''Aak'' is a

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other f ...

Korean court music Korean court music comprises three main musical genres: ''aak'', an imported form of Chinese ritual music; a pure Korean form called '' hyangak''; and a combination of Chinese and Korean styles called '' dangak''. Korean court music and its hist ...

. It is an imported form of the Chinese court music ''

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 ...

'', and means "elegant music". ''Aak'' was performed almost exclusively in state sacrificial rites, and in the present day it is performed in certain Confucian ceremonies.

Background

''Aak'' was brought 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 ...

in 1116 through a large gift of 428 musical instruments as well as 572 costumes and ritual dance objects from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

, a gift to Emperor

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 King Sukjong and Queen Myeongui, and succeeded to the throne upon his father's death. His reign is u ...

from

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 ...

. It remained very popular for a time (there were originally no fewer than 456 different melodies in use) before dying out. It was revived in 1430, based on a reconstruction of older

melodies A melody (from Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combinati ...

, and preserved in "Treatise on Ceremonial Music" (''Aak Po''), a chapter of the

Sejong Sejong of Joseon (15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), personal name Yi Do ( Korean: 이도; Hanja: 李祹), widely known as Sejong the Great ( Korean: 세종대왕; Hanja: 世宗大王), was the fourth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. I ...

Annals. ''Aak'' is one of three types of

; the other two are '' dangak'' and ''

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 ...

''. ''Aak'' is similar to ''dangak'' in that both have Chinese origins. All the instruments used in ''aak'' are derived from Chinese originals, and very few of these are used in other kinds of traditional Korean music. Aak was first performed at the Royal Ancestral Shrine in 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 unificat ...

period as ritual music of the court. The definition of ''aak'' later became narrowed to music for Confucian rituals, although ''aak'' in its broadest sense can still mean any kind of refined or elegant music and therefore can arguably encompass ''dangak'' and ''hyangak''. The music is now performed by members of the Kungnip Kugagwŏn National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts in Seoul.

Performance

The music is now highly specialized, and it is played only at certain ceremonies, in particular the '' Seokjeon Daeje'' held each spring and autumn at the

Munmyo Munmyo (more specifically Seoul Munmyo or Seonggyungwan Munmyo) is Korea's primary temple of Confucius ("munmyo" is also the general Korean term for a temple of Confucius). It is located in central Seoul, South Korea, on the campus of Sungkyunkwa ...

shrine in the ground of

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, found ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

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 ...

. It may also be performed at special concerts. There are two instrumental ensembles – a "terrace" ensemble located on the porch of the main shrine, and a "courtyard" ensemble located near the main entrance in front of the main shrine building. The music performances or ''munmyo jeryeak'' may be accompanied by dances called ''munmyo ilmu''. There are two forms of dances; one a "civil" dance, the other a "military" dance, performed by 64 dancers in an 8x8 formation. The modern repertoire of ''aak'' consists of just two different surviving melodies. Both the two surviving pieces have 32 notes that last around 4 minutes when performed, and one of the two is performed in a number of transpositions. The music is played very slowly. Each note is drawn out for around four seconds, with the wind instruments rising in pitch at the end of the note, giving it a distinctive character.

Players

* Lee Ju-hwan

References

{{reflist

External links

''A Study of Musical Instruments in Korean Traditional Music''
(The National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Republic of Korea, 1998) (link is dead)

A collection of Korean court music videos Korean styles of music

Background

Performance

Players

See also

References

External links