Copyright by Min Jung Son 2004
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Copyright by Min Jung Son 2004 The Dissertation Committee for Min Jung Son certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: The Politics of the Traditional Korean Popular Song Style T’ŭrot’ŭ Committee: Stephen Slawek, Supervisor Gerard Béhague Martha Menchaca Avron Boretz Elizabeth Crist The Politics of the Traditional Korean Popular Song Style T’ŭrot’ŭ by Min Jung Son, B.M., M.M., M.M. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctoral of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin May, 2004 Dedication To my husband Yn Bok Lee with gratitude and love Acknowledgements This dissertation would not have been possible without the extraordinary guidance of my dissertation committee. My deepest gratitude and sincere admiration must go to professor Stephen Slawek whose scholarship, insight, and advice have enhanced this project. I am indebted to professor Gerard Béhague for his invaluable advice and theoretical suggestions of the project. Special thanks are also due to professors Martha Menchaca, for her gracious, wise, and patient counsel; Avron Boretz, for his enthusiasm, expertise, and willingness to share his knowledge of East Asian popular culture; Elizabeth Crist, for her attention to detail and musicological abilities that continue to inspire my respect. I acknowledge the assistance and support of many informants of my fieldwork in 2002-2003: t’ŭrot’ŭ singers Kim Sŏn-Jung, Lawrence Cho, Han Song-Hŭi, Lee Su-Jin, Chŏng Hye-Ryŏn, T’ae Min, Ko Yŏng-Jun, and Sul Woon- Do; songwriters Park Nam-Ch’un, O Min-U, and Pan Wa-Yŏl; sound engineer Coi Dong-Kwon; producers Park Kŏ-Yŏl and Chŏng Chin-Yŏng; fans Kim Kwang-Jin and Kwon Yong-Ae. All have aided me enormously in this research. Lastly, I offer my family my love, respect, and heartfelt gratitude for the support and encouragement. v The Politics of the Traditional Korean Popular Song Style T’ŭrot’ŭ Publication No. _________________ Min Jung Son, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2004 Supervisor: Stephen Slawek T’ŭrot’ŭ, a traditional Korean popular song style, has existed in the South Korean music scene for more than eight decades. Nowadays, the song style may not be the most popular song style in South Korea in terms of media popularity, which is mostly oriented towards teenaged listeners. However, t’ŭrotŭ functioned as a creative local interpretation of imported foreign musical idioms. T’ŭrot’ŭ was formulated in the 1920s during the Japanese colony, standardized and matured in the 1960s, localized in the 1980s, and traditionalized since then. Due to initial contact with the Japanese colony during the formative period, the song style t’ŭrot’ŭ initiated a number of debates regarding its identity, particularly its nationality during the Cold War years. As social values and the cultural spectrum transformed, t’ŭrot’ŭ became reinterpreted as a traditional Korean popular song style, differentiated from the other recently imported Western-style popular songs—e.g. rock, ballad and disco songs. In the meantime, t’ŭrot’ŭ itself had been changing throughout its history, sanitizing its alleged Japanese characteristics. vi In South Korean popular discourse, the concept of the song style t’ŭrot’ŭ is multi-layered: there are multiple terms for the particular song style; there are multiple meanings of the term t’ŭrot’ŭ itself; there are even multiple pronunciations of t’ŭrot’ŭ, all aligning with different generations. Different age groups remember and practice the song style differently, reflecting on their historical experiences against circumstantial politics. Thus, the history and the practice of t’ŭrot’ŭ has been deeply integrated with the socio-political and historical dynamics of South Korean society. vii Table of Contents List of Pictures ................................................................................................. xiii List of Tables.................................................................................................... xv List of Examples .............................................................................................. xvi Introduction.................................................................................................... 1 PART ONE. CONCEPT OF T’ŬROT’Ŭ ....................................................... 32 Chapter One: The Debate of Essentialists and Evolutionists........................... 32 I. Essentialists.............................................................................................33 1. T’ŭrot’ŭ as a Traditional Japanese Popular Song Style ................... 34 2. T’ŭrot’ŭ as a Traditional Korean Popular Song Style...................... 42 II. Evolutionists.......................................................................................... 51 1. Musical Evolutionist: T’ŭrot’ŭ as a Popular Song Style.................. 52 2. Literature Evolutionists: T’ŭrot’ŭ as a Popular Literature Style ........................................................ 59 Conclusion ................................................................................................ 66 Chapter Two: Towards A Polyphonic Writing on the Definition of ’ŭrot’ŭ...................................................... 68 I. The Typology of Music in South Korea ................................................. 70 1. Positioning Popular Music............................................................... 70 viii 2. Positioning T’ŭrot’ŭ......................................................................... 75 II. Towards A Polyphonic Ethnography..................................................... 79 1. De-Constructing the Otherness ........................................................ 79 2. Polyphonic Ethnography.................................................................. 81 III. A Polyphonic Writing on the Definition of T’ŭrot’ŭ ........................... 85 1. A Story of the Aged Group .............................................................. 85 2. A Story of the Middle-Aged People................................................. 89 3. A Story of the Young People............................................................ 97 Conclusion ................................................................................................. 98 PART TWO. HISTORY OF T’ǓROT’Ǔ ...................................................... 101 Chapter Three: The Formation of T’ǔrot’ǔ (the Late Nineteenth Century –1945)....................................... 101 I. Modernization, Westernization and Industrialization of Music.............. 101 1. Modernization: Late Nineteenth Century- Before the Colony .................................................. 102 2. Colonial Westernization: 1910-1945................................................ 108 3. Industrialization of Music ................................................................ 112 II. The Formation of T’ǔrot’ǔ: The Late Nineteenth Century – 1945......................................................... 118 ix 1. Ch’angga: The First Korean Musical Product of the Westernization.............................................................. 119 2. Sin-Minyo: The Continuance of the Traditional Korean Folksong....................................................................... 124 3. Yuhaengga, Taejung Kayo: The Rise of the Modern Korean Popular Music ...................................... 125 4. T’ǔrot’ǔ: The First Modern Korean Popular Song Style ................. 132 Conclusion ................................................................................................. 136 Chapter Four: The Maturation of T’ŭrot’ŭ (1945-the 1970s)........................................................................ 138 I. Political Culture: 1945-the 1970s ........................................................... 139 1. Inventing a New South-Korean Identity under the Dictatorships .................................................................................. 139 2. Governmental Censorships .............................................................. 144 3. Revolutionary Technology: Radio, LP, Television, and Mi-8 Gun Show (Korean-Based American Military Camp Show) ......... 147 4. Dynamics of Socio Political-Musical Relationships........................ 151 II. Maturation of t’ŭrot’ŭ: 1945-the 1970s................................................. 154 1. Rejuvenation of t’ŭrot’ŭ: 1945-the 1950s........................................ 155 2. Standardization of t’ŭrot’ŭ: the 1960s ............................................. 160 3. Re-articulation of t’ŭrot’ŭ: 1970s .................................................... 166 x Conclusion ................................................................................................. 169 PART THREE. PRACTICE OF T’ŬROT’Ŭ ............................................... 171 Chapter Five: Localizing T’ŭrot’ŭ: T’ŭrot’ŭ Medley....................................... 171 I. T’ŭrot’ŭ Medley Market ......................................................................... 175 1. General Idea of T’ŭrot’ŭ Medley Market......................................... 177 2. Market Places, Subjects, and Music................................................. 180 II. Inventing Sounds of T’ŭrot’ŭ Medley................................................... 193 1. Inventing Sounds of T’ŭrot’ŭ Medley.............................................. 193 2. Making Sounds of T’ŭrot’ŭ Medley ...............................................