''Hyangak'', literally "indigenous/native music, folks music" is a traditional form of
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 histor ...
with origins in 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 ...
(57 BC – 668 AD). It is often accompanied by traditional
folk dances of
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 ...
, known as ''hyangak jeongjae''. These dances are performed in front of audiences—as opposed to the
square dance
A square dance is a dance for four couples, or eight dancers in total, arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, facing the middle of the square. Square dances contain elements from numerous traditional dances and were first documente ...
more familiar to Westerners, which is primarily for the participants' enjoyment.
One important ''hyangak'' piece is ''
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 ...
'' (hangul: 여민락; hanja:
與 民 樂). Few ''hyangak'' pieces are performed in Chinese style; these include ''Pollyeong'', ''Haeryeong'' (hangul: 해령; hanja:
解 令), and ''Poheoja''
History
During the Unified Silla Period, Hyangak began to be used as a symmetrical concept with dangak. At that time, Hyangak included both native music from the Korean Peninsula and foreign music that had been adopted before the unified Silla Dynasty.
The literature of the Goryeo Dynasty often referred to Korean traditional court music as 'Sokak' rather than 'Hyangak'. During the Goryeo Dynasty, the musical instruments Of Hyangak were composed of Samhyeon and Samjook, which were handed over from the unified Silla, and foreign instruments such as janggu, haegeum, and flute.
In the Joseon Dynasty, Hyangak, and Dangak were influenced musically by one another. Hyangak, the early Joseon Dynasty, was part of a project to honor the historical legitimacy of Joseon and the new dynasty. Since the mid-sized Joseon Dynasty, the contents of the music have changed as the music changed like Hyangak, and the distinction between Hyanggak and Dangak was blurred even when using musical instruments.
See also
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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 ...
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Culture of Korea
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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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
References
External links
Historical article
Korean styles of music
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