불후의 고전적명작 가요의 음악적 지향

Abstract

Unlike other genres of songs in North Korea, the songs from immortal classic masterpieces include the songs created by Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. These songs are similar in that they are, by and large, in binary form with strophic variations. However, these songs are also different in many ways; different in their composers, the times of creation, and their scales. Those songs from immortal classic masterpieces are exemplar of North Korean songs, which every composer should learn and adhere to. In his work, Theory of Music and Art, Kim Jeong-il cited immortal classic masterpieces as examples explaining that ethnicity, populism, and popularity as well as Juche idea are what make masterpieces. This means that the songs from immortal classic masterpieces assure of Juche idea and have ethnicity, populism and popularity in their musical forms. In terms of music, the songs created by Kim Il-sung are in pentatonic scale which reveals ethnicity, and this is not found in those songs created by Kim Jong-il. Both songs by Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, however, have melodies that are popular and easy for people to sing along. That is, we can find ethnic forms in the songs created by Kim Il-sung, while we can find modern taste of North Korean people in the songs by Kim Jong-il, both of which make good exemplar of North Korean songs since the composers of North Korean songs are required of such ethnic musical forms and modern taste. However, it is highly likely that the ethnicity, populism, and popularity of the songs give the music such simplicity that people can easily sing along and pass around. Eventually, these simple forms of songs have taken the entire songs of North Korea today, having sublated the songs that require artistry or sophistication. Nevertheless, it is questionable if these songs truly assure of ethnicity, as most of the songs created by Kim Il-sung, except for one piece, are in the Yonanuki major scale, the typical Japanese scale, not the traditional Korean pentatonic scale, and one of the songs, <Joseon Inmin Hyeongmyeonggun: Joseon People’s Revolutionary Army> is a military song made by Japanese. The uncritical use of Japanese scale can be considered the limitations of North Korean songs, revealing that they have not cleared away the remnants of Japanese colonialism in their music.