ABSTRACT
This chapter explores transcultural transformation of Western opera in Korea during the Japanese Occupation period, focusing on two issues. They are how Japanese colonial cultural policies constructed a distinctive sociopolitical and cultural identity of Western opera, and how this politicized image of Western opera is portrayed in two Korean films: In Praise of Death and Sopyonje. The soundtrack of In Praise of Death, both diegetic and non-diegetic music ranging from opera excerpts to non-classical music such as "Santa Lucia," a Neapolitan song; the only exception is "Bong-Sun-Hwa". The soundtrack of Sopyonje includes a few intriguing elements that musically illustrate the Korean people's alienation from p'ansori and their admiration for Western music. Sopyonje shows the other side of the transculturalization of Western music in Korea: that is, the suppression of indigenous Korean music, specifically p'ansori. Accompanied by a drummer, p'ansori is a musical storytelling by one singer who performs multiple characters of the story.
