closely follows the vocal melody. This tendency appears to stem from the fundamental nature of suseong-garak, which involves listening to and adapting to the vocal line in real time.
The second most frequently used progression type differs between the two performers: Park Jong-seon predominantly employs the “ornamental insertion” type, while Yoon Yoon-seok favors the “reduced progression” type. Both performers use the “contrasting melodic progression” type least frequently.
Second, both performers frequently employ an ornamental melodic pattern of e♭-g-e♭-d. This pattern consists of the characteristic descending motion e♭-d found in the Namdo Gyemyeonjo mode, with g added as an ornamental sigimsae. This figure appears repeatedly throughout the overall Ajaeng melodic line.
Third, it is observed that both performers often enter after leaving the first beat of a phrase or rhythmic cycle silent. This practice can be understood as a characteristic of suseong-garak, whereby the Ajaeng performer listens to and comprehends the vocal phrase before following it in accompaniment.
Fourth, when the vocal sigimsae is particularly elaborate or when the vocal melody needs to stand out prominently, the Ajaeng accompaniment tends to adopt a reduced melodic approach, primarily sustaining the main pitch (boncheong) without additional ornamentation.
Fifth, the two performers exhibit differences in their melodic progression strategies. Even within the same phrase, distinctions can be observed between instances where the accompaniment closely follows the vocal line and those where it enters slightly later with added ornamentation. Differences are also evident in the use of register, with both performers employing a balanced range across the upper, middle, and lower registers (sangcheong, jungcheong, and hacheong).
In folk song accompaniment, suseong-garak plays a crucial role, and in Namdo folk songs in particular, the Ajaeng is an indispensable instrument that leads the overall musical flow. It is hoped that this study will contribute to the performance practice of Ajaeng suseong-garak in Namdo folk song Heungtaryeong and encourage further active research on Ajaeng suseong-garak in the many Namdo folk songs that have yet to be fully explored.