▲ Provided by Gugak Archive

Looking at anyone’s music list, one can easily find lists full of songs with electronic beats or Western vibe; many vocalists sing to the piano, guitar, orchestral or electronic accompaniments. Nevertheless, it is hard to find students listening to Gugak, Korean traditional music. Despite the charm of Gugak, which has captivated Koreans for thousands of years, the younger generation these days seems to have lost interest in its own music. 

“Compared with pop music, Gugak gives one the impression of classical music. Also, it is boring due to its slow rhythm,” said Lee Ji Soo (’12, English Language Education). Just as with Lee, nowadays Gugak is considered boring by most young people. It is not hard to find people who get into the rhythm of hip-hop, dance, or rock but not that of Gugak. People “listen to Gugak at the level of cultural experience, not in the sense of enjoying,” Lee added. 

Negligence

Including Lee, Korean society itself does not turn an affectionate eye toward Gugak. Above all, unlike with pop music, it is hard to find anything about Gugak in the media. Korea’s three major TV channels and some cable music channels have music programs that enable pop music singers to perform their songs. There is, however, only one program for Korean traditional music called “Gugak Hanmadang,” broadcast by KBS (Korean Broadcasting System). Even the art channels focus more on Western classical, the sound of violins and clarinet, than on that of the gayageum or taepyeonso, the Korean traditional string and wind instruments. Under this environment, Korean traditional music artists must stand in a long line to express their abilities on the media. 

Not only indifference by the media but poor treatment by the government aggravates the problem that Korean traditional music faces. According to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, five trillion won out of a total of 342 trillion won is allotted for culture, sports, and tourism, which is a mere 1.4% of the entire budget. The budgeted amount itself is a problem, but also the way that it will be apportioned is just as big a problem for Gugak. When looking at the National Fiscal Management Plan for 2012 to 2016, a specific plan for Gugak is not suggested, and the cultural plan mainly focuses on the globalization of Korean pop music.

 

▲ NGC Buildings. Photographed by Choi Ji Won

The less-advanced system of fans of Gugak; and the program of UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultureal Organization) Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Just this past Lunar New Year, the performance group gave a special performance to open the new year of 2013. Just like with these performances, NGC continuously tries to form a bond of sympathy with the public through performances. Also, as April approaches, NGC will open an exclusive theater for Yeonhui, the Korean traditional yard play with a percussion band, in order to get closer to audiences. NGC plans to turn off the sound system, which will enable the audience to sing and clap along with the performers. Another effort for popularizing Gugak is creating new melodies and new songs by modifying the traditional style. The Contemporary Gugak Orchestra diversifies its repertoire to “create a future for tradition and provide a listener-oriented environment.”

To enjoy these kinds of music, one can buy Gugak albums or songs either at record stores or on the online music website. In addition to applying Gugak to other genres of music, there is also an effort to apply Gugak to other forms of performance such as theater, drama, and movies, just like when Nam taught the famous Korean actor Lee Byung Hun how to play the yeonhui in Masquerade (2012, Gwang Hae). These forms of application can create intangible cultural asset (ICA) is also pointed to as a problem. “Bearers of ICA cannot keep on living by just concentrating on cultural assets,” said Nam Ki Moon, the Kapellmeister of the National Gugak Center’s (NGC) Folk Music Group. Nam also revealed his pity, “In the case of a neighboring country, Japan, the ICAs do not need to worry about financial problems; but such is not the case in Korea.” These days, ICAs receive 1,200,000 won each month, which cannot cover the minimum cost of living, 1,546,000 won for a family of four. Also, the frequent change of the personnel in charge of an ICA impedes enforcing a consistent management of policy regarding Gugak.

▲ Provided by National Gugak Center

The low interest among students has also shaded the future of Gugak. According to research by Professor Jang Sun Hee (Gyeongin National University of Education), students prefer Korean pop music, and then Western classical, jazz, and rock, in that order. Gugak ranked last. Many students know the western rhythms of two-four time or fourfour time, but not those of Korean traditional rhythms such as Jajinmori or Jungmori. As the low interest of students well represents, there are not many kids who dream of majoring in Gugak, and this is the sad reality of today’s Gugak. 

Still, effort continues…

Despite the substandard environment, the government established the National Gugak Center (NGC) in 1951 for the spreading of this traditional music. As the center of the nation’s traditional music, NGC not only stages Gugak performances but provides a platform by which people can easily access Gugak. In order to achieve its vision of “a warm world that is happy because of Gugak,” the NGC also builds up the infrastructure for diverse Gugak content and education for both locals and foreigners. Also, there is a Gugak museum and four performance groups within the NGC: Court Music Orchestra, Folk Music Group, Dance Theatre, and Contemporary Gugak Orchestra. 

Every morning at 10 A.M., members of each performance group come to the NGC building and practice to improve their ability following their own schedules. Members not only practice their own instruments but also those of others for a better understanding and harmony. Before the performance, they gather at the concert hall and rehearse. 

“Performance is for gaining the sympathy,” said Nam. Since a performance is the fundamental way for communicating with the public, the NGC offers the 2013 Premium Performance every Saturday. This performance is composed of three formats: the program with an explanation; the general program for fans of Gugak; and the program of UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultureal Organization) Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Just this past Lunar New Year, the performance group gave a special performance to open the new year of 2013. Just like with these performances, NGC continuously tries to form a bond of sympathy with the public through performances. Also, as April approaches, NGC will open an exclusive theater for Yeonhui, the Korean traditional yard play with a percussion band, in order to get closer to audiences. NGC plans to turn off the sound system, which will enable the audience to sing and clap along with the performers. 

Another effort for popularizing Gugak is creating new melodies and new songs by modifying the traditional style. The Contemporary Gugak Orchestra diversifies its repertoire to “create a future for tradition and provide a listener-oriented environment.” To enjoy these kinds of music, one can buy Gugak albums or songs either at record stores or on the online music website. 

In addition to applying Gugak to other genres of music, there is also an effort to apply Gugak to other forms of performance such as theater, drama, and movies, just like when Nam taught the famous Korean actor Lee Byung Hun how to play the yeonhuiin Masquerade (2012, Gwang Hae). These forms of application can create two major effects. First, as the expert participates in the work, knowledge can be conveyed to the public. Second, since audiences meet Gugak in a much more familiar format, these applications grow the public’s intimacy with Korean traditional music. 

The media are also making efforts. Still, it is hard to find a TV program about Gugak, but if one tunes in to FM 99.1 MHz (in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province), the “Gugak FM” Broadcasting System awaits you. Established in 2011, Gugak FM is a channel specializing in Korean traditional music and culture. With the belief that Korean traditional music is the culture that should be continued, Gugak FM provides programs with varied traditional songs and artists, education for children and youth, and ethnic and world music. By these efforts, Gugak FM expects to “take the lead in spreading traditional music and encouraging people to enjoy traditional music in their spare time.” 

Besides the efforts at popularization, activities to develop the contents of Gugak have also been put into action. Like Lee Ji Soo said, there is a general belief that Gugak always has a similar rhythm and therefore it is not exciting to listen to. However, this is not true. Korean traditional music has various styles due to geographical factors. As Korea is known as a “culture of ridge,” even two neighboring villages had completely different sounds because of the ridge of mountain that pass through the peninsula, dividing the villages into two distinct communities from east to west. Activities which strive to discover these unrevealed sounds are now being undertaken to expand and diversify the repertoire of Gugak. 

Nonetheless, still a lot of problems need to be fixed. Along with the warm interest from the media, government should make a concrete plan to build a strong infrastructure for Gugak and assist the youth who dream of majoring in Korean traditional music. Nevertheless, at this point in time, only the lonely efforts of those concerned continue. As Nam suggested, recognition of Gugak first needs to be changed in order to create a better environment for Korean traditional music. Nam finally added, “We express our respect for our ancestors since we are here because of them. Likewise, our excellent music handed down from our ancestors should be respected and enjoyed. Embracing the imitable foreign culture is the next step. Great culture and works of arts can be made only when our music, Gugak, firmly takes a root in Korean society."