Корей музыкасы: Трот жанрының тарихы мен эволюциясы

Korean music genre

Trot (트로트, ) is a genre of Korean popular music, known for its use of repetitive rhythm and vocal inflections. Originating during the Japanese occupation of Korea in the first half of the 20th century, trot was influenced by many genres of Korean, Japanese, American, and European music. Trot has been around for almost 100 years and its distinct singing style has been continuously evolving. Trot music developed in rhythms during Japanese colonial rule. After the liberation of the Korean peninsula and the Korean War (1950 1953), artists such as Lee Mi Ja, Choi Sook ja, Bae Ho, Nam Jin, Na Hun a, Joo Hyun mi and many others helped to make trot popular. With the rise of K pop from the 1990s onwards, trot music lost some popularity and was viewed as more old fashioned. However, from the 2000s onwards, young trot singers such as Jang Yoon jeong, Hong Jin young, K pop singers such as Super Junior T, Daesung, MJ and Lizzy, renewed interest in the genre and popularised it among young listeners. Although the genre originated before the division of the Korean peninsula, it is actually now mainly sung in South Korea; the associated pop culture, together with nursery rhymes, new folk songs in North Korea were categorized as "Enlightenment Period song" (계몽기 가요). It is no longer composed as propaganda music has since displaced other musical forms. Those songs were only orally recorded. It was intentionally revived during Kim Jung Il administration: in the late 2000s, Korean Central Television aired a TV program that introduced those "Enlightenment songs".

The name "trot" is a shortened form of "foxtrot", a style of ballroom dance that influenced the simple two beat rhythm of trot music. Except two beat rhythm, trot and foxtrot do not share any other notable characteristics.

The trot is known for being composed in a two beat rhythm, also known as the duple metre. In its early days, trot music was often composed using the pentatonic scale and minor keys. This pattern is called an anhemitonic scale or anhemitonic pentatonic scale, which was characteristic in Korean 'Gyeonggi minyo' and other folk music such as early Japanese enka. The pentatonic scale consists of five degrees: of the natural major scale, the 4th and 7th degrees are omitted, and to form the pentatonic minor scale, all these 5 degrees will descend 3 degrees. Before 1950, the pentatonic minor scale dominated in popularity, however, the pentatonic major scale had started to become more popular. After the Japanese occupation, trot music was composed using the heptatonic scale and major keys. In trot music, lower tones are generally sung with vibrato, while higher tones are sung with the flexing or turning technique called 'kkeokk ki' (literally means flexing, hangul=꺾기).

The 'Kkeokk ki' technique may be better explained by the gruppetto ornament of classical music theory. A note is figured as if it had been split into two or four subsidiary notes. And the voice is inflected to these imaginary notes: e. g. one quarter note is split into four sixteenth notes: (1) one in original pitch (2) one in upper pitch (3) one in lower pitch (1) one in original pitch again (see below image, the example measure is from Na Hun a's "물레방아 도는데", "Turning Waterwell"). Kkeokk ki happens in the transition between two notes in the original pitch. For ordinary listeners, it is not easy to quickly perceive the subtlety of this technique. However, any trot singer can hardly do without the elaborated effect of Kkeokk ki.

Most of trot's lyrical content is based on two popular themes, although they vary with the times: 1) love and parting, 2) longing for a sweet home. Some see the origin of this sentimentalism in "colonial tragedy.” But that may well be related to the ancient tradition of resentment or deep sorrow in Korean culture. Elegiac song texts with minor scales are the most common. In addition to the elegiac rhythm and the content of the lyrics, the 'new stream' in the theater , introduced in the 1910s from Japan, has also contributed to the fact that trot is dominated by the moods of compassion and pain. Because the pieces of this 'new stream' frequently dealt with themes such as the family tragedy, love affairs the best pieces were "Janghanmong" , "Cheated in Love, Cried of Money" ; the great hit song "Don't Cry Hongdo" (홍도야 울지 마라) sings just the tragic story of the piece "Cheated in love, Cried of money". So it is understandable that many Koreans tend to be sad or compassionate when they hear trot songs. Sentimental words like 'crying' and 'leaving' have been consistently the most popular. But speech levels, which are recognizable at a sentence's final ending in Korean, have changed with the times; since 1990 the sentence in the low level of politeness is often used.

Trot music is mainly performed by one singer or at most duet. It is rare for a trot singer to play any instrument while singing. The playing of the instruments has something of an accompaniment function. The song usually being played by a band orchestra. Band orchestras use mostly backing vocals, usually consisting of 4 female vocalists, but rarely of mixed vocalists. The trot music shows often include a group of dancers. Thus, a typical broadcasting band orchestra for trot consists of instrument players, chorus, and dancers. Of course, it is possible for a singer to perform a song accompanied by one or two instruments; e. g. Joo Hyun mi sings in her YouTube channel, accompanied only by guitar and accordion. Unreliable source: date=May 2021 Apart from the talent of a singer, the composer plays an important role in the success of a trot song. Since there are few trot singers and songwriters, a trot singer often gets his own singing style with the composer who always prepares a song for release with the singer.

Trot music originated in Korea during the Japanese occupation of Korea. It is believed that trot's closest ancestors were Japanese enka. There is an investigation showing that the songs that were published in Korea and Japan between 1945 and 1950 used in both countries pretty much the same amount of duple metre rhythm in a minor scale. Some suggest that trot could have been influenced by Korean folk music, which does have some resemblance to trot's vocal inflections, even if Korean traditional music's rhythmic structure differs from trot's fixed duple metre. It was true that a genre of Sin minyo (new folk song, hangul=신민요) was in circulation in the 1930s; but this music was simply modified versions of traditional folk songs e. g. Arirang or 'Taryeong' songsrefn| First, in 1965 the broadcasters decided not to send out any more 'Japanese tinged' songs. To it responded the singer association with the vehement protest. After that, in 1968 'Art and Cultural Ethics Commission' (the earliest commission of today's 'Korea Communications Standards Commission') decided to banish 108 songs and later more; the reasons were mainly 'obscene, vulgar, degenerated and Japanese tinged". Lee Mi ja's "Camellia Lady" was on the list in 1965 as well as in 1968. She once recalled, "The then President Park Chung Hee, who was blamed for the censorship, did not know that the song had been banned, so he asked her to sing it at a banquet." The censorship culminated in the 1970s, most affected were the songs of the so called 'acoustic guitar singers'. The ban on "Camellia Lady" and others was lifted in 1987. However, this kind of censorship, which finds much of its breeding ground from history, is still ongoing. Just as "Japanese tinged" trot songs were banished, so the anti Japanese leftists in the 2010s insisted on having to replace the school songs composed by pro Japan musicians.

In 1984 this dispute entered the national discourse in South Korea. The debate, initiated in a provocative article "Who does claim Ppongjjak as ours?" in 1984, centered on whether or not trot music originated from either Japanese or Korean music. Because the genre was borrowed from Japan during the colonial period of Korea, as well as incorporated Japanese song influences in Changga, the genre has been subject to questioning its Korean identity. This Korean identity question is subtly rooted in the argument that the Japanese cultural suppression policy led to Koreans uncritically accepting the popular music trot influenced by enka. Anti Japanese critics went so far as to tag trot as artifacts from the Japanese colonial period. This probably one sided statement was answered by musicians and critics who saw things differently and responded; the claim on the part of Korean classical music that trot is Japanese tinged and thus such songs should be forbidden, is a useless judgment of the colonial victim mentality. The debate back and forth was held in the newspaper Hanguk Daily News from November to December 1984. Since no concrete evidence has arisen to validate either side, this debate continues to exist when discussing the origins of trot music.

After Japan's colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula and the Korean War, few remnants were left of the music industry since survival remained many people's priority. Record companies, most of which were founded in the colonial era, began to struggle. Yet vinyl records were the primary way to distribute music to the population since radios were not easy to purchase in the '50s; according to estimates, about 350,000 radios were supplied nationwide in 1959. National TV broadcasting began in 1956 and commercial TV broadcasting began in 1959. In 1957 US Army also built a transmitting station 'American Forces Korean Network' (AFKN). AFKN sometimes reached the largest US broadcaster abroad. In 2012 the previously independent AFKN was grouped under the 'AFN Pacific Korea'. It's fair to say that AFKN unconsciously played for almost half a century the role of the US culture mediator. Many Koreans who were able to English had absorbed the western culture from this channel. Mass media was a way to spread songs, another way was records. Songs were released as singles or, sometimes, as EPs. LP record album production began in 1958. In the 1950s, two aspects should be emphasized. On the one hand, war and its effects had left its mark on trot music; wartime was reflected in songs. These included: the ode to soldiers that was "A Serenade of the Front Line" (, 1952), stories of separations during the Hungnam evacuation told in "Be Strong Geum sun" , and the joy and sorrow of refugees in "Farewell Busan Station" by Nam In su The country's situation was reflected in the lamenting lyrics of "Spring Days Are Passing" by Baek Seol hee , released in 1953. A family of abducted prisoners of war was a subject in "Heartbreaking Miari Hill" This song has been subsequently remade by many trot singers. On the other hand, some tried to overcome the devastation war brought. But interestingly enough, trot music and modern Korean music as a whole was revitalised from the cultural exchange in US Army clubs. These clubs were the linchpin for some entertainers. In 1954, the Eighth United States Army was moved from Japan to Korea, stationed in Seoul Yongsan Garrison. Musicians, promoted by United Service Organizations, visited the 8th US army base to give a morale boosting concert. The visit of Marilyn Monroe in 1954 was the most sensational; Jane Russell in 1957 and Nat King Cole in 1963 visited. The US army also enjoyed Korean artists. Koreans thereafter called the US Army clubs 'the 8th US Army Stage' There were two types of these stages; one was housed in the garrisons in addition to Yongsan Garrison, the Camp Market club in Bupyeong District was also very popular. On the other hand, private clubs were opened around the garrisons, the so called 'military camp town' , e. g. in Dongducheon, Paju, Itaewon, where both soldiers and civilians could enter. While working there, the musicians immediately became acquainted with American music culture and trends. They got to know different genres like blues, jazz, swing, tango, contemporary folk and country music, etc. As a result, fundamental changes of song titles, lyrics and rhythms in Korean popular music took place. They later played a leading role as contemporary influences on South Korean music. Important trot composers like Lee Bong jo , Kim Hee gap , Kim In bae , Park Chun seok , played instruments or worked as bandmasters in the 8th US army clubs. A lot of the famous rock bands and singers in the 60s and the 70s had their roots there. Some trot singers who started their career there are Choi Hee jun , Bae Ho, Han Myeong suk , Hyeon Mi, Cho Yong pil. Female trio singers The Kim Sisters became popular during this time, as their performances drew appeal from American soldiers and audiences, catapulting them to fame when they performed on The Ed Sullivan Show during the 1960s. But the different genres have actually had little to do with the melodies of trot. They were more of an inspiration to diversify and modernise. Only the name 'blues' in the titles had been widely used since the 1930s; this came from Japanese examples. It was not intended for the blues genre, but blues' retarding 4 strokes rhythm caught the songwriter's attention so that they called some songs 'xx Blues'. During this time, songwriters came up with songs by giving newfangled titles in English: e. g. "Shoeshine Boy" (, 1952), "Tango In The Night" (, 1953), "Evening Rain Blues" (, 1956), "Nilliri Mambo" (, 1957), '"Avec Youth" (, 1957), "Arizona Cowboy" (, 1959), "Daejeon Blues" (, 1959).

The growing economic growth of South Korea has become noticeable everywhere in the 1980s. The young generation, called baby boomers in South Korea as well as in other countries, was coming of age. The Baby boomer cohort, born between 1955 and 1963, is the largest population in South Korea. Accordingly, the number of students in colleges up to 1990 has increased dramatically more than seven times since 1970. The increased number of students boosted on the one hand the formation of student subculture, on the other hand, the young generation faced the cultural cleavage between the desire for change and the conservative establishment and tried to adapt to the changing times. Popular music has also undergone this change and took up the challenge. Beginning at the end of the 70s, the young artists tried contemporary folk songs and pop ballads and rock genres based on the taste of the Koreans. Music halls and nightclubs offered singers with the acoustic guitar as well as group sounds to perform their works. Precisely by their subculture, even in outward appearances such as acoustic guitar, long hair, jeans, and the like, they could feel differentiated from the elder generation. It existed to provide newcomers the opportunity to meet and present their work. Two prestigious song festivals were hosted by MBC TV annually in the late 1970s, which now are not held anymore: 'College Song Festival' (1977 2012) and 'Riverside Song Festival' (1979 2001). In the 60s and 70s, the US Army clubs were the springboard from which many artists stepped forward. In the 80s, the song festivals assumed such a role. Well, trot had a hard time with this uplifting music of the baby boomers. Trot was able to hold its own still in the 80s. The popularity of cassettes proved very important for the genre and helped bring about the localization of trot music. It also helped in the invention of the sound of trot medley, which is now emblematic of contemporary Korean trot music. In 1984, a medley album "Couples only Party" , consisting of 21 well known trot songs was released. It was a compilation of separated recorded songs of a female and a male singer in alternating, but not in duet, and their voice was enhanced by the acoustic echo. refn| A few years later, another female singer Mun Hee ok succeeded also with a trot medley album "Disco Medley In Eight Dialects" Anyway, the female singer Joo Hyun mi was discovered the male partner Kim Jun gyu was actually not a professional singer, but a composer and producer. Previously, Joo Hyun mi had participated as a vocalist of a student band at the 'Riverside Song Festival' (1981) and won the participation prize. The success of "Couples only Party" made her debut with her own song "Rainy Yeongdong Bridge" in 1985. This debut song brought her as trot singer countrywide fame, Joo released four albums in 1985 as well as 1986 with moderate success. The 9th album "Sinsa dong And The Man" in 1988 earned her 'Song of the Year Award' of KBS and MBC, the most important awards at that time in South Korea. Her singing style of this song differed from the conventional trot in that the tempo was rhythmically fast in diatonic scale: this may be influenced by the medley style. Critics call it a semi trot. Her next hit song was "Men are Ships, Women are Harbors" Otherwise, she brought little hit songs. Kim Soo hee's career began in 1976 when she recorded her first album "Too Much" After the unsuccessful debut song, she appeared as a vocalist for a band in the US Army club. "A Yoke" , "A Southbound Train" and "Sad Love" were breakthroughs in her career. "A Yoke" garnered above all sympathetic acceptance from those women who engaged in bars and clubs because its lyric reflected images of their quotidian hardships and solace. The imagery of this song was similar to that in Joo Hyun mi's songs "Rainy Yeongdong Bridge" and "Sinsa dong And The Man". "A Southbound Train" was popular at the time especially as a fight song of the professional baseball team then Haitai Tigers, comparable to "Busan Seagulls" of Lotte Giants the trot song "Busan Seagulls" was a one hit wonder by Moon Seong jae In addition, Kim Soo hee considered "Sad Love" her favorite song. In 1985, a trot music program 'Golden Oldies' , literally means 'music stage', launched by KBS TV. It accomplished a steady rapprochement to trot's listeners till this day.

In the late 1990s, Epaksa made an extravagant attempt, calling his music 'techno trot', a mixture of rapping, techno and dance. "The World Is a Wonderful World," sung by Shin Shin ae, is a mixture of two songs released in the 1930s. Basically, the lyrics of "The World Is a Wonderful World" sung by Kim Jung gu in 1939, but the lyrics of "Anchhwa Storm" sung by Kim Jung gu in 1938 have also been partially modified. In the second verse of "Anchhwa Storm," "The old man's topknot twisted and his wife's shoes ran away," was transformed into "The old man's topknot twisted and the old woman's shoes ran away." Over 184 songs from artists such as Na Hun a, Jang Yoon jeong and Park Hyun bin, were broadcast through FM radio programs targeting North Korean soldiers.