The ''nagak'' (; also called ''na'', ''sora'', or ''godong'')
is a wind-instrument made from a large
seashell
A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer usually created by an animal or organism that lives in the sea. Most seashells are made by Mollusca, mollusks, such as snails, clams, and oysters ...
and played as a
horn in Korean traditional music. It produces only a single tone and is used primarily in the
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...
procession music called ''
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 '' na ...
''. The mouthpiece of the ''nagak'' is made by making a hole in the pointed end of the conch,
into which a mouthpiece is fitted.
This instrument is first recorded as being used in
Goryeo
Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...
.
As the instrument is from organic animals, it can vary in size. The shells were sometimes decorated with cloth or paint.
See also
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Conch (musical instrument)
A conch ( , , ) or conque, also called a "seashell horn" or "shell trumpet", is a wind instrument that is made from a conch, the shell of several different kinds of sea snails. Their natural conical bore is used to produce a musical tone. Con ...
*
Horagai, a similar shell horn used in
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
*
Traditional music of Korea
*
Shankha
A Turbinella pyrum, shankha () has religious ritual importance in Hinduism.
In Hinduism, the shankha called panchajanya is a sacred emblem of the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu. It is still used as a trumpet in Hindu ritual, and in the past was us ...
*
Traditional Korean musical instruments
References
External links
나각at Korean National Heritage Online
Korean musical instruments
Natural horns and trumpets
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