Yi Bo-hyung

Korea's traditional music can be classified into two major categories: chong'ak, "proper or upright" music, and folk music. As its name implies, chong'ak refers to the music of the ruling class and literati of the Choson period. Chong'ak is characterized by subdued melodies and a very slow formal tempo as befits the Confucian mind-set. The genre is largely comprised of ceremonial music for court banquets and military music, ritual music, including Confucian music and royal shrine music, and non-court music for the listening enjoyment of the literati. Vocal music includes kagok long lyric songs, kasa, narrative songs, and sip, short lyric songs.

Traditional ritual music is still performed in its original form at the royal ancestral shrine or during the biennial memorial services honoring Confucius held at the Munmyo shrine on the campus of Songgyun'gwan University. Banquet music was, of course, mainly performed at courtly banquets, the most famous composition being the Suyech'on, a court piece played on wind instruments.

The music of the ruling class and literati consists of p'ungnyu, a kind of ensemble music, kagok the most sophisticated lyric genre, and sip. Pungnyu is an archaic term that originally referred to music in general but later came to denote a state of mental and physical leisure in which man removes himself from everyday life through the appreciation of poetry, music and female companionship. When referring to classical music however, the term connotes upper-class ensemble music. Chulp'ungnyu is performed on stringed instruments; taep'ungnyu is performed on wind instruments; and a third genre is a combination of the two.

The lyrical kagok consists of a rhythmic pattern of either a 16 beat changdan (literally "long-short") or a variation based on a 16 beat changdan. The song is accompanied by an instrumental ensemble consisting of a komun-go, a six-string zither, kaya-gum, a 12-string zither, yanggum, a Korean-style dulcimer, haegum, a two-string fiddle without a fingerboard, p'iri, a cylindrical oboe, and changgo, an hourglass drum.

Unlike chontak, folk musicis fast tempoed, dynamic and exuberant. There are many different types of folk music in Korea's traditional culture. Instrumental music includes: solo music, or sanh ensemble works, or sinauS farmers band music known as nong'ak, and samulnori, a four-piece percussion ensemble. There is a broad range of vocal folk music including: the operatic p'ansori, minyo, or folk songs; and chapha, secular songs performed by itinerant entertainers.

It is not clear when p'ansori became an independent genre but the mention of p'ansori performers in historical records from the late 17th century indicates the genre existed at that time. P'ansori was largely a form of oral literature handed down from performer to performer until the latter part of the mid-Choson period. A total of 12 p'ansori works were handed down through history but all that remain are the five p'ansori works we know today reorganized and codified in written form for the first time in the mid-19th century by p'ansori patron Sinjae-hyo (1812-1884).

Ch'ang is the most recently developed of Korea's traditional musical-drama forms. Because p'ansori was performed by a single vocalist, it was unsuited for large theaters. In the latter years of the Choson period as society modernized and foreign influences increased, a new musical genre was needed. Chinese troupes staged traditional Chinese opera in Seoul, and soon after, Korean p'ansori performers began to follow the Chinese example, dividing up the different roles found in traditional p'ansori pieces among several vocalists and thus creating a new musical genre known as ch'anguk. In the early 19th century ch'ang was performed in a theater without any stage decorations. The roles of the original p'ansori piece were allocated to both male and female singers. Since many of the original pieces were narrative, a new leading role, the narrator or ch'angsa, was also created.

Korean dance is more than simply a form of entertainment. It is an expression of a metaphysical philosophy. Koreans have traditionally believed that the human body is a universe unto itself and that man's ideal existence lies in harmony with heaven and earth.

The earliest evidence of Korean dance is found in historical records from China and Korea and, as mentioned above, in the murals found in Muryongsh'ong, the Tomb of the Dancers, dating back to Koguryo. Among the extant written records is the Akhak Kwoebim (Canon of Musical Science), a comprehensive study of Korean music and dance compiled during the reign of Choson King Songjong (r. 1469-1494). This record provides explicit descriptions of dances, costumes props procedures and instruments and has helped modern artists recreate many traditional dances.

One of the most popular chongSiaemu is ch'oyongmu, the Dance of Ch'oyong, which depicts the ninth century Silla legend of Ch'oyong, a man who danced to expel evil spirits. Originally a solo, and later performed as a duet or quintet, ch'oyongmu was performed to exorcise evil from the royal court prior to the New Year. The dancers, all male, wear brown masks adorned with peonies and earrings and costumes in the five cardinal colors.

The Hangmu (Crane Dance) is performed by two dancers dressed as enormous cranes. The giant birds peck at two lotus buds on a rear stage, and two small children emerge from the petals. These lotus flowers are important symbols derived from Buddhist thought.

The other court dance genre, ilmu, is a Confucian ritual dance featured in the ancestral ceremonies held at the national shrine Chongmyo and during the memorial services held to honor Confucius and his disciples twice a year at the Confucian shrine. This dance is performed by 36 dancers aligned in six rows of six or 64 dancers in eight rows of eight. The dancers are dressed in formal court robes and tall hats. The slow-moving dance is more of a bowing ritual than a dance and embodies the people's reverence for the spirits of their ancestors and revered sages. The dance is accompanied by slow music played on stone gongs, bronze bells and other traditional instruments.

ralchnum or mask dance, is a unique development emerging from the ancient tradition of integrating dance music and drama into rituals that relate man to a power larger than himself. During the Choson period a number of mask dances satirizing the hypocritical ruling class, corrupt religious leaders and other social contradictions were popular. These dances were performed by male dancers who flung their limbs about vigorously in exaggerated movements. Ealch'um remains popular today because of its humorous commentary and audience participation. The performance usually ends with the audience joining in the dance to the music of a shrill horn.

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