해방공간기 구왕궁아악부의 활동 고찰

Abstract

Following the liberation, the country’s music community formed its organization to join the nation rebuilding. With the aim of establishing the national music called minjok ŭmak 民族音楽, they chose as their prerequisites the elimination of all remnants of the Japanese imperialism, the clearing of feudalistic elements of the culture, and the liquidation of the culture of the privileged class. This paper focuses its study on the Royal Music Institute of the Yi Household known as Kuwanggung aakpu 旧王宮雅楽部, of all the intense national music debates during the post-liberation era. The Royal Music Institute of the Yi Household stands opposite to the directionality of the national music theory. The court music of the Royal Music Institute is the music for the feudalistic privileged class. Also, the Royal Music Institute is not free from the charge that it belonged to remnants of the Japanese imperialism, as it engaged in musical activities while serving the Japanese General Government 朝鮮総督府 in Korea and the Imperial Household Office 宮内省 in Japan during the period of Japanese occupation. The Royal Music Institute of the Yi Household engaged in intensive activities for its survival for the short 3 post-liberation years. It engaged in various operations including the sijo 時調 lessons, the court music performance, organization of the research society, and the passing of the bill for the state running of the organization. the Royal Music Institute of the Yi Household incessantly urged the nation to acknowledge its credit for keeping the ancient tradition by relying on the historical legacy, in its effort to cope with the move to purge feudalism and the remnants of the Japanese imperialism. Owing to such activities, the Royal Music Institute of the Yi Household transitioned to the Royal Music Institute of the Yi Household during the post-liberation era and then to the National Gugak Center, thus successfully serving as the bridge that connected the period of Japanese occupation and the Republic of Korea. After all, the Royal Music Institute of the Yi Household stuck to the music that it practiced during the period of Japanese occupation, thus carrying the format of its music, stage plan, and the arrangement of musical instruments etc. to the modern-day kugak community in the name of tradition. As the Royal Conservatory of the Yi Household called 李王職雅楽部 as the National Gugak [Kugak] Center called Kungnip Kugwŏn 国立国楽院 and thereby took the Center of the mainstream music, the music carried over from the Royal Music Institute of the Yi Household (旧王宮雅楽部) is used in the modern-day kugak community with neither criticism nor inspection performed on it. While due credit should be acknowledged for the role that the Royal Music Institute of the Yi Household kept the traditional music while brooking the violence during the period of Japanese occupation, it seems necessary to get its music itself to undergo a critical review.