The ''piri'' is a Korean

double reed A double reed is a type of reed used to produce sound in various wind instruments. In contrast with a single reed instrument, where the instrument is played by channeling air against one piece of cane which vibrates against the mouthpiece and c ...

instrument, used in both the folk and classical (court)

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 ...

. Originating in

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

, it was introduced to the Korean peninsula from China, and has been used there as early as the

Three Kingdoms 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 Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty and wa ...

period, most notably in the states of

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled most ...

and

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jum ...

. The instrument consists of a tube of

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 ...

, which is perforated with finger holes, and has a large double reed. Its

cylindrical bore In music, the bore of a wind instrument (including woodwind and brass) is its interior chamber. This defines a flow path through which air travels, which is set into vibration to produce sounds. The shape of the bore has a strong influence on t ...

gives it a sound mellower than that of many other types of oboe. A typical ''piri'' has eight finger holes, seven of which are on the front, with the remaining one on the back for the thumb. There are four types of ''piri'': #Hyang piri (hangul: ; hanja: ) #Se piri (hangul: ; hanja: ) #Dang piri (hangul: ; hanja: ) #Dae piri () There are different types of ''piri'', each suited for use in a different type of music. The ''Hyang piri'' is the longest and most common form of ''piri''. Because of its loud and nasal tone, it usually plays the main melody in an ensemble. The ''se piri'' is the smaller, thinner, and much quieter one. Additionally, because of its quiet tone, it is used along with voices or soft stringed instruments. The ''Dang piri'' (Tang ''piri'') is wider and is similar to the Chinese '' guanzi''. Additionally, the

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 ...

n ''dae piri'' is a modernized ''piri'' with keys and a bell, looking much more like a western

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

. In general, the method of playing the ''piri'' is to sit upright, pull the chin slightly, straighten the back to make it easier to breathe, hold the flute in both hands, and bite it in mouth. The ''piri'' is believed to have been introduced to

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 ...

from

Kucha Kucha, or Kuche (also: ''Kuçar'', ''Kuchar''; ug, كۇچار, Кучар; zh, t= 龜茲, p=Qiūcí, zh, t=庫車, p=Kùchē; sa, कूचीन, translit=Kūcīna), was an ancient Buddhist kingdom located on the branch of the Silk Road ...

, a Buddhist oasis state of

(modern-day Xinjiang) before the

period. According to the ''Book of Sui'', the ''piri'' was also known as ''gagwan'' (), and it originates from

. During the reign of King

Yejong of Goryeo Yejong of Goryeo (11 February 1079 – 15 May 1122) (r. 1105–1122) was the 16th monarch of the Korean Goryeo dynasty. He was the eldest son of Sukjong of Goryeo, King Sukjong and Queen Myeongui, and succeeded to the throne upon his father's dea ...

dynasty, another double-reed cylindrical instrument was imported from Song dynasty China, and to disambiguate, the former was named ''hyang piri'' and the latter ''dang piri''. The ''se piri'' is smaller than the ''hyang piri'', but has the same structure and range. The ''se piri'' appears to have been invented much later than the ''hyang piri''.《국악통론》, 서한범, 태림출판사, p.195 The ''piris equivalent in China is the ''

guan Guan may refer to: * Guan (surname), several similar Chinese surnames ** Guān, Chinese surname * Guan (state), ancient Chinese city-state * Guan (bird), any of a number of bird species of the family Cracidae, of South and Central America * Guan ( ...

'' (also known as ''bili''), and its counterpart in Japan is the ''

hichiriki The is a double reed Japanese used as one of two main melodic instruments in Japanese music. It is one of the "sacred" instruments and is often heard at Shinto weddings in Japan. Its sound is often described as haunting. According to scholar ...

''.

References

Korean musical instruments Single oboes with cylindrical bore {{DoubleReed-instrument-stub

See also

References