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Korea
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Music of Korea
Korea is a country located in Asia, which actually consists of two separate nations, North Korea and South Korea. Although highly influenced by China, a very rich and distinct musical culture can be found in Korea.
A Brief History
| Korea exists today on what is called the Korean Peninsula. Though recently divided into North Korea and South Korea, their backgrounds and culture are virtually the same. Over two thousand years ago, the Korean Peninsula was fought over by powerful kingdoms, such as the Koguryo, Paekche, Silla, and Koryo. The Koryo slowly rose to power, and the Koryo general Yi Song-gye established the Choson Dynasty in 1392, lasting for half a century due to Chinese and Japanese intervention. Japan was able to take over Korea until its annexation in 1910. The division of Korea occurred during WWII. Due to Soviet Union occupation in the north, U.S occupation in the south, failure to hold a nation wide election, and the three year war that resulted, Korea was left in a stalemate, along with a split along the 38th parallel. |
Background
| Confucianism can be found almost anywhere in Korean society and culture but only as a philosophy. It greatly affects one’s social behavior, virtues, morals, sense of duty, respect, and family unity. Though half of the population is Christian, most practice the ideas of Confucianism. Its far-reaching effects can also be seen it its importance in Korean traditional music. Korean traditional music can be categorized into two main overarching groups: chong-ak and sog-ak. Chong-ak is similar to court music, performed for the nobility or ruling class, where as sog-ak is mostly percussive music for the commoner or lower class. Both these groups branch off into various other categories to envelop all the different forms of Korean music that exist. Though separated by a sense of class, the characteristics of religion and philosophy are prevalent in both major categories. |
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| * Chong-ak has two different meanings. It can refer to ensemble music for those of high social standing as well as the musical style that was thought of as proper by Confucian philosophy. As such, chong-ak can be further broken down into the general categories of a-ak, tang-ak, and hyang-ak. Though subcategories of chong-ak, these terms are used somewhat loosely and overlap in some areas. For instance, a-ak refers more to the general style of music for the ruling class, allowing its use to be interchanged with chong-ak in some cases, though a-ak is also used to specify the music used in temple rituals, such as Munmyoak. Munmyoak is strictly performed at Munmyo, a shrine were many come to honor Confucius. A-ak during the Yi Dynasty was a name for sacrificial rites. Tang-ak, on the other hand, refers to secular court music. Tang-ak is an example of foreign cultural influences, since it originally stemmed from the China. And lastly, hyang-ak envelops, in a broader sense, all native Korean music under chong-ak including ceremonial pieces, narratives, and other music. |
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| * Sog-ak refers to Buddhist music, shaman music, p’ansori, sanjo, poongmul and other forms. Buddhist music is simply a form of music performed for purposes related to Buddha, such as praise songs. Shaman music involves a person acting as a medium between the normal and the supernatural, and is usually accompanied by singing and dancing. P’andsori is a very important style, referring to a storyteller like opera style, contrasting with Sanjo, a solo instrumental form played through improvisation. And poongmul features a drum ensemble, sometimes accompanied by a vocalist. |
Poongmul
| Poongmul is known to have originated from Korea as far as two thousand years ago. The true origins of this tradition and art form remain largely unclear, but many believe it was once a form of shaman music, created largely for religious and cultural reasons. For instance, Poongmul was played in order to repel evil spirits and the harm they could cause. Religious songs derived from and performed in Shamanistic ceremonies, and Buddhist music, including pomp'ae, a song in praise of the Buddha and performed today by only a few monks. Poongmul was played through out the country, mostly on the country-side. Because Korea was a traditionally agricultural state, poongmul-nori was influenced by the crop related holidays, such as the Full Moon day, which celebrates the good harvest. It was also commonly used to raise spirits of farmers tired from their hard work, since farming was quite an exhuasting job, and assurance of a good harvest was needed through rejuvenating the farmers. Poongmul is generally performed by an ensemble containing six musician-dancers and "conducted" by the gong-playing sangsoe. The sangsoe acts as a time keeper as well as way of indicating changes in the music through the continuous beating of the gong. |
Traditional Korean Instruments
Court Music Instruments - Chong'ak
Zithers:
| Komungo: Representative of zithers with six strings of twisted silk. Sultae, or a bamboo rod is used to pluck the strings, while the left hand presses the strings to produce tones. Kayagum: Like the komungo, but with 12 strings and 12 movable bridges. Right hand is used to pluck the strings, and left hand is used to move the bridges. |
Wind Instruments:
| Taepyeongso: A conical, wooden, double reed instrument, similar to an oboe, used in both court music and folk music. It produces a very piercing and bright sound. It's origins lie in China, and is thought to have moved to Korea during the Koryo Dynasty. Taegum: Largest flute of Korea. It has a hole covered with a thin membrane which gives it the vibrating expressive tonal quality. It has six finger holes, and five non finger holes. Tangjok: Smallest transverse flute, compared to piccolo. It plays higher pitches, and only plays with taegum. P'iri: A cylindrical oboe with a long and wide double reed and eight finger holes with a back thumb hole. It plays the melody for the majority of time in both folk and court music. Tanso: Vertical bamboo flute with five finger holes. It also has one on the back. Used much as a solo instrument. Nagak: Conch shell trumpet. It produces one deep note and is used with napal in a military processional. Napal: The only Korean metal trumpet, without any finger holes. It has one note. |
| Kwaenggari: Made out of brass, around 21 inches, and the width around the circumference is about 1 1/5 inches. Soe is hit with a stick somewhere between the center and the far end of the Swae. It is the lead instrument in the PoongMul Nori. developed during either Shinra Dynasty or the Koryo Dynasty during the rule of the King Gongmin, the same time as the Ming Dynasty in China. 
| | Jing: Metal percussion instrument that is hit with a mallet wrapped in cloth. It is usually held in the hand by a cord running through two holes at the top. It is also sometimes hung from a frame when performed. It came to Korea during the Koryo Dynasty from China during its Ming Dynasty. | | Janggoo: Made from a hollow wooden body and two leather skins. The two sides produce sounds of different pitch and tone, which then played together. Called the hourglass drum because of its shape. Comes from around 1047-1084 AD in Koryo Dynasty, developed from Chinese percussion instruments. 
| | Bhook: It is a barrel drum made with cow skin on both sides. Used to maintain the main and basic rhythms in poongmul. It is the oldest among the poongmul instruments, since it was made since the Bronze age. 
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Poongmul today (unique aspect)
| Although traditional Korean music is quickly being replaced by pop culture and modern music, poongmul still survives in modern culture. Numerous poongmul "bands" exist all over the world, in the form of professional traveling shows to college ensembles. All over the United States, colleges have started programs for learning and performing this ancient art. It allows students to interact with each other and communicate in a new way across cultures. No matter how different people are or how difficult the art is, its rich rhythms and far reaching history bring anyone together. And due to its deep roots, it helps keep Koreans keep in touch with their homeland. Its mysterious origins spark inspiration in Koreans to look into their past and native culture. In a world where cultures are losing importance, poongmul helps keep the old traditions alive. |
IB Rubric - A Poongmul piece
Korea
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Comments (2)
Matt Leung said
at 10:44 am on Nov 30, 2006
hiiiiii
Rose said
at 9:42 am on Dec 6, 2006
THIS IS TOO LONG
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