Up to this day, Korean Opera has been steadily created and performed through its short history of 70 years, starting with Hyun Je-myeong's <Chunhyangjeon>, which premiered in 1950. However, the reality is that most of the Korean opera pieces, except f ...
Up to this day, Korean Opera has been steadily created and performed through its short history of 70 years, starting with Hyun Je-myeong's <Chunhyangjeon>, which premiered in 1950. However, the reality is that most of the Korean opera pieces, except for a small number of works, have not been properly staged or in some cases, the premiere was the final show, failing to become a routine repertoire on the opera stage. This indicates that Korean creative opera has not received much attention from the Korean music industry. Moreover, academic research covering the entire Korean creative opera is also very slow, and even basic data and information on the creation and performance of Korean creative opera are not systematically organized. In order for Korean opera to develop its self-sustainability and actively advance to the world stage in the period of the great transformation of civilization in the 21st century, Korean performers as well as audiences of Korean opera must have a deep interest and broad understanding of Korean opera supported by academic research of the value of the composers and opera works and changes in perception.
The purpose of this study which starts from the awareness of current issues, is to list all Korean operas composed and premiered since 1950, select works with representative characteristics by period and type, and analyze and research them from a musical, literary, and critical perspective. In addition, the study intends to contribute to the globalization of Korean opera works by performing selected pieces and making them into opera guidebooks and video content. For this research purpose, this study conducted the "Collection and organization of the database of data related to Korean opera," "Analytical study of Korean opera works," and "Showcase performances and video production" of selected works during a three-year period of Korean creative opera studies. (Sep. 2018~Aug. 2021)
First, as a starting point, this study collected and organized a total of 208 Korean opera-related references composed and premiered from 1950 to 2020 and established an archive and laid the foundation for further academic research. References, such as sheet music, scripts, procedures, pamphlets, posters, etc., which were not printed or published on computers at the time of the performance, music directors' performance diaries, composition notes, opera criticisms, or performance criticisms were collected and digitalized to achieve future affiliation with Chungnam National University Central Library.
Second, the collected data were analyzed from three main perspectives and a total of 10 academic papers, four domestic academic conference papers, and one international academic conference paper, were published. Initially, in terms of music analysis, the overall musical style of the work to be studied was identified by examining the composition of music and musical grammar. In addition, in the script analysis, the basis for musical analysis was laid by studying the composition method of the script, the meaning of the lines, and researching the character's personality. Finally, the receptive aspect of the opera work was researched through analysis of the work and performance criticism.
Third, not only did the research analyze and study the selected distinctive operas, but also put this work on the actual stage, and produced it as a video and turned them into digital content. The opera performance was held in the form of a total of five showcases along with a total of five composer seminars, and live performance was filmed and produced as a video adding English subtitles. As such, this study has contributed substantially to the promotion and distribution of Korean operas domestically and abroad by making it easier to search for the data through the digitalization of Korean operas.
Aside from these studies, individual research was conducted for each year. In the first year's research, the criteria for selecting works to be content among Korean operas were established, and in the second year, an archive was established to lay the foundation for academic research of Korean operas. In the third year, based on the stored data, the publication of <A guide to Korean Opera 1~3>, a three volume dictionary–form guidebook, was conducted. In addition, an additional book, <Korean Opera 5 People, 5 colors>, based on showcase performances and creative opera seminars was written and backgrounds, synopsis, performance scenes and plot, work commentary, and composition notes for five showcase performances were presented in detail in the book. By progressing the individual research for each year together with academic papers and book writing, showcase performances and video production, academic conferences and seminars, and journal publication, this study was systematically able to conduct theoretical and practical research for the macroscopic purpose of "globalization of Korean Opera" during a total of three years of research