Traditional music of Korea
Korea has produced music for thousands of years, into the modern day. After the division of Korea in 1945, both North and South Korea have produced their own styles of music.
Traditional music produced by Korea includes court music, folk music, poetic songs, and religious music used in shamanistic and Buddhist traditions.
Modern music includes K-pop, the popular music of South Korea. North Korea also produces its own popular music, as well as music that's inspired by traditional music.
History
Proto-Three Kingdoms of Korea
Not much is known about music from the Proto-Three Kingdoms of Korea period. It is believed that Korean people practiced shamanistic rituals involving music at agricultural festivals. Tomb murals and ceramics from this period depict string instruments with complex features that suggest the instruments were quite developed.Three Kingdoms of Korea
The Three Kingdoms of Korea refers to the period from 57 BCE to 668 CE when the Korean peninsula was ruled by three kingdoms: Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla. Each kingdom was known for favoring different musical instruments.Goguryeo
In Goguryeo, an oboe called a piri, a lute called a pipa, and a zither that is still used today called a geomungo were popular instruments. According to the Korean historical record Samguk sagi, written in 1145, the geomungo was invented by prime minister Wang San-ak, who had received a Chinese zither called a guqin as a gift. Wang did not know how to play the guqin so he used it as a model in order to build a new instrument he called the geomungo. A painting of the instrument is found in a tomb in modern-day Jilin Province, China.The Chinese historical text Records of the Three Kingdoms noted "The people of Goguryeo like to sing and dance. Men and women in villages throughout the country gather every night to sing and dance." Surviving songs from the era include, "Song of the Turtle", and "Song of Nightingales", the latter of which was sung by King Yuri of Goguryeo.
Baekje
The only song of Baekje conveyed until now is Jeongeupsa, but since there are no specific relics such as the mural tombs of Goguryeo, it is quite difficult to grasp what it would be like. It is evident that Baekje also celebrated a harvest festival in May and October similar to that of Goguryeo.The music of Baekje was known to Liu Song dynasty and Northern Wei, while some music players were invited to Japan. Notably, a man of Baekje named Mimaji learned music and dance in China and emigrated to Japan in 612.
Silla
Before Silla unified three kingdoms, the music of Silla is represented by a traditional instrument, gayageum which was said that Ureuk from Gaya brought it in the reign of King Jinheung when his kingdoms were incorporated by Silla forces. Although Samguk sagi conveys 12 names of compositions Ureuk did, those are not fully inherited. In the 13th year of Jinheung, Ureuk taught gayageum, songs, and dances to three disciples of Gyego, Beopji y Mandeok.Later the famed scholar, Ch'oe Ch'i-wŏn who studied in Tang dynasty away from bone rank system of Silla chartered five poems of hyangak which depict performing arts in Silla toward the end of its era. These figures are found in history books, Goryeosa as a court ballet performance consisting of hyangak and dangak in subcategories of Korean music.
North and South States period
Unified Silla
After unification, the music of Silla experienced the influx of diverse music from Baekje and Goguryeo with the wider development of hyangak, especially in gayageum, geomungo, bipa of three string instruments and other three pipes. Additionally, music from the Tang dynasty was introduced under the reign of King Munmu. The Buddhist chant, Beompae was widely adopted with variety of instruments, forming a unique art of Silla. During unified Silla, the royal institute of music was established.Goryeo dynasty
, the founder of Goryeo followed several customs of Silla which can be found in a series of Buddhist celebrations such as Palgwanhoe and Yeondeunghoe. However, the influence of Silla dramatically diminished in the middle of its period owing to the influx of music from Song, establishing a strong influence on Korean court music. A large banquet where performances handed down from Silla such as the sword dance was conducted. Most of Goryeo songs were recorded in Akhak gwebeom after the 15th century of which features were the lyrics of the Korean language, different from those of previous eras.Goryeo court dance named jeongjae can be divided into two categories: native dances of hyangak jeongjae ; Tang-derived dangak jeongjae. Additionally, folk dances were practiced by monks and shamans.
Joseon dynasty
As Yi Sŏnggye founded Joseon in 1392, the dynasty adopted anti-Buddhism and pro-Confucianism which affected the musical pattern of Yeak. Although some scholars like Chŏng Tojŏn made several songs for celebrating the initial moments of Joseon, the notation followed the trends of Goryeo.Joseon periods saw considerable developments of its music during the reign of Sejong which were largely attributable to a musician Park Yeon. Park firstly established an independent organ of music and created Korean-style notation including Jeonganbo. King Sejong himself also composed songs. A son of Sejong, Sejo who killed his nephew, Danjong also recorded his score in pitch pipe notation. The two kings above are the only rulers whose musical records are now traceable.
Music and dance enjoyed favorable positions in the court banquets and also within the elite yangban class. The feasts hosted by high-rank officers involved several entertainers like clowns and acrobats. After the middle of its period, what-so-called middlemen came to play diverse instruments mixing lyric poems and long cyclical songs.
The process of compiling traditional Korean music continued until the reign of Seongjong with the publication of the first independent musical text Akhakgwebeom.
Because of two damaging wars, the culture of Joseon went through a series of hardships which resulted in the loss of instrumental music and songs in court and also a royal shrine. The musical situation in the late Joseon can be described as declining contrary to its expansion period.
Ancestor worship ceremonies called Munmyo jerye and Jongmyo jerye were revived and performed annually, chiefly to commemorate the deaths of Confucian scholars and Korean kings.
The public enjoyed the genre of pansori, sanjo and namsadang-nori. Pansori first emerged as a common culture in the mid-Joseon. Although it is hard to grasp exact points of its evolution, the oral tradition of this genre came to be followed by musical experts only to expand its sphere not only to commoners but also to aristocrats.
In 1894, Joseon government dispatched ten court musicians to Boston Exposition in the United States to build an independent foundation.
After Korean Empire
Joseon was transformed into the Korean Empire with a view to organizing its sphere out of the external interruption, while the rituals of empires were revived and practiced Confucian court music to celebrate the expansion of the nation. However, the Japanese colonization of Korea in 1910 brought tremendous change inside and outside Korea with an influence of western music. After the collapse, Korean court music found almost no way to make celebrations and rituals, which was replaced with marching songs. Instead of pansori and gagok, the musical trends were largely changed into modern-style performances and classical music. Followed by cultural suppression in the 1920s, Korean traditional music barely survived.During the 1930s, despite suppression of folk music, there was some support for some singers. In January 1934 Wang Su-bok was featured in the first live Korean language radio broadcast to Japan. The transmission was organised by the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation, and she was accompanied by Kyongsong Broadcasting Orchestra.
Korean voice (sori/chang)
Korean folk song or minyo, is varied and complex, but all forms maintain a set of rhythms and a loosely defined set of melodic modes owing to diverse instruments, while even drums were eligible to demonstrate a variety of rhythmic cycles.Because the folk songs of various areas are categorized under Dongbu folk songs, their vocal styles and modes are limited. Therefore, currently, scholars are attempting to categorize the Dongbu folk songs further, based on different musical features. These songs are primarily simple and bright. Namdo folk songs are those of Jeolla Province and a part of Chungcheong Province. While the folk songs of other regions are mostly musically simple, the folk songs of the Namdo region, where the famous musical genres pansori and sanjo were created, are rich and dramatic. Some Namdo folk songs are used in pansori or developed by professional singers and are included as part of their repertoires. Jeju folk songs are sung on Jeju Island. Jeju folk songs are more abundant in number than any other regional folk songs, and approximately 1600 songs are transmitted today. Jeju folk songs are characterized by their simple and unique melodic lines and rich texts.
Pansori
Pansori is a long vocal and percussive music played by one singer and 1 drummer. In this traditional art form, sometimes rather misleadingly called 'Korean Opera', a narrator may play the parts of all the characters in a story, accompanied by a drummer. The lyrics tell one of five different stories but are individualized by each performer, often with updated jokes and audience participation. One of the most famous pansori singers is Park Dongjin. In 2003, Pansori was designated as intangible cultural property in UNESCO's Memory of the world.The National Theatre of Korea provides monthly opportunities to experience traditional Korean narrative songs or Pansori.