earticle

영어

There is a popular belief that there are two distinct traditions of farmers' band music in Jeonla Province: jwado(left) and udo(right). The common outline of the two traditions, however, reflects the outsider's etic perspective. When we investigate the individual band musics in Jeonia province, we can notice that each village band music differs one from the other in its components, clothes, music, and so forth. In order to construct a general delineation of a cultural tradition of jwado band tradition, we need to delve into the detailed traits of each village's band music practice. Three troupes - Imsil Pilbong, Jinan Jungpyeong, and Namwon - are still active among many village traditions in jwado tradition. They have a common performing lineage of semi-professional or professional band tradition with masterful performers. They are training tens of thousands of students who are searching for the so-called "national music." While these troupes have become big businesses, other village traditions performed by amateurs have been vanishing. Even the surviving band has become "performing arts" which are presented in a public stage divorced from its cultural context. With the emergence of samul nori (percussion quartet) and the gravitation of the attention toward the big three troupes, each village tradition has begun to modify their performance so that the diversity of jwado tradition is indistinct compare to earlier days. For instance, the buk (barrel drum) which was not employed in many villages due to its clamourous sound that did not harmonize with delicate rhythms of the soe (small gong) and janggo (hourglass-shaped drum). The buk has become an indispensable instrument to the band to compose the samul ("four objects") since the 19805. The members of jwado band do not always wear jeonlip (rounded hat) contradictory to the common view. The members of a band descended from the (semi-)professional band tradition normally wear the jeonlip to exhibit various performances with it. The members of the village bands seldom wear the jeonlip because they cannot accomplish such a highly-skilled performances as the professional musicians do. Today, farmers' band music admirers and scholars worry that it is losing its diversity because of the emergence of samul nori and the popularization of florid big bands. In order to revive the precious traditional cultural artifacts, we should bring back to life of the philosophy and aesthetics of the farmers' band music - the solidarity of village people and the diversity of village tradition.