Lesson 3:

Korean Music
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.
Chong-ak also refers to
ensemble music for men of
high social status outside of
the court. In this category,
three important terms in court
music are a-ak, tang-ak, and
hyang-ak.
Chong-ak has a literal
meaning of “music for the
noble classes”.
Sog-ak or minsogak
-traditionally associated
with the lower classes or
for the general public and
are vibrant and energetic.
It includes genres such as
pansori and minyo.
.Pansori

is a kind of music
presented to audiences by
skilled vocal singers and
drummers. But even the
unskilled could sing these
songs.
They sang when they worked
in the rice paddy or fields,
sang when they went off their
lover and sang when their life
was troubled and weighing
them down.
Korean music especially in
South Korea has a rich vocal
tradition, and diverse
instruments and music forms.
Folk songs, religious works,
court music, and shaman rituals
all express the soul of a nation
whose history is filled with
colorful and fascinating tales.
Traditional Korean music
represents a world of
captivating rhythms and
melodies whose sounds
draw listeners in like a
breath. Koreans sang songs
when they could not hold
their sadness in.
 KOREAN
MUSICAL
INSTRUMENT
String Instruments

1.Kayagum
2.Geomungo
3.Haegum
Kayugum
1. Kayagum (gayageum)
- is a traditional
Korean zither-like string instrument,
with 12 strings, although more
recently variants have been
constructed with 21 or more
numbers of strings. It is probably
the best-known traditional Korean
musical instrument.
Geomungo
2. Geomungo - 6 string plucked
zither is a traditional Korean
stringed musical instrument of the
zither family of instruments with
both bridges and frets. Scholars
believe that the name refers to
Goguryeo and translates to
"Goguryeo zither" or that it refers
to the colour and translates to
"black crane zither".
Haegum
3. Haegum (two-string
vertical fiddle) – It has a
rodlike neck, a hollow
wooden sound box,
 Wind Instrument

1.Piri
Piri
1. Piri - used in both the folk
and classical (court) music of
Korea. It is made of bamboo.
Its large reed and cylindrical
bore gives it a sound
mellower than that of many
other types of oboe.
 Percussion
Instrument

1.Changgo
Changgo
Changgo - is the most
widely used drum used in the
traditional music of Korea. It
is available in most kinds,
and consists of an hourglass-
shaped body with two heads
made from
animal skin.
The two heads produce
sounds of different pitch
and timbre, which when
played together are
believed to represent the
harmony of man and
woman.
Arirang
-The origin of the word Most
Koreans had partings on a
number of such hills.
-is a Korean folk song,
sometimes considered the
unofficial national anthem of
Korea.
Arirang is a Korean folk
song used as a symbol of
Korea and Korean culture. It
evokes the feeling of the
tears shed by Koreans and
the remembrance of sad
stories specifically partings.
Prepared by:
Jenrose D. Adraneda, Lpt