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After the division of Korea in 1945, both North and South Korea have produced their own styles of music. Traditional music (국악; gugak; lit. national music) produced by Korea includes court music, folk music, poetic songs, and religious music used in shamanistic and Buddhist traditions.
- Overview
- Shaman music
Korean music, the art concerned with combining vocal or instrumental sounds for beauty of form or emotional expression, specifically as it is carried out in Korea, or the Korean peninsula, where a strong indigenous tradition has been influenced by the Chinese and the Mongols.
On a map the Korean peninsula, which comprises the countries of North Korea and South Korea, looks like a finger pointing from the top of China down to the lower part of Japan. Thus, one would expect its music to reflect its “bridge” position between two such powerful traditions. The movements of foreign, particularly Chinese, armies and cultures are indeed major factors in Korea’s tradition. But beneath these reflections lies a deeper core of indigenous musical styles that, at first hearing, seem most strange to the ear of listeners with preconceived notions as to what East Asian music sounds like. A possible additional factor in the growth of Korean music is the region’s position as a peninsula jutting out from Manchuria and from the native ground of many Mongolian hordes. Archaeological sources indicate that various Mongol peoples from northern Asia did indeed occupy areas of Korea from at least 2000 bce, and Chinese writings show that their people and armies were active in Korea from the period of the Chinese Han dynasty (206 bce–220 ce) on. Obviously, a study of Korean music contains riches extending far beyond its geographic borders.
The earliest references to music in Korea are found in a 3rd-century-ce Chinese text that comments on agricultural festivals (nong’ak) with singing and dancing among the tribes of northwestern Korea. Such events are still a strong part of Korean life. Another ancient but long-lived tradition in Korea is shamanism, or communication with the unseen world by a shaman in a state of trance. This is of special interest because such a belief is historically characteristic not only of all northern Asian tribes but also of other peoples (such as Eskimos [Inuit]) who live in the northernmost regions of the world. Korea is one of the few regions south of the Arctic that maintains strong shamanism in the face of foreign religious adoptions such as Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity.
A female Korean shaman (mudang) may use many combinations of musical instruments. The simplest and potentially most significant accompaniment is a small, flat gong with a slight rim. It brings to mind the single-headed pan drum with a wooden or bone hoop found in the shamanism of most of Central Asia and in the Arctic Circle as far away as Lapland and Hudson Bay. A drum sound itself is produced in Korea by the most popular percussion instrument, the changgo, an hourglass-shaped, two-headed drum struck by the hand on the left head and a stick or a ball-headed beater on the other. In Korean shaman rituals, flutes, double reeds, fiddles, and other gongs and drums may be used that at first sight may appear rather Chinese. The sound, however, creates a totally different impression.
- William P. Malm
Korean traditional music is also known as Gugak (national music). The first evidence of Korean music appeared in the extant text of Samguk sagi (History of the three kingdoms) in 1145, which described two string-like instruments; Gayageum and Geomungo. [1]
Jul 6, 2023 · One fascinating aspect of Korean culture is its traditional music, known as Gugak. This genre has a long history dating back to ancient times and has evolved over the centuries to become an integral part of Korean identity. Gugak encompasses a wide variety of musical styles and instruments, each with its unique characteristics and significance.
Traditional Korean music is typically classified into several types: the “legitimate music” (called jeongak or jeongga) enjoyed by the royalty and aristocracy of Chosun; folk music including pansori, sanjo and japga; jeongjae (court music and dance) performed for the King at celebratory state events; music and dance connected with shamanic ...
See media help. " Arirang " ( 아리랑; [a.ɾi.ɾaŋ]) is a Korean folk song. [1] There are about 3,600 variations of 60 different versions of the song, all of which include a refrain similar to " Arirang, arirang, arariyo ( 아리랑, 아리랑, 아라리요 )". [2] It is estimated the song is more than 600 years old.
