National Musical Heritage: Enlightenment-Era Songs

North Korea defines Kyemonggi Gayo as:

"Songs created and disseminated from the 1920s — when enlightenment songs (kyemong gayo) were gradually disappearing — through to the period before Liberation, against the backdrop of that era."

 

This category is explicitly distinguished from two other song types:

Category	Description
Enlightenment Songs	Songs of the earlier Kaehwa (enlightenment) period
Decadent Popular Songs	Popular songs deemed decadent or culturally regressive

The author, Jang Yŏng-ch'ŏl, argues that among the popular songs (yuhaengga) disseminated during the 1920s–1940s, those that meet the following criteria should be specifically designated as Kyemonggi Gayo:

"Songs that realistically reflect the grief and indignation of a people who had lost their country, as well as sentiments of love for the homeland, the native land, and the nation."

This monograph is a significant resource for:

• 🎼 Musicologists and ethnomusicologists researching Korean musical history of the colonial period
• 📚 Historians studying Korean cultural life and resistance during Japanese colonial rule (1920s–1945)
• 🏛️ Academic institutions examining North Korean perspectives on pre-Liberation Korean cultural heritage
• 🎓 Korean studies scholars analyzing DPRK classifications and interpretations of national musical tradition
• 🤝 Cultural organizations engaged in inter-Korean heritage exchange and musical research

Format	Price
PDF — Single Volume	USD $30