한국의 전통사회에서는 탁월한 수준의 “즉흥”을 했다. 그 사회에서 음악연행이란 이미 완성된 형태가 그대로 재현되는 것이 아니라 매번 “즉석에서 새롭게 발현되는 것”이었다. 독특한 가치를 보여주는 이러한 즉흥전통은 워낙 빠르게 서양화되는 한국의 환경에서 그 흔적을 찾기 어려울 정도로 무너져 버렸다.
지난 몇 십 년 동안 국악인들은 현대화된 한국의 청중을 강조하면서 전통 양식의 계승을 옛것 그대로를 해서는 안 된다 하여 새로운 것을 창조해 내려고 무단히 노력하였다. “한국적” 특성을 유지하고자 전통 양식적 요소들을 취하기는 하면서도 서양화된 귀에 적합하도록 주저없이 변질시키곤 하였다. 그들은 전통악기를 재구성하여 서양관현악단을 모방한 국악관현악단을 만들고 앙상블매체를 다양하게 창안하여 자꾸 “새로운” 국악의 창출에 매진하였다. 그러한 추세에 적합한 레퍼토리를 축적해 나가면서 당면한 레퍼토리 축적 문제의 해결은 결국 “작곡된” 음악과 그 재연이라는 서양 방식을 따르는 것이었다. 작곡가에 의해 작곡된 국악작품이 국악연주자들에 의해 음악회장 무대에 오르는 체계가 그렇게 확립된 것이다. 이 새로운 문맥에서 전래방식의 즉흥은 전혀 살아남을 수가 없었다.
최근에 “시나위프로젝트”라는 새로운 즉흥연주의 시도가 나타났다. “시나위”는 전라도 지역의 굿의 진행을 즉흥적으로 받쳐주는 반주음악이다. 현대의 무대에서는 주변적 장르이지만 그것은 즉흥적 표현양식이 강조되면서 종종 연주되기도 한다. 2012년 12월과 2013년 5월 두 번에 걸쳐 국립국악관현악단이 잃어버린 전통적 즉흥관습의 복원시도를 과감하게 선언하며 내놓은 이 프로젝트는 “연주자의 개성이 가장 극대화될 수 있는 시나위를 통해서, 잃어버렸던 연주자로서의 창의성과 역량을 회복하고, 이를 통해 국악과 국악관현악단의 정체성을 견고히 다지고자 한다"며 그 행사의 계기를 달았다.
그 연주는 어떻게 준비되고 어떻게 실현되었을까. 그들은 어떤 양식적 모델을 상정하여 이 행사를 시도했을까? 연행결과는 과연 사라진 즉흥의 가치를 재확인 하면서 새로운 물꼬를 트는 계기가 되었는가. 아니면 일회적 사건에 그쳤는가. 이 연구는 이 시나위프로젝트에서 실현한 즉흥성을 분석하고 그 의미를 조명하는 것이다.
In the traditional Korean society musical practices relied heavily on improvisation. The musical performance was not just literal realization of the score but newly revealed one on the spot. It involved the creative activity on the part of performers. The improvisational traditions of old Korea have now been collapsed to a degree difficult for anyone to fine the trace in the vastly Westernized modern environment. For last fifty years, Korean musicians of traditional genre put a conscious and laborious emphasis on the modernized Korean audience and a continuous and vigorous effort on creating “new things” vehemently disvaluing the traditional style as “old.” They created a new performing media, Korean orchestra by reconstituting traditional instruments according to the compositional and layout principle of Western orchestra. Interlinked with the pressing needs of accumulation of its repertoire the Western supplying system of “composed” music and its literal performance were fixated into Korean concert culture. Music was now circulated through scores in the market and the training systems. In such context, the traditional practices of improvisation were unable to survive. Recently a noteworthy event, “Sinawi Project” came on the concert stage of the National Theater of Korea. “Sinawi” is the instrumental music of shamanistic ritual performance in Jeolla province, southwestern part of Korea. In the ritual context, the ensemble was always formed on the spot, providing improvised vocal and instrumental accompaniment to shaman singing. In carrying out the project the National Orchestra of Korea declared resolutely to attempt to restore the traditional improvisatory practices of sinawi, with a promotional remark that “through the sinawi, the orchestra members participated are expected to maximize their creativity.” How were the two concerts prepared and staged? What kind of stylistic model the participants postulated? Did the final results were fruitful in reaffirming the traditional value of improvisation and served as a momentum in sluicing the water out of paddy, or ceased to be just one-time event. This study is to analyze the carried-out project and evaluate its outcome.
In the traditional Korean society musical practices relied heavily on improvisation. The musical performance was not just literal realization of the score but newly revealed one on the spot. It involved the creative activity on the part of performers. The improvisational traditions of old Korea have now been collapsed to a degree difficult for anyone to fine the trace in the vastly Westernized modern environment. For last fifty years, Korean musicians of traditional genre put a conscious and laborious emphasis on the modernized Korean audience and a continuous and vigorous effort on creating “new things” vehemently disvaluing the traditional style as “old.” They created a new performing media, Korean orchestra by reconstituting traditional instruments according to the compositional and layout principle of Western orchestra. Interlinked with the pressing needs of accumulation of its repertoire the Western supplying system of “composed” music and its literal performance were fixated into Korean concert culture. Music was now circulated through scores in the market and the training systems. In such context, the traditional practices of improvisation were unable to survive. Recently a noteworthy event, “Sinawi Project” came on the concert stage of the National Theater of Korea. “Sinawi” is the instrumental music of shamanistic ritual performance in Jeolla province, southwestern part of Korea. In the ritual context, the ensemble was always formed on the spot, providing improvised vocal and instrumental accompaniment to shaman singing. In carrying out the project the National Orchestra of Korea declared resolutely to attempt to restore the traditional improvisatory practices of sinawi, with a promotional remark that “through the sinawi, the orchestra members participated are expected to maximize their creativity.” How were the two concerts prepared and staged? What kind of stylistic model the participants postulated? Did the final results were fruitful in reaffirming the traditional value of improvisation and served as a momentum in sluicing the water out of paddy, or ceased to be just one-time event. This study is to analyze the carried-out project and evaluate its outcome.
