Abstract

Gospel music has had a great impact on congregational singing in Korea. Gospel songs were introduced by American missionaries at the end of the 19th century. This type of song that was originally popularized at religious mass gatherings (e.g., Moody-Sankey’s revival movement) were suitable for Korean Christians because they were easy to learn and sing. After 1945, American missionaries brought a different type of gospel song known today as “praise and worship music” or “contemporary Christian music” (CCM). The Korean musicologist Jung Soo Hong calls these songs “Popular Sacred Songs” to distinguish them from Gospel songs. A stylistic difference between the two types of songs is that the Popular Sacred Songs are heavily influenced by pop music (blues, jazz, spirituals, etc.). They are amplified and accompanied by drums, synthesizers, and electric guitar. Since the 1980s, Korean church musicians have begun to compose popular sacred songs. Their styles are mostly influenced by American gospel music. However, some Korean church musicians recognize the value of Korean music and attempted to combine musical elements of Western and Korean music. Among them, Hyeongseon Ryu (b. 1965) and his song Jukkeseo wangisira (주께서 왕이시라, He is the King) serves as a good example. This paper will show how Ryu used Korean musical elements in this song. Since the origin of Jukkeseo wangisira is related to Korean politics in the 1980s, this paper will also explore the origin by discussing the lyrics. In addition, the paper will also discuss its reception in Korea and other countries.