''Dangak'' (syllables: ''dang-ak'') is a genre of traditional
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
n court music. The name means "
Tang
Tang or TANG most often refers to:
* Tang dynasty
* Tang (drink mix)
Tang or TANG may also refer to:
Chinese states and dynasties
* Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) b ...
music", and the style was first adapted from Tang Dynasty Chinese music during the
Unified Silla
Unified Silla, or Late Silla (, ), is the name often applied to the Korean kingdom of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, after 668 CE. In the 7th century, a Silla–Tang alliance conquered Baekje and the southern part of Goguryeo in the ...
period in the late first millennium. It was continued through the
Goryeo
Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...
(918–1392) and
Joseon
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
(1392–1910) dynasties, when, along with ''
hyangak
''Hyangak'', literally "indigenous/native music, folks music" is a traditional form of Korean court music with origins in the Three Kingdoms of Korea, Three Kingdoms period (57 BC – 668 AD). It is often accompanied by traditional folk dances o ...
'' and ''
aak
''Aak'' is a genre of Korean court music. It is an imported form of the Chinese court music ''yayue'', and means "elegant music". ''Aak'' was performed almost exclusively in state sacrificial rites, and in the present day it is performed in ce ...
'' it was one of the three approved genres of court music. ''Dangak'' performances were accompanied by Tang-style dances known as ''dangak jeongjae''.
Together with ''hyangak'', during the Joseon Dynasty ''dangak'' performances were the charge of the ''Jeonakseo'' (hangul: 전악서; hanja:
典 樂 署; 1394–1457) and later of the
Jangagwon (hangul: 장악원; hanja:
掌 樂 院), the court office of music. Performers of ''hyangak'' and ''dangak'' were drawn from the lower classes, in contrast to performers of ''aak''.
One of the most famous pieces in the ''dangak'' repertoire is called ''Nakyangchun'' (hangul: 낙양춘; hanja:
洛 陽 春; lit. "Spring in
Luoyang
Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...
"). The American composer
Lou Harrison
Lou Silver Harrison (May 14, 1917 – February 2, 2003) was an American composer, music critic, music theorist, painter, and creator of unique musical instruments. Harrison initially wrote in a dissonant, ultramodernist style similar to his form ...
, who studied traditional music in South Korea in 1961, created an arrangement of this work. The Korean composer
Isang Yun
Isang Yun, also spelled Yun I-sang (17 September 1917 – 3 November 1995), was a Korean-born composer who made his later career in West Germany.
Early life and education
Yun was born in Sancheong (Sansei), Korea under Japanese rule, Chōsen ...
also composed a
contemporary
Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...
orchestral work entitled ''Loyang'', in 1962.
''Nakyangchun'' and a second piece, ''
Boheoja'' (hangul: 보허자; hanja:
步 虛 子; literally "Pacing the Void"), are the only surviving pieces of ''Dangak'' music.
See also
*
Yayue
''Yayue'' () was a form of classical music and dance performed at the royal court and temples in ancient China. The basic conventions of ''yayue'' were established in the Western Zhou. Together with law and rites, it formed the formal represent ...
*
Aak
''Aak'' is a genre of Korean court music. It is an imported form of the Chinese court music ''yayue'', and means "elegant music". ''Aak'' was performed almost exclusively in state sacrificial rites, and in the present day it is performed in ce ...
*
Hyangak
''Hyangak'', literally "indigenous/native music, folks music" is a traditional form of Korean court music with origins in the Three Kingdoms of Korea, Three Kingdoms period (57 BC – 668 AD). It is often accompanied by traditional folk dances o ...
*
Korean culture
The traditional culture of Korea is the shared cultural and historical heritage of Korea and southern Manchuria before the division of Korea in 1945. Manchuria refers to the ancient geographical and historical region in Northeast Asia, includ ...
*
Korean music
Korea refers to music from the Korean peninsula ranging from prehistoric times to the division of Korea into South and North in 1945. It includes court music, folk music, poetic songs, and religious music used in shamanistic and Buddhist traditi ...
*
List of musical genres
This is a list of music genres and styles. Music can be described in terms of many genres and styles. Classifications are often arbitrary, and may be disputed and closely related forms often overlap. Larger genres and styles comprise more specifi ...
*
Tōgaku
is the Japanese pronunciation of an early style of music and dance from the Tang Dynasty in China. was introduced into Japanese culture from China no earlier than the 8th century, and is still performed as one style of the imperial court music ...
*
Taoist music
Taoist music is the ceremonial music of Taoism. The importance of music in Taoist ceremony is demonstrated by revealing how central beliefs are reflected through elements of music such as instrumentation and rhythm. Expression of spiritual beliefs ...
*
Guoyue
''Guoyue'' ( 國 樂; literally "national music"; also ''minyue'' (民乐), ''huayue'' (華樂) or ''zhongyue'' (中樂)), nowadays refers to the music composed for Chinese musical instruments, which is an extension of the Chinese traditional ...
*
Nhã nhạc
''Nhã nhạc'' (, , "elegant music") is a traditional music of Vietnam. Vietnamese court music is very diverse, but the term ''nhã nhạc'' refers specifically to the Vietnamese court music performed from the Trần dynasty of the 13th century ...
References
# Song (1999), p. 22.
#
Bibliography
*
External links
Video of a performance of ''Nakyangchun''
{{korea-stub
Korean styles of music
Joseon dynasty