Name: Ollie Kheishyn Ebal
MUSIC OF EAST ASIA
Music of China
For several thousand years Chinese
culture was dominated by the
teachings of the philosopher
Confucius, he conceived music in the
highest sense as a means of calming
the passion of dispelling of unrest and
lust, rather than as a form of
amusement.
Traditionally the Chinese believed that
sound influences of the harmony of
the universe. Significantly, one of the
most important duties of the first
emperor of each new dynasty was to
search out and establish that
dynasty’s through standard of pitch. A
result of this philosophical orientation
was that the Chinese theoretically
opposed music performed solely for
entertainment.
Music of Japan
Japanese vocal music is quite
different from Western vocal music
and is based on the intervals of
human breathing rather than
mathematical timing  And how
Japanese musicians show their
spiritual self-mastery in mastering his
or her instrument more than simply
perfecting a technique of some sort
or how they give value to their
performance and composure.
Traditional Japanese music is
basically meditative in character, its
performance is highly ritualized, as
much in the music itself, as in the
composure of the musicians when
performing it.  The performance of
Japanese music has traditionally
been of a spiritual character, similarly
to martial arts and other forms of arts
such as the tea ceremony and
calligraphy.
Music of Korea
Korea’s folk music tradition, with its
generous use of bright rhythms and
melodies, offers a more energetic and
capricious contrast to the nation’s
collection of classical music works.
Folk music represents the soul and
sound of traditional Korean villages with
an eclectic array of music forms
including numerous folk songs, various
forms of instrumental pieces, pansori,
and shaman ritual music.
Chong – ak Means literally “right or
correct music” and its tradition includes
both instrumental and vocal music which
were cultivated mainly by the upper-
class literati of the Joseon society. 
Also refers to ensemble music for men
of high social status outside of the court.
In this category, three important terms
are a-ak, tang-ak, and hyang-ak.
Sog – ak s a category of Korean music
traditionally associated with the lower
classes or for the general public and are
vibrant and energetic.  It includes
genres such as pansori and minyo.