한국 전통가극의 창조 : 창극사를 중심으로 한 고찰

The Invention of Traditional Korean Opera : Some Lessons from the History of Ch anggŭk

Throughout the twentieth century, Korea s musical storytelling art p ansori has been used as the basis for a form of opera that has been known by various names but is now most commonly referred to as ch anggŭk. In ch anggŭk the lone vocalist of p ansori is replaced by a whole cast of singing actors who take on the roles of characters in the drama while singing in the distinctive. husky tone of the p ansori singer. In many cases the story. and much of the actual verbal and musical material. will also be taken from the p ansori repertoire. but in a modern ch anggŭk production. these will be presented in the form of complete dramas adorned with all the resources of a Western-style theatre. including costumes. makeup, scenery and machinery, an accompanying orchestra. and the participation of a dramatist. composer, and director. Although the beginnings of ch anggŭk can be traced to the turn of the century, the objectives of the genre as well as its mode of performance have changed over the years. These changes have posed a challenge to artists involved with ch anggŭk in recent years, who have sought to win recognition for the genre as Korean traditional opera [han gug-ŭi chŏnt ong kagŭk] despite the fact that it does not fully meet the criteria for traditional art [chŏnt ong yesul] as that term is usually understood in Korea. Thus. while ch anggŭk might be described as chŏnt ong-jŏgin yesul in that it evokes an atmosphere of tradition. it has not achieved the recognition as chŏnt ong yesul that is marked. for example, by designation as a muhyŏng munhwajae. This study will examine the criteria for traditional status in Korea relative to international concepts of tradition and the problems of establishing [chŏngnip] a traditional opera form that did not exist in the past. I will explore these problems through an overview of the history of ch anggŭk in the light of the concept of the Invention of Tradition as defined by historians Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger in their influential book of the title(l983).