Jeongak

Jeongak is a traditional music in Korea .

The music dates back to before the Joseon period (from 1392). It has the character of court music of the upper class. In contrast to Minsogak, Jeongak is played extremely slowly. One tries to adjust the beat rate to the human breath, while with Minsogak the heartbeat sets the pace. Because of the slowness, Jeongak feels more static and meditative, the sound is soft and calm. This is because the traditional instruments are built from non-metallic materials. For example, stringed instruments are fitted with strings made of silk and almost all wind instruments are made of bamboo .

The music is divided into three variants:

Hyangak

It dates from the time of the Three Kingdoms (57 BC to 668 AD) and was performed by ordinary people at the royal court, the newer Hyangak songs date from the 15th century when this type of music became popular again

Dangak

This music came to Korea from Tang-era China and was popular around (668-935). It developed into a mixture of Chinese and Korean influences. An associated dance of the Dangak Jeonjae was characteristic . One of the most successful compositions is called Nakyangchun . A popular variant dates from 1962 by the German composer of Korean origin Yun I-sang

A-ka

This style was inspired by ritual Chinese music. This music is now extinct in China, but came to Korea in the 12th century where it became popular with Confucianism after 1392-

literature

• Korean culture and information service, KOREA Magazine , October 2015, p.23 (eng.)