The purpose of this essay is to illustrate musical features of folk songs of Pyeongan Provinces through an in-depth analysis of their tonal structures. This process is crucial not only for re-examining the nation's musical identity and restoring the m...
The purpose of this essay is to illustrate musical features of folk songs of Pyeongan Provinces through an in-depth analysis of their tonal structures. This process is crucial not only for re-examining the nation's musical identity and restoring the musical homogeneity of the two Koreas, but also for the creative inheritance of traditions, a goal widely shared by traditional musicians. The essay also serves as a preliminary to a more thorough study of the tonal structures of indigenous folk songs from throughout North Korea.
This essay is based on the folk songs of the Pyeongan region as introduced in Anthology of North Korean Folk Songs Volume Ⅰ, which was released by the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) in 2004 I classified their tonal structures after closely examining the characters and roles of individual tones. Consequently, the research has revealed the following:
1) The most common structure is Changbu Taryeong-jo, found in about seventy songs(approximately 50%); there are also a variety of other "jo" from such songs as Changbu Taryeong(a variation), Susimga, Pyeong Susimga, Nanbongga, Beteulga, Menari, and Odolttogi.
2) The songs have two nuclear tones, either of which makes cadence.
3) The climactic (shouted) tone(s) may be the upper nuclear tone and/or a tone above it.
4) The register determines the behavior of a tone.
5) In a large number of songs, the tone immediately above the cadential tone tends to bend down, and important tones such as nuclear tones and climactic (shouted) tones are often ornamented by neighboring tones (especially ones just above). They also tend to vibrate both nuclear tones.
Of the above, 2), 3), and 4) are largely true of Korean folk songs in general. While some of the findings are in agreement with established theories, others turned out to be new discoveries and interpretations, even contradicting old views. A number of aspects of Susimga-jo, Nanbongga-jo, Menari-jo confirm the current theories, but it has newly emerged that, unlike its counterpart in Gyeonggi Province, the Pyeongan version of Changbu Taryeong tends to vibrate either "sol" or "do," and that the Pyeongan region's Menari-jo, as distinct from its variations in Gangweon and Gyeongsang Provinces, often vibrates "la" as well as "mi." I have also discovered two types of Odolttogi-jo, which is the most archetypal of tonal structures on Jeju Island.
The structure formerly known as "do scale" has been designated as "Changbu Taryong-jo," and "Seodo sol scale" as "Pyeong Susimga-jo" which is similar to and even interchangeable with Susimga-jo. Contrary to common knowledge, it is Changbu Taryeong-jo that is the most widely used structure, rather than Susimga-jo.
The essay focuses on tonal structures, and does not cover other musical aspects such as types of modulation, rhythmic patterns, singing styles, regional characteristics, and relationships between music and work, between music and words. Nor does it look into the influence of extra-musical elements. I shall leave these as the subjects for persistent study in the future. It is my wish, therefore, that this essay serves as an encouragement for further study of folk songs of the Pyeongan and other regions of North Korea, and eventually the entire Korean Peninsula.