MAN AND LIFE MUST BE DEPICTED IN SONG

KIM JONG IL

MAN AND LIFE MUST
BE DEPICTED IN SONG

DPR Korea
Juche 108 (2019)

KIM JONG IL

MAN AND LIFE MUST
BE DEPICTED IN SONG

Foreign Languages Publishing House
DPR Korea
Juche 108 (2019)

In On the Art of Opera, a talk he gave
to creative workers in the field of art and
literature between September 4 and 6,
1974, Kim Jong I] clarified the problems
arising in developing the art of opera.

The work comprises six parts: the
times and opera, the libretto, opera
music, opera dance, opera stage art and
opera stage representation.

This book contains the full text of
Man and Life Must Be Depicted in Song
from the third part Opera Music.

AVY
RRA RAMA RUKRRUAAKRUARUAUKAMUAKAUUKMUKKRUKMAURUKMMUUMMM

DORE RIRIRIRI DERI RIRE DERI RIDI DERE RIDE DIRINIDI DT TRI RT RET RTnT RE DERE RI rT

CONTENTS

1) THERE SHOULD BE A THEME

SONG IN AN OPERA uo. eee eeeeeee

2) MUSIC AND DRAMA MUST

BE CLOSELY ALLIED......

3) EMOTIONAL DELINEATION
IS THE MAIN ASPECT OF THE
ORGANIZATION OF MUSICAL

4) THE MUSICAL LINE MUST

BE ESTABLISHED 1... eects

5) THE MOOD OF THE MUSIC

MUST BE COORDINATED...

In opera the skilful organization of the musical
drama is essential to representing man and his life
realistically.

The organization of the musical drama means the
method of portraying man and his life dramatically
in various musical forms and by various musical
means. In other words, it means the method of
organizing drama by means of songs and the
orchestra.

Opera is the largest form of the musical art
comprising various forms of songs and orchestral
music. A single opera includes dozens of songs
sung by the characters, pangchang songs and a
variety of orchestral music. But these songs and
music, no matter how many and no matter how
varied, will be meaningless unless they are fused to
clarify the theme and idea of the opera and to
describe the characters’ personalities and lives.
They become powerful means of portrayal only
when they are arranged properly to meet dramatic
requirements and to accord with the logic of
portrayal, and when they form a natural flow of

1

feelings and emotions. Whether an excellent drama
is portrayed or not by harmonizing the songs and
orchestral music depends entirely on_ the
organization of the musical drama.

1) THERE SHOULD BE A THEME
SONG IN AN OPERA

What is important in the organization of a
musical drama is to produce characterization by
means of songs and_ orchestral music.
Characterization is only possible when the
ideological and emotional depths of the characters
are depicted. An opera can depict a man’s
ideological and emotional depths to the full by
means of music, dance, fine arts and acting. The
point in question is how to describe the characters’
personalities vividly by using the descriptive
possibilities of the opera.

The portrayal of the hero is essential in musical
characterization. The principal character represents
the quintessence of the seed and theme of the work

2

and leads the drama, standing at the centre of events.
In works of art and literature the lifelike portrayal of
the heroes can have a profound artistic effect and
enhance the ideological and artistic level of the
works.

In the organization of a musical drama the
principle of concentrating the songs and orchestral
music on giving life to the hero must be maintained.
All the songs in an opera have their own parts to
play, so their content and emotional tones vary. But
they must be subordinated to clarifying the seed of
the work and must contribute to the characterization
of the hero.

In opera the theme song holds an important
place in the characterization of the hero. The
theme song plays the pivotal role in bringing out
the theme of the opera, giving life to the
personality of the hero, developing the drama and
unifying the modalities. In other words, it
represents the opera music. There are many songs
in an opera, but not all of them play a direct part in
clarifying the seed. Some of them emphasize the
characteristics of the period, some of them
describe the situation in scenes and some of them

3

describe the beauty of nature and the change of the
seasons. Of all these the theme song embodies the
seed of the opera and the characteristic features of
the hero most vividly, and plays the pivotal role in
developing the drama.

The theme song must be a masterpiece in terms
of both words and music. The words of the theme
song must portray the theme of the work and the
hero’s thoughts and emotions deeply in succinct,
poetic words; its melody must be fresh and refined
and convey the deep meaning of the words of the
song. The words and music of the theme song must
be deeper in philosophical meaning and more
beautiful than those of other songs. They must be
perfect. The theme song must have strength to
connect the drama and heighten it at every
important moment of the opera. Only such a song
can provide a realistic description of the hero’s
mental and moral traits and personality and play a
satisfactory pivotal role in the organization of the
musical drama.

In opera other major songs must also be well-
composed. In opera the personality of the hero
cannot be described fully and deeply by the theme

4

song alone. An opera needs, along with the theme
song, other major songs that support the theme
song. A supporting song is a song which
contributes to the portrayal of the personalities of
the hero and other major characters and the theme
thought, while playing no less an important role
than the theme song in developing the lines of the
characters and events. An opera contains an
entanglement of various lines of characters and
events, with the hero at the centre; in the course of
the development of these events, the spiritual world
of the hero and other characters is clarified, the
drama deepened and the theme and idea brought
out. The supporting songs, dealing with each of the
lines of the characters and events and drawing
them into one flow, contribute to revealing the
personalities of the hero and other characters and
clarifying the theme. The song Don’t Cry, Ul Nam
in the revolutionary opera The Sea of Blood is sung
at the moment when the curtain rises and is
repeated several times until the scene where Ul
Nam falls, hit by an enemy bullet; it also develops
the line of warm tenderness between the mother
and her son consistently and provides a profound

5

clarification of the process of the formation of the
heroine’s revolutionary outlook on the world. The
song When Women Are All United, sung in the
scene in which the mother goes to the town on the
first mission given her by the revolutionary
organization, is repeated in the scene of sending
supplies in support of the guerrillas and in the
scene of the meeting of the members of the
Women’s Association at a mining village, showing
the growth of the personality of the mother after
she has understood the meaning of the revolution
and stressing the idea of unity. As you can see,
while being sung along the action line of the
principal and other major characters and the line of
major dramatic events, the supporting songs
deepen the theme of the opera, emphasize the
personalities of the principal and other major
characters from various angles and give strong
impetus to the dramatic development. If the theme
song is referred to as the pivot of opera music, a
supporting song can be called a second or third
theme song which plays the role of a beam
supporting the pivot. Therefore, in order to portray
the personalities of the hero and other characters in

6

song, the supporting songs must be composed well
and used effectively.

Impressive use of the hero’s initial song is
important in characterizing the hero. The hero’s
initial song describes the features of the period and
the circumstances and aspirations of the hero and
lays the foundation of the characteristics of his
personality. Therefore, the hero’s initial song must
be impressive and easy to understand.

In order to ensure the prominence of the hero in
the opera, the personalities of other characters must
be portrayed skilfully in music. A man always lives
in social relations. Even the hero who appears in a
work of art or literature can display his personality
only in the course of mixing with other characters.
In a work of art or literature the secondary
characters must not be treated lightly on the ground
of emphasizing the hero. If the hero alone is made to
sing the excellent songs and the other characters
only the ordinary songs, the line of the hero cannot
be sustained. In opera, satisfactory characterization
can be produced only when the inmost depths of
both the hero and other characters are portrayed in
full by means of songs and orchestral music.

7

2) MUSIC AND DRAMA MUST
BE CLOSELY ALLIED

In opera an important task in the organization of
the musical drama is to ensure a close alliance
between the music and drama.

The ideological content of an opera is developed
through the storyline and brought out by the
characters’ actions. The ideological content of an
opera would be inconceivable without them. The
storyline of an opera is developed by the songs, not
by the characters’ speeches, and the characters’
actions take place in the midst of songs. Hence, the
importance of allying music closely with drama in
the creation of opera.

It is not easy in practical creation to synchronize
music and drama. In an opera musical pieces cannot
last too long in disregard of the dramatic situation
for the sake of sustaining the music, nor can a lot of
characters’ actions and speeches be performed in
order to give prominence to the drama. A piece of

8

music, however excellent, cannot be sustained, nor
can it give life to the drama, unless it is
synchronized with the drama. In conventional
operas a close alliance between music and drama
was impossible. A satisfactory solution to this
problem has been found through the introduction
into Sea of Blood-style operas of stanzaic song and
the pangchang.

In order to provide a close unity of opera music
and drama it is necessary to find a solution to the
problem of combining lyrical and dramatic
elements. In Sea of Blood-style operas the music can
be allied easily with the drama because the
characters’ personalities and the dramatic situation
are described not only in a lyrical manner but also in
an epic and dramatic manner on the basis of the
stanzaic songs which perform various functions. In
addition, their alliance is facilitated by the
pangchang, which describes the characters’ actions
and the situation objectively, developing the drama
by fulfilling a number of functions which cannot
easily be performed by stage songs.

In order to synchronize the music and drama,
you must use songs and orchestral music to suit the

9

scenes. The scene is the basic unit of dramatic
composition. It is a dramatic phase in which human
relations are established, events are developed and
the elements of the dramatic development are
concentrated. Through the natural sequence from
one scene to the next the human relations are
deepened and the drama makes steady headway,
thus bringing out the characters’ personalities and
the theme of the work. Only when the scenes are
highly dramatic and artistic can the drama develop
steadily. Therefore, composers must channel their
efforts into portraying each scene in the opera as a
musicodramatic scene.

In order to use songs and orchestral music in
accordance with the content of the scene and the
dramatic situation, songs which match the
characters’ personalities and music which matches
the emotional colours of the events must be used.
There is no song which accords with all times and
all places. An opera requires music which suits the
characters’ personalities and the dramatic
situation. Although there are many songs in an
opera, it must be considered that there is only one
song which suits a particular character’s

10

personality and a particular event and situation.

In order to provide close unity between the music
and drama it is also essential to use songs and
orchestral music in a variety of ways by means of
various techniques to suit the dramatic moment and
situation and the changes in the characters’ feelings.
The musical interpretation of scenes must be varied
and logical. In order to present the music in a scene
in a varied way, you must decide the moments in
scenes which are appropriate for a song, orchestral
music or the pangchang. Even the same song gives
a different musical interpretation to a scene
according to whether it is sung as a solo or chorus.
The same is the case with orchestral music; it varies
with instrumentation. It is only when these problems
are solved in accordance with the dramatic moments
and situations and the characters’ psychological
states that variety can be provided in the musical
interpretation of scenes.

In order to ensure a close alliance between drama
and music, the orchestra must link the scenes
skilfully. The music in scenes alone cannot provide a
full solution to the problem of an alliance between
music and drama. A scene in an opera is the

11

continuation of the previous scene and a precursor for
the next scene. In the course of the steady
heightening of the drama from one scene to the next,
the characters’ personalities develop and the theme of
the work is further revealed. In opera the music must
deal skilfully with the connection of scenes and the
continued heightening and development of the drama.

3) EMOTIONAL DELINEATION
IS THE MAIN ASPECT
OF THE ORGANIZATION
OF MUSICAL DRAMA

Emotional delineation is a method of
representation which reveals the essence of a
character’s personality emotionally while showing
his emotional world in a natural way in accordance
with the logic of life. A man’s feelings are based on
life and change continually as life changes and
develops. In the course of shaping one’s life, one
experiences various feelings, and their combination
forms one’s emotional world.

12

It is a basic requirement arising from the nature
of art to explore man’s world of feelings, his
emotional world.

Opera provides a musical interpretation of a
living man’s concrete thoughts and feelings and the
emotions arising from life. That is why music is
called an art of emotions. In opera the characters’
personalities and lives can be portrayed more
impressively only when the method of showing their
inmost selves is employed and their thoughts are
brought out through strong emotions. In opera,
unless the characters’ inmost depths are revealed in
full, they cannot be depicted as living men; and
unless their thoughts are brought to light through
their emotions, the portrayal cannot avoid being
abstract. All the artistic requirements of opera can
only be met in full through the skilful delineation of
emotions. In operatic creation, therefore, emotional
delineation must be regarded as essential in the
organization of the musical drama, and all the songs
and orchestral music must follow the line of the
emotions.

Ensuring that the songs and orchestral music
follow the line of the emotions means that various

13

emotional changes in the course of the characters’
actions are linked into one musical sequence in
accordance with the logic of life.

To ensure that the songs and orchestral music
follow the emotional line it is essential skilfully to
weave the sequence of emotions that underlie the
characters’ lines of action. When there are ups and
downs in life, emotions are bound to change; and
when life develops continuously, emotions are
bound to change continuously, going through the
process of strain and relaxation, build-up and
qualitative leap. This means that when there is a line
of events in the drama, there is also the line of
emotions which follows it. When the sequence of
the characters’ emotions of different colours arising
from the events is linked into one musical sequence,
the opera songs and orchestral music can be said to
have been put on the emotional line. The characters’
inmost depths must be penetrated in order to grasp
the line of their emotions that arise from the events.
You cannot grasp the emotional line if you are
preoccupied with major events alone in the interests
of dramatism, instead of exploring the characters’
inmost depths. Even when dealing with a small or

14

ordinary event, the composer must know how to
penetrate and experience the inmost self of the
character who is living through it.

When the composer has grasped the emotional
line emanating from the line of the events, he must
tune all the songs and orchestral music in keeping
with the sequence of emotions. Opera songs and
orchestral music must always be in tune with the
most leading and essential emotion the character
experiences when he encounters an event. Only then
will the opera delineate the emotions in music,
penetrating the character’s inmost depths and
clarifying the theme.

An important factor in keeping the music on the
line of the emotions is to provide preconditions and
moments in life that occasion the characters’
actions, and to build up and develop their feelings
by means of songs and orchestral music. In order to
build up and develop the characters’ emotions by
means of music, their psychology and the emotional
atmosphere must be shown deeply from various
angles at the moment when the line of their destiny
alters. That moment is a dramatic phase in which
their accumulated emotions are brought to a head. In

15

opera such moments must be penetrated by songs
and orchestral music, and a proper musical timbre
chosen to accord with the psychology of the
characters and the emotional atmosphere. When I
say that a proper timbre of music should be chosen
to be in tune with the moment when the line of the
characters’ destinies alters, I do not imply that it
must be changed at each moment without a unified
plan for the whole course of the development of
their personalities. It is natural that the characters
experience vicissitudes in their lives, but they
always experience them in particular situations.
Therefore, at the moment when the line of a
character’s destiny alters, the music, while being
used in a varied way, must become a part of the
unified structure of the characterization. The variety
of musical timbre which is used at the moments
when the line of a character’s destiny changes is
inconceivable apart from the manner in which the
elements of musical interpretation are used.
Composers must explore the situation in the scenes
and the inmost depths of the characters at such
moments and choose appropriate means and
methods of portrayal.

16

4) THE MUSICAL LINE
MUST BE ESTABLISHED

Since opera is a dramatic art that employs music
as the principal means of portrayal, the musical line
must be established. A distinct musical line in opera
can make the structure clear, reveal the depths of the
ideological content of the work emotionally and
harmonize the interpretations of all the songs and
orchestral music.

In order to establish the musical line in opera, it
is necessary to provide a theme melody and make it
run through the whole representation.

A distinct theme melody running through the
operatic representation can make it possible to
establish the musical line, unify the musical
interpretations and keep the audience’s interest and
expectations alive at all times. For the establishment
of the musical line and for making the theme
melody permeate the whole of the operatic
portrayal, the theme song and other excellent songs

17

must be repeated at important moments of the
dramatic development.

Repeating the theme song and other excellent
songs at important moments is a fundamental
method of organizing the musical drama so as to
establish the musical line and make the theme
melody penetrate the representation. This technique
is important in intensifying the impression made by
the songs, portraying the personalities of the major
characters, describing the process of their
development and unifying the modalities of music.
In conventional operas using excellent songs
repeatedly was inconceivable because stanzaic
songs had not been introduced. The introduction of
stanzaic songs in the new operas and the repetition
of excellent songs when needed have blazed trail of
musical dramaturgy and enhanced the people-
oriented character of the opera.

When repeating the theme song and major
supporting songs the requirements of dramatic
structure must be taken fully into account so that
these songs are used in the scenes where the main
thought of the opera is given intensive expression.
Song of the Sea of Blood, the theme song of the

18

revolutionary opera The Sea of Blood, is repeated
three times: first, it is played as a prelude, giving a
hint to the seed and leading the audience into the
world of drama; second, it denounces the bestial
atrocities of the Japanese imperialists by being played
by the orchestra and sung as a pangchang in the
scene of the massacre by the Japanese imperialists
and in the scene in which Yun Sop is burnt alive; and
third, it describes the fighting spirit of the people who
resist the Japanese imperialists by being sung as a
solo by Kap Sun and as a grand pangchang in the
scene in which Ul Nam is killed. This method of
representation, unlike the techniques of conventional
operatic musical dramaturgy, fully accords with the
logic of life and of representation. The death of Ul
Nam is inconceivable separately from the death of his
father, Yun Sop. It is the Japanese imperialists who
brutally killed the father, and it is also the Japanese
imperialists who killed Ul Nam. The sacrifice of their
lives was for the sake of the country and the nation,
for the sake of the revolution. The scene of Ul Nam’s
death, the epitome of the situation in Korea in those
days when the whole land was a bloodbath, is a
serious dramatic scene which sheds light on the truth

19

of the revolution that where there is exploitation and
oppression, there is resistance and the struggle of the
people. If another song relating to the death of Ul
Nam, not the Song of the Sea of Blood, is sung in
those scenes, the tragedy of the family cannot be
shown in one unified musical sequence, nor can it
clarify the profound thought that Ul Nam’s death is
not the death of an individual but the misfortune and
suffering of the whole nation. Because the song
which was sung so bitterly in the scene of the
massacre, in the scene where Yun Sop was burnt
alive, is repeated by Kap Sun as a solo and as a grand
pangchang in the scene of Ul Nam’s death, the
audience, thinking not only about the death of Ul
Nam but also about Yun Sop’s sacrifice, boils with
resentment at the Japanese imperialists who have
killed both the father and his son and plunged the
whole village and the whole country into a sea of
blood.

Furthermore, the audience is moved to think a
great deal by the song You Have Brought Medicine
for Your Mother in the revolutionary opera The Sea
of Blood, which Kap Sun sings while embracing Ul
Nam, who has bought medicine for his mother by

20

selling the fish he caught, just before he is killed by
the enemy. The melody of that song is that of the
song Don’t Cry, Ul Nam which his mother, with
him, an innocent, suckling baby, on her back, used
to sing quietly as a lullaby with Kap Sun, and a
meaningful melody which is played by the orchestra
for the future of young Ul Nam at the time when his
mother, bereaved of her husband, was wandering
from place to place. By repeating the heartrending
song for the last time just before his death, Kap Sun
makes his death seem more tragic. Thus, it is only
when the theme song and the major supporting
songs are repeated to tell of the eventful story of the
principal character’s life at important stages of the
drama that they add to the philosophical depth of the
interpretation and emphasize the ideological content
of the work.

The theme song and the major songs that support
it must be repeated at important moments which
show the development of the characters’
personalities. These songs have deeper meanings,
cover a wider scope of portrayal and rouse richer
emotions than any other songs; so when they are
repeated at those moments, they can describe more

21

vividly the process of the development of their
personalities and the shaping of their revolutionary
outlook on the world. If they are needed to show the
characters’ inmost thoughts and feelings and
develop the drama they can be repeated even within
a single scene in various forms. The melody of the
song It Is an Honour to Be Alive or Dead on the
Road of Revolution is repeated in different forms
within the one scene of departure in the
revolutionary opera Tell O Forest so as to describe
the character’s inmost depths and to add momentum
to dramatic progress.

An operatic representation can be improved or
impaired and the general sequence of the music can
sound interesting or dull depending on how the
songs are repeated. Therefore, songs must be
repeated in a proper manner. Dealing properly with
the repetition of songs is a creative process that
requires thinking, inquiry and skill. If it is necessary
to repeat songs, the logic of dramatic progress must
first be considered carefully, and then the scenes
where they should be repeated must be determined
and the songs and the situation in the scenes must be
allied closely with each other. If repeated songs do

22

not suit the situations, they will sound superfluous;
such a repetition will not be as good as providing
new songs. Opera songs that are repeated must be
seasoned with new flavour. Since the events and
situations involved in the dramatic development do
not repeat themselves, the songs that justify
repetition must be developed and used in different
forms and by different methods so as to produce a
new flavour, as the logic of life requires. When the
theme song is to be repeated, the theme melody can
be re-arranged for the purpose or a song derived
from that melody can be sung. When altering the
melody, the original timbre must be preserved. The
theme song and other excellent songs must be used
in such a way as to retain and stress their original
timbres despite being repeated in a varied fashion.

In addition to stage songs, the pangchang and
orchestral music should be used widely for the
purpose of repetition. The employment of the
pangchang along with stage songs in various ways
can increase the variety of the music, and the use of
orchestral music produce a variety of emotional tones
beyond the reach of vocal songs. No matter how a
song is repeated, it must agree with the characters’

23

personalities and the situation in the scene. This is the
way to create a realistic musical interpretation.

In order to establish the line of opera music, it is
essential to position songs and orchestral music
properly and weave them closely.

It is an important principle in the organization of
the musical drama of Sea of Blood-style operas to
position songs and orchestral music properly and
organize them carefully to accord with the characters’
personalities, the logic of life, the content of the scene
and the requirements of the situation. The observance
of this principle can sustain the music itself, establish
a correct musical line, form a consistent flow of
emotions by means of songs and orchestral music and
forcefully promote the drama. It can also show the
depth of the development of the characters’
personalities and create a clear musical interpretation
of the theme of the opera.

In organizing the musical drama, creative
workers occasionally deviate from this principle and
emphasize their subjective points of view or the so-
called logic of music itself. This shows that they are
not yet completely free from the old concept of
musical dramaturgy. In conventional operas it was a

24

set pattern to include a few recitatives before the
aria sung by the hero, and to include an arioso after
the aria. A departure from this pattern was
considered a _ violation of the rules of
musicodramatic organization. Such a pattern can
result in a separation of the content from the form in
art. In opera the logic of music must always be
based on the characters’ personalities and the logic
of life. There can be no logic of pure music
separated from the characters’ personalities and life.

Opera songs and orchestral music must always be
positioned and woven closely together to accord with
the characters’ personalities and the logic of life. Like
the storyline of other forms of dramatic production,
the plot of an opera consists of presentation,
development, climax and resolution, involving the
processes of strain and relaxation, build-up and
qualitative leap. In opera these processes of
representation must be realized through the music.
Therefore, music must strain or relax the dramatic
situation and build up the emotions and lead them to
a climax. In this it is important to place the stage
songs, the pangchang and the orchestral music in
their proper positions, overlapping and linking them

25

so as to form a single musical sequence. Only then
can the opera songs and orchestral music agree with
the logic of the development of the drama, and
promote the drama forcefully.

In order to establish the line of opera music you
must use songs and orchestral music scrupulously. If
you use them inappropriately, they will sound
similar to one another, obscure the characters’
personalities, weaken the musical impression made
on the audience, cause the musical flow to become
monotonous and relax the dramatic tension.

The use of many songs does not necessarily
result in an excellent opera. You must not try to use
a new song in every scene, simply because you have
stanzaic opera songs at your disposal. Even in an
opera of stanzaic composition, songs must be used
sparingly. Experience shows that even in an opera of
stanzaic composition, man and life can be described
magnificently by means of only a few dozen songs.
The musical line can be established in an opera only
when the songs are not used at random but put in
their proper positions, and the overall representation
is run through with the theme melody.

An opera requires a good prelude, good music

26

for the climax and a good finale.

The first impression of an opera depends on how
the prelude is used, and the magnitude of the
excitement an opera generates depends on the finale.
An opera, no matter how good its content, cannot
draw the audience into its drama unless the first
impression made by the prelude is good; and the
good impression it gives the audience will fall flat
unless the finale is impressive.

The prelude must present or suggest the opera’s
theme and the events in it on the basis of the theme
melody and major supporting songs. The use of
these songs in the prelude is very important in
leading the audience into the world of the drama
before the curtain rises. Only when the prelude
characterizes the personality of the hero by
presenting or suggesting the theme of and events in
the opera can the audience receive an idea of the
topic of the opera, identify the hero and become
interested in his destiny while being drawn into the
world of the drama. A prelude which is based on the
stanzaic theme song and stanzaic supporting songs
can draw the audience into the drama more quickly
than the prelude of conventional opera because it

27

has a succinct and plain musical structure and
communicates its message clearly.

The prelude must be varied and _ idiomatic,
according to the content and mood of the opera.
Depending on the opera, the prelude can be
performed by the orchestra alone or by a combination
of the various forms of songs and orchestra. In such
revolutionary operas as The Sea of Blood, The Fate of
a Self-defence Corps Man and The Song of Mt
Kumgang the prelude is played by the orchestra
alone. Even when the prelude is played only by the
orchestra in our new operas, it is not only succinct
and clear in its form but also familiar to the audience
because it is derived mainly from the melody of the
theme song of the stanzaic composition.

The prelude to an opera should also comprise
songs of various forms and orchestral music in
combination. Since the prelude to an opera is aimed
at presenting the theme and giving a hint to the
coming events before the curtain rises, methods of
interpretation appropriate to the purpose must be
adopted.

The preludes to Sea of Blood-style operas have
taken on a new form which combines orchestral

28

music with the pangchang and several other forms
of vocal music. In the revolutionary opera The
Flower Girl, orchestral music in the prelude is
combined with a song by the heroine and the
pangchang. In the revolutionary opera A True
Daughter of the Party, orchestral music in the
prelude is combined with the pangchang. The
prelude to A True Daughter of the Party, which
comprises orchestral music and the pangchang,
brings out the theme clearly from the outset and
draws the audience into the world of the drama,
while heralding a heroic act by the principal
character. Whether the prelude should be performed
only by the orchestra or with a combination of
orchestral and vocal music should be decided
according to the content and mood of the opera. If
the prelude to a lyrical opera resounds with roaring
and confusing sounds or if the prelude to an epic
opera is performed only in gentle tones, it will
conflict with the content and mood of the opera.

The music for the climax to the opera must be
used properly. In the past the question of the
standard for and principle of using music at the
climax of the opera was interpreted in several ways.

29

When Sea of Blood-style operas were being created
for the first time in our country, some people
insisted that the style of an aria or recitative should
be used for the climax, claiming that this type of
music was strongly dramatic, while some people
were reluctant to use the theme song or supporting
songs on the ground that a new song that conforms
with the situation must always be used at the climax.

Now that stanzaic music has been introduced
into the opera, the music for the climax must make
effective use of the characteristics of the stanzaic
songs. The melody of the song Faith Moves
Mountains in the revolutionary opera The Flower
Girl and the melody of the Song of the Sea of Blood
in the revolutionary opera The Sea of Blood have a
strong impact on the audience because the
dramatism of these theme and supporting songs
welds with the dramatism of the scene of the climax.

A new song can be used at the climax of an
opera, but it is still better to repeat the theme song or
a supporting song to suit the situation. In repeating
these songs at the climax, the dramatic effect must
be sustained by combining various means of musical
interpretation according to the dramatic

30

requirements of the climax. At the climax,
intercommunication between the characters should
be realized by using the theme song or a supporting
song in accordance with the requirements of the
situation and with the flow of the characters’
emotions, and the freedom of characters should be
ensured by means of the pangchang in the scenes
where it is needed. A pangchang should be sung at
the moment when a character’s action is more
important than his song. At the climax various forms
of music can be used, but they should be fused by
orchestral music. Only when the stage is brought to
life in this way will the climax be sustained.

The finale of an opera must be used skilfully. It
draws the theme of the opera to a conclusion and
also concludes the events. It is the final music, and it
depicts the characters’ future destiny. Success in
drawing an opera to a conclusion depends upon the
finale.

The form of the finale and the methods of its
interpretation may vary in different operas;
however, it should always emphasize the theme of
the work and have a strong lingering emotional
effect on the audience. It should have greater depth,

31

breadth and impact than any other music in any
other scene. The finale of an opera must not be like
the finale of a music-and-dance epic or the finale of
a song-and-dance ensemble. Music-and-dance epics
often end with a chorus which is combined with a
magnificent dance. But the finale of an opera must
not do so. The dramatic flow from climax to
resolution in an opera is different from that in a
music-and-dance epic and so is the resolution of the
hero’s destiny. The finale must, therefore, be suited
to the content of the drama.

The finale of an opera should make effective use
of the grand chorus and grand pangchang. The
grand chorus plays a major role in sustaining the
finale. In the finale the moment when the dramatic
events are resolved, the process by which the
characters’ fates are settled and the emotional
colours of the last part should be carefully analysed,
the forms of the vocal music should be determined
accordingly and the orchestral music be properly
ordered so that they produce a harmonious
combination. Only then can all the musical means
display their characteristics in completing the
portrayal of the finale.

32

In opera the prelude and finale, the introductory
scene and the last scene, must be linked artistically
with each other. The prelude must present the theme
of the work and the finale must bring it to a clear
conclusion. The prelude to the revolutionary opera
The Flower Girl and its finale set an example in
dealing with them. In its prelude the introductory
melody of the theme song When Spring Comes
Every Year, which is played by the orchestra, gives
a symbolic hint to the sorrow of our people who
were deprived of their national sovereignty and their
aspirations to a happy future; and then, the heroine’s
song and the grand pangchang say that beautiful
flowers blossom every spring on the hills and in the
fields, inviting the audience to hear the grievous
story of why Kkotpun has to sell these flowers. In
the finale the melody of this song is repeated but the
song sings with jubilation of the dignified and happy
life of the heroine who has won freedom in the
warm sunshine and is sowing the seeds of
revolution. The song is sung only twice in the opera,
as the prelude and finale, but it renders an active
contribution to presenting and clarifying the
profound seed that the flower basket of sorrow and

33

filial duty becomes a flower basket of struggle and
revolution. As you can see, the prelude, finale and
the music at the climax should be used in a
consistent manner in keeping with the logic of life
and portrayal; only then can they sustain the musical
line, depict the characters’ personalities, develop the
drama and bring out the theme to the full.

5) THE MOOD OF THE MUSIC
MUST BE COORDINATED

Coordinating the mood of the music is very
important in providing unity of operatic portrayal. A
work with distinct mood can sustain the emotional
tones of life vividly. The mood of opera music is
defined in the libretto. Nevertheless, an opera
becomes unidiomatic unless the timbre of each piece
of music is sustained. If you are to produce an
idiomatic opera you must make effective use of
musical timbre. Coordinating the mood of opera
music does not mean coordinating the timbres of all
the musical pieces included in an opera. It would be

34

impossible to weave a legitimate drama with serious
and solemn music alone, or a comedy with light and
satirical music alone, or a tragedy with doleful music
alone. There are joy and sorrow, laughter and tears in
human life. Works of art represent various aspects of
life. That is why a work of opera with distinct style
includes different musical timbres. Only when each
song and each piece of orchestral music are idiomatic
enough to match the real tone of life can the
emotional colour of portrayal be sustained. However,
even though different songs have _ different
characteristics and produce different emotional
colours, they will not prove idiomatic unless they are
welded into the general mood of the work. The
complicated creative work of coordinating into one
mood the emotional tones of the songs and orchestral
music which are performed at different stages of the
dramatic development can only be successful when
the musical drama is organized skilfully.

In order to sustain the mood of the opera music,
it is essential to make the mood idiomatic by means
of the theme song and to harmonize other songs and
orchestral music with the theme song and theme
melody. The idiomatic timbre of an individual

35

interpretation can remain alive only within the
harmony. The unity of mood can be ensured only
when all the songs and orchestral music harmonize
with the theme song and theme melody while
retaining their peculiar timbres.

If the consistency and unity of the mood of the
opera music is to be ensured, the theme melody
should be sustained not only by being used at
important dramatic moments but also by generating
derivative melodies. Deriving other melodies from
the theme melody is an important method of
portrayal for realizing the contrast and unity of
music in an opera of stanzaic songs. In an opera,
the contrast and harmony of the overall musical
interpretation and the unity of their mood can only
be achieved when the various melodies are derived
mainly from the theme melody. Composers must
be skilful in this technique and still compose
masterpieces. An opera can touch the heartstrings
of the people only when its various songs and its
orchestral music, with their peculiar emotional
colours, are coordinated harmoniously into one
mood.

36