Korean court music comprises three main musical genres: ''
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 ...
'', an imported form of Chinese ritual music; a pure Korean form called ''
hyangak
''Hyangak'', literally "indigenous/native music, folks music" is a traditional form of Korean court music with origins in the Three Kingdoms period (57 BC – 668 AD). It is often accompanied by traditional folk dances of Korea, known as ''hyan ...
''; and a combination of Chinese and Korean styles called ''
dangak
''Dangak'' (syllables: ''dang-ak'') is a genre of traditional Korean court music. The name means " Tang music", and the style was first adapted from Tang Dynasty Chinese music during the Unified Silla period in the late first millennium. It was ...
''.
Korean court music and its historical origins have been traced back to 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'' dynasties ''(1392–1910)''.
It was partly modelled on the court music of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, known as ''
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 ...
''. Korean court music also has similarities with the court music of
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, known as ''
gagaku
is a type of Japanese classical music that was historically used for imperial court music and dances. was developed as court music of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and its near-current form was established in the Heian period (794-1185) around t ...
'' and of
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, known as ''
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 ...
''.
Performances in the form of banquet dances typically accompany the court music, in which musical institutions play a role in teaching and training musicians and performers on the forms of traditional Korean dance. The instruments used in Korean court music vary depending on the specific genre, but do show various overlaps between the three different types. Traditional court music also continues to show significant cultural influence on contemporary society in
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
, through government, national music associations, and forms of popular culture such as
South Korean music.
History
Korean court music and its origins have been traced as early as the Unified Silla period ''(668-935)'', however the three categories commonly began their spread across Korea during the
Goryeo Dynasty
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)'', mainly due to Chinese influence.
Aak
The genre of ''
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 ...
'' refers to Korean court ritual music originating from China.
Aak means '
''elegant music. It is similar to ''dangak'' as both genres are of Chinese origin. The types of Chinese court music within the ''aak'' genre included Korean royal processional music; referred to as ''
daechwita
Daechwita () is a genre of Korean traditional music consisting of military music played by wind and percussion instruments, generally performed while marching or as a static performance.
Instrumentation
Instruments used include ''nabal'' (b ...
'', ''munmyoak''; Confucian shrine music, ''chongmyoak''; also known as royal ancestral shrine music, ''hyangak'' and ''
gagok
Gagok is a genre of Korean vocal music for mixed female and male voices.
Accompaniments and interludes are played by a small ensemble of traditional Korean musical instruments.
It is inscribed in UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List
...
''; translated to the ''‘classical song cycle’'', and ''dangak''.
As these forms of court music eventually began to fade away, ''aak'' was decidedly later used only for Confucian shrine music. As time went on, it eventually also included forms of music played for aristocrats, nobility and court officials.
The first historical noting of ''aak'' was during the Unified Silla period of ''668–935'', however this is only due to the existence of ''aak'' instruments, and no music or performance coexisted at this time.
''Aak'' music and performance to began to spread across Korea for the first time during 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 ...
Dynasty of 918–1392. ''Aak'' was first introduced to Korea during ''1116'', when the Chinese emperor of the Sung Dynasty first presented the Korean court with ''aak'' instruments and court dance instructions;
Emperor Hyejong of Goryeo provided
Emperor Huizong of Song
Emperor Huizong of Song (7 June 1082 – 4 June 1135), personal name Zhao Ji, was the eighth emperor of the Northern Song dynasty of China. He was also a very well-known calligrapher. Born as the 11th son of Emperor Shenzong, he ascended the ...
with a gift of 428 music instruments, 572 costumes, and ritual dance objects imported from China. This created the growth in popularity for ''aak'' within Korea, however the genre saw an eventual decline afterwards. The
Yi Dynasty
The House of Yi, also called the Yi dynasty (also transcribed as the Lee dynasty), was the royal family of the Joseon dynasty and later the imperial family of the Korean Empire, descended from the Joseon founder Yi Seong-gye. All of his descendant ...
during ''1392-1910'' then allowed for a completely finalised version of the ''aak'' system to rise across Korea, as the year ''1430'' saw the revival of the genre through a more modern reconstruction of traditional ''aak'' melodies.
Instruments used within the genre are all of Chinese origin and are mostly used for the purpose of playing ''aak'' music, as opposed to being used for other genres of traditional court music.
There are only two current surviving melodies of ''aak'', both of which are played very slowly, and last around four minutes. Each piece contains 32 notes, and each note is played for at least four seconds, with the instruments rising in pitch at the end of every note.
Hyangak
The genre of ''
hyangak
''Hyangak'', literally "indigenous/native music, folks music" is a traditional form of Korean court music with origins in the Three Kingdoms period (57 BC – 668 AD). It is often accompanied by traditional folk dances of Korea, known as ''hyan ...
'' refers to court banquet music originating from
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 ...
.
''Hyangak'' means ''
'indigenous/native music, folk music. During the Unified Silla period of Korea, the genre widely included native Korean court music, along with music imported from China prior to the years of the
Tang Dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
. As ''hyangak'' includes original Korean music, it is commonly acknowledged as the most prominent genre of court music, and its wider musical range has also led to the preference of Koreans to perform it more frequently than other genres.
Its historical origins trace as far back to the
Three Kingdoms period
The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...
''(220AD-280AD)''.
However, the earliest recordings of ''hyangak'' were during the 14th century, which was seen through the very first few creations of instrumental ''hyangak'' compositions. The 15th century started to see the creation of 24 hyangak compositions in total, and by the year 1434, there were around 80 compositions of hyangak music. During the Unified Silla period of Korea, ''hyangak'' was only played alongside ''dangak''. Within the Goryeo Dynasty, ''hyangak'' was referred to instead as ''sokak''. Some of the genre's musical instruments were derived from the ''Unified Silla'' period, including the ''samhyeon'' and ''samjook'', however ''hyangak'' was also played with foreign instruments such as the ''
janggu
The ''janggu'' (, also transliterated as ''janggo'' or ''changgo'') or sometimes called ''seyogo'' (slim waist drum) is the most representative drum in traditional Korean music. It is available in most kinds, and consists of an hourglass-shaped ...
,
haegeum
The ''haegeum'' () is a traditional Korean string instrument, resembling a vertical fiddle with two strings; derived from '' xiqin'', traditional Instrument of Xi people, which was introduced in Goryeo Dynasty through Northern Song. It has ...
'' and the
flute
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...
. The Joseon Dynasty finally saw less of a clear distinction between ''hyangak'' and ''dangak'' through each genre's direct influence on one another.
''Dangak'' music is typically accompanied with folk dance performances referred to as ''hyangak chongjae''.
One of the most important ''hyangak'' pieces is referred to as ''
yeomillak Yeominrak (Hangul: 여민락, Hanja: 與民樂) is a court song in Hyangak style, composed by Sejong the Great (1418–1450) during the Joseon Dynasty period in Korea.
Origins
Yeominrak, which means ''Enjoyment with the People'', was created based ...
''. Other ''hyangak'' pieces include ''pollyeong'', ''haeryeong'', and ''poheoja'', all of which are performed in Chinese style.
Dangak
The genre of ''
dangak
''Dangak'' (syllables: ''dang-ak'') is a genre of traditional Korean court music. The name means " Tang music", and the style was first adapted from Tang Dynasty Chinese music during the Unified Silla period in the late first millennium. It was ...
'' refers to Chinese court banquet music in Korea. ''Dangak'' means ''
'Tang music, as the genre was initially used for Chinese court music which originated during the Tang Dynasty. However, during the Goryeo Dynasty, ''dangak'' was then used to refer to music imported from China both during and after the Tang Dynasty. The genre was then split into ''ubangak''; music of the right, and ''hyangak''; music of the left.
Dangak originated within the Goryeo Dynasty of ''918–1392'', in which ''dangak'' music and performances first began to spread across Korea. During the Yi Dynasty of ''1392–1910'', the genre further developed through an increase in the creation of compositions for instrumental ''dangak'' music. Dangak continued to spread in Korea throughout the Goryeo ''(918-1392)'' and Joseon ''(1392-1910)'' dynasties.
Dangak music is typically accompanied with dance performances referred to as ''dangak chongjae''.
One of the most popular pieces of ''dangak'' is commonly known as ''Nakyangchun'', and is one of the two only current surviving pieces of dangak music, of which the other is ''
Boheoja'' (translated to “Pacing the Void”).
Performance
Korean court performances included traditional banquet dances alongside musical accompaniments. Female court entertainers were called ''kinyo'' and ''
kisaeng
Kisaeng (Hangul: 기생, Hanja: 妓生, RR: ''Gisaeng''), also called ginyeo (Hangul: 기녀, Hanja: 妓女), were women from outcast or slave families who were trained to be courtesans, providing artistic entertainment and conversation to men ...
''. Male musicians were separated into 4 different classes: ''aksaeng, aggong, kwanhyon maengin,'' and ''royal processional musicians''.
![Korean Royal Ancestral Ritual Music-Jongmyo Jeryeak-01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Korean_Royal_Ancestral_Ritual_Music-Jongmyo_Jeryeak-01.jpg)
Aak
The first recorded performance of aak was at the Royal Ancestral Shrine during the Goryeo period of Korea.
Modern ''aak'' musical performances are known as ''munmyo jeryeak'' or ''jongmyo jeryeak'', which contain two instrumental ensembles; the “terrace” group who play on the porch of the main shrine, and the “courtyard” group, who play near the main entrance of the main shrine.
This is typically accompanied by modern dance performances known as ''munmyo ilmu'', which contains two types of dances; a “civil” dance, or a “military" dance, in which 64 dancers perform in an 8x8 formation.
Audiences are welcome to watch ''aak'' performances at the Kungnip Kugagwon National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts in Seoul.
Performances are also played at certain ceremonies such as the
Seokjeon Daeje
The Seokjeon Daeje, also sometimes called Seokjeonje, is a ceremonial rite performed twice annually to honor Confucius. It is held at Confucian sites across South Korea including hyanggyos and the Confucian temple Munmyo located at Sungkyunkwan ...
, held at the Munmyo shrine of the
Sungkyunkwan University
Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU or simply ''Seongdae'', Hangul: 성균관대학교; Hanja: 成均館大學校) is a private comprehensive research university in South Korea. The institution traces its origins to the historic Sungkyunkwan, founde ...
in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
. This festival is held during the spring and autumn seasons every year as a festival with the purpose to honour
Confucius
Confucius ( ; zh, s=, p=Kǒng Fūzǐ, "Master Kǒng"; or commonly zh, s=, p=Kǒngzǐ, labels=no; – ) was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. C ...
.
Hyangak chongjae
''Hyangak chongjae'' described banquet dances which were performed alongside ''hyangak'' instrumental music. The dance required musicians and entertainers to enter the stage alongside the beat of ''hyangak'' music. The entertainers would then pause their dancing, in order to sing Korean poems. Finally, performers would exit the stage after bowing, which concluded the performance.
Dangak chongjae
''Dangak chongjae'' described banquet dances which were performed alongside ''dangak'' instrumental music. The dance required musicians and entertainers to enter the stage behind pole bearers. The dancers would then read Chinese poems. Finally, performers would exit the stage, concluding the performance.
Musicians and performers of ''dangak chongjae'' were normally drawn from the lower classes of Korea.
Court music institutions
Court music institutions also play a heavy role in assisting musicians with their learning processes of Korean court performances.
The first modern theatre built by the royal court was referred to as ''Hyuomnyulsa''. The theatre has since changed its name to ''Won’gaksa''.
Currently, court music institutions include the
National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts
The National Gugak Center, located in Seoul, South Korea, is the primary institution of learning for Korean traditional music (), including both court music and folk music. It was founded in 1951 through a merger of Korean musical organizat ...
and the Chongdong Theater, which foster the preservation and appreciation of traditional court music within contemporary society.
Instruments used
![BUIMG 6172](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/BUIMG_6172.5.JPG)
The instruments used in Korean court music vary depending on the specific genre, however also show various overlaps between the three categories of ''aak, hyangak'' and ''dangak''.
Aak
Instruments used for ''aak'' may include the ''tungga, honga,
pyeonjong,
pyongyong, kum, sul,
saenghwang, pak,'' along with the 8 necessary types of materials ''(
metal
A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...
,
stone
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
,
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
,
wood
Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...
,
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...
,
leather
Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hogs, ...
,
clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
and
gourd
Gourds include the fruits of some flowering plant species in the family Cucurbitaceae, particularly ''Cucurbita'' and ''Lagenaria''. The term refers to a number of species and subspecies, many with hard shells, and some without. One of the earli ...
)''.
Hyangak
Instruments used for ''hyangak'' may include the ''
geomungo
The geomungo (also spelled ''komungo'' or ''kŏmun'go'') or ''hyeongeum'' (literally "black zither", also spelled ''hyongum'' or ''hyŏn'gŭm'') is a traditional Korean plucked zither with both bridges and frets. ''Geomungo'' is a representative ...
, konghu,
gayageum
The ''gayageum'' or ''kayagum'' (in Korean 가야금, 伽倻琴 in Chinese characters) is a traditional Korean plucked zither with 12 strings, though some more recent variants have 18, 21 or 25 strings. It is probably the best known traditional ...
,
koto
Koto may refer to:
* Koto (band), an Italian synth pop group
* Koto (instrument), a Japanese musical instrument
* Koto (kana), a ligature of two Japanese katakana
* Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Afro-Surinamese women
* K ...
,
pipa
The pipa, pípá, or p'i-p'a () is a traditional Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the "Chinese lute", the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets rang ...
, taegum chunggum,
sogeum
The ''sogeum'' (also spelled ''sogum'' or ''sogŭm'') is a small bamboo transverse flute used in traditional Korean music. Unlike the larger ''daegeum'', it does not have a buzzing membrane (although it did have one in ancient times). It is used ...
, pak, taego,
piri
The ''piri'' is a Korean double reed instrument, used in both the folk and classical (court) music of Korea. Originating in Central Asia, it was introduced to the Korean peninsula from China, and has been used there as early as the Three Kingdom ...
,
janggu
The ''janggu'' (, also transliterated as ''janggo'' or ''changgo'') or sometimes called ''seyogo'' (slim waist drum) is the most representative drum in traditional Korean music. It is available in most kinds, and consists of an hourglass-shaped ...
,
haegeum
The ''haegeum'' () is a traditional Korean string instrument, resembling a vertical fiddle with two strings; derived from '' xiqin'', traditional Instrument of Xi people, which was introduced in Goryeo Dynasty through Northern Song. It has ...
,
junggeum
The ''junggeum'' (also spelled ''chunggum'' or ''chunggŭm'') is a medium-sized transverse bamboo flute formerly used in traditional Korean music. Unlike the larger ''daegeum'', it does not have a buzzing membrane (although it did have one in anc ...
,
daegeum
The ''daegeum'' (also spelled ''taegum'', ''daegum'' or ''taegŭm'') is a large bamboo flute, a transverse flute used in traditional Korean music. It has a buzzing membrane that gives it a special timbre. It is used in court, aristocratic, and f ...
, tang-p’iri, tang-jok, tang-pip’a.''
Dangak
Instruments used for ''dangak'' may include the ''tango, yogo,
janggu
The ''janggu'' (, also transliterated as ''janggo'' or ''changgo'') or sometimes called ''seyogo'' (slim waist drum) is the most representative drum in traditional Korean music. It is available in most kinds, and consists of an hourglass-shaped ...
, pak,
shō, hwengjok,
tungso
The ''tunso'' (hangul: 퉁소; hanja: 洞簫) (sometimes ''tonso'', transliteration of its Chinese name of '' dòngxiāo'') is a Korean notched, end-blown vertical bamboo flute used in Korean traditional music. It is similar to the ''danso'' ...
,
piri
The ''piri'' is a Korean double reed instrument, used in both the folk and classical (court) music of Korea. Originating in Central Asia, it was introduced to the Korean peninsula from China, and has been used there as early as the Three Kingdom ...
, saeng, tang-pip’a,
chang, konghu, panghyang, taego, tang-p’iri,
ajaeng
The ''ajaeng'' is a Korean string instrument. It is a wide zither with strings of twisted silk. It is played with a slender stick of forsythia wood that is drawn across the strings in the manner of a bow (music), bow. The ''ajaeng'' mainly plays ...
, kyobanggo, wolgum,
haegeum
The ''haegeum'' () is a traditional Korean string instrument, resembling a vertical fiddle with two strings; derived from '' xiqin'', traditional Instrument of Xi people, which was introduced in Goryeo Dynasty through Northern Song. It has ...
,
taepyeongso
The ''taepyeongso'' (lit. "big peace wind instrument"; also called ''hojok'', ''hojeok'' 호적 號笛/ 胡 笛, ''nallari'', or ''saenap'', 嗩 吶) is a Korean double reed wind instrument in the shawm or oboe family, probably descended from th ...
,
pyeonjong,
pyonyong,
daegeum
The ''daegeum'' (also spelled ''taegum'', ''daegum'' or ''taegŭm'') is a large bamboo flute, a transverse flute used in traditional Korean music. It has a buzzing membrane that gives it a special timbre. It is used in court, aristocratic, and f ...
, cholgo''.
Cultural influence on contemporary society
The word for music in the Korean language is ''umak'', which very closely resembles the word for the traditional Korean court music form ''aak''.
In
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
, traditional court music and performances have mostly died out as a result of the nation's strong political ideologies. However, traces of its legacy have continued to live on within
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
n culture and as a result, continues to cultivate cultural influence on contemporary South Korean society.
National institutions and associations
![National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts in Busan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/National_Center_for_Korean_Traditional_Performing_Arts_in_Busan.jpg)
The South Korean government advocates for the preservation of traditional court music within contemporary society. National music institutions such as the
National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts
The National Gugak Center, located in Seoul, South Korea, is the primary institution of learning for Korean traditional music (), including both court music and folk music. It was founded in 1951 through a merger of Korean musical organizat ...
and the Chongdong Theater, along with associations such as the Korean Music Association and the Korean Vocal Music Association, also contribute to fostering the sustained appreciation of Korean court music within current and future generations.
South Korean music
Popular Korean musicians have also drawn upon Korean court music as sources of inspiration for their songs, such as Agust D and BTS.
"Daechwita" is a song produced and created by Agust D, also known as
Suga
Suga may refer to:
* Suga, Iran, a village in Qazvin Province, Iran
* Suga language, a language of Cameroon
* Suga (rapper) (born 1993), South Korean rapper, songwriter, and record producer
* ''Suga'' (EP), 2020 EP by Megan Thee Stallion
* ''Sug ...
of BTS, for his mixtape ''
D-2'' (2020). According to an interview, Agust D stated he has previously "used traditional Korean sounds in
ismusic a lot", which was the inspiration for his title track. Agust D's "Daechwita" is heavily inspired by and directly named after the Korean royal processional music genre. The rapper directly confirmed that he "sampled ''
daechwita
Daechwita () is a genre of Korean traditional music consisting of military music played by wind and percussion instruments, generally performed while marching or as a static performance.
Instrumentation
Instruments used include ''nabal'' (b ...
'', which is the music played for when a king was on the move", as the traditional genre ''daechwita'' refers to a traditional marching song historically played only for kings and other high-ranking officials. The song also continually makes strong use of a traditional Korean wind instrument used within ''daechwita''; the ''
taepyeongso
The ''taepyeongso'' (lit. "big peace wind instrument"; also called ''hojok'', ''hojeok'' 호적 號笛/ 胡 笛, ''nallari'', or ''saenap'', 嗩 吶) is a Korean double reed wind instrument in the shawm or oboe family, probably descended from th ...
''.
The music video for "Daechwita" further contains a range of historical references and cultural nuances. The location of filming was Dae Jang Geum Park, also known as the largest historically themed drama set in South Korea which aims to showcase traditional culture. The music video also displays Agust D with a scar on his face, acting as a Korean king. Traditionally, Korean culture strongly prevented those with scars on their body to covet the throne, and this historical link was a prevalent theme in the music video, as fans subsequently made theories linking to the ability of Agust D to climb his way to the top, despite the system seemingly being against him.
"
Idol
Idol or Idols may refer to:
Religion and philosophy
* Cult image, a neutral term for a man-made object that is worshipped or venerated for the deity, spirit or demon that it embodies or represents
* Murti, a point of focus for devotion or medit ...
" is a song created by
BTS
BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 and debuting in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-produ ...
for their album ''
Love Yourself: Answer'' (2018). The group's official music video along with their range of stage performances show each member of the band adorning traditional Korean clothing known as ''
hanbok
The (; term used in South Korean standard language, South Korea), also called ()
n North Korean standard language, North Korea and China, is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term which is used to refer to traditional ethnic Koreans, Korean ...
''. The group also display a variety of traditional banquet dance moves through the choreography and chants integrated within the song, all of which inspired by a Korean masked dance referred to as ''bongsan talchum''.
See also
*
Akjang, lyrics of court music
*
History of Korea
The Lower Paleolithic era in the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria began roughly half a million years ago.
Christopher J. Norton, "The Current State of Korean Paleoanthropology", (2000), ''Journal of Human Evolution'', 38: 803–825.
The earlies ...
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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 ...
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Music of Korea
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 tradit ...
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The National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts
The National Gugak Center, located in Seoul, South Korea, is the primary institution of learning for Korean traditional music (), including both court music and folk music. It was founded in 1951 through a merger of Korean musical organizat ...
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Traditional Korean musical instruments
Traditional Korean musical instruments comprise a wide range of string, wind, and percussion instruments. Many traditional Korean musical instruments (especially those used in Confucian ceremonies) derive from Chinese musical instruments.
String
K ...
References
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Court music
Joseon dynasty
Classical and art music traditions