Samulnori

() is a genre of Korean percussion music. It is a modern adaptation of traditional Korean musics, namely the ritual farming music '' nongak'' and Korean shamanic music ''muak'', for the indoor stage.

As per its name, ''samul nori'' is performed with four traditional Korean musical instruments: a small gong ''kkwaenggwari'', the larger gong '' jing'', an hourglass-shaped drum ''janggu''; and a barrel drum called '' buk''.

With dozens of professional and amateur groups, ''samul nori'' has been called "Korea’s most successful traditional music".

History

The term ''samul'' originally comes from Korean Buddhism, where it referred to four instruments considered essential for ritual use in temples: the wooden fish (), the temple bell (), the dharma drum (), and the bronze gong (). The term ''nori'' means "to play" in Korean.

''Samul nori'' is a modern adaptation of the traditional ritual music of Korean farmers, called '' nongak'' or ''pungmul nori'', for the stage. Traditionally, such music involved elaborate costumed dances and was performed outdoors; in ''samul nori'', emphasis is placed on the music and musicians, who are seated while performing.

In a later interview, Kim Duk-soo (), the founder and artistic director of the group, claimed that the choice to adapt traditional music to indoor venues was due to political circumstances at the time. The late 1970s saw the last years of the rule of South Korean president Park Chung Hee. During that time, large public gatherings were restricted, and Korean traditional music was associated with the student protest movement. Public performers were subject to arrest.

The first ever ''samul nori'' performance was on February 22, 1978, in a small theater in Seoul. Its original performers included Kim Duk-soo, Kim Yong-bae (), Choe Jong-seok (), and Choe Tae-hyeon (). This group has since been dubbed the Original SamulNori Group (), and a descendant of this group still performs today as SamulNori Hanulim (). Initially, ''samul nori'' failed to gain acceptance from traditional Korean musicians; among others, South Korean musicologist Alan Heyman questioned the genre's link to traditional local bands. Ethnomusicologist Keith Howard noted, "Older musicians saw in the quartet a challenge to what they knew, hence SamulNori was destined to struggle for acceptance from them."

However, ''samul nori'' soon gained popularity both nationally, especially among the urban youth, and globally, with the original quartet being invited to perform in Tokyo and at the opening of Disney World Resort’s Epcot Centre in Florida in 1982. In 1984, Kim Yong-bae brought ''samul nori'' to the South Korean National Gugak Center. In 1985, the group began touring in Europe. Over the following decades, a number of professor and amateur groups developed around the genre. There are now also a number of other unrelated ''samul nori'' troupes, some with their own significant styles. By the 21st-century, ''samul nori'' was incorporated into some South Korean public school curriculums, particularly around the middle school level. Howard deemed ''samul nori'' "Korea’s most successful traditional music".

The original ''samul nori'' quartet disbanded in 1993, as a result of internal conflicts, burnout, and financial issues. The same year, however, Kim founded a large ''samul nori'' orchestra called "Hanullim" (). The orchestra seeks to promote ''samul nori'' performance.

Influences

The music of ''samul nori'' is heavily based on ''pungmul nori'' music, particularly the '' namsadang'' style. The link to ''namsadang'' is because the founders of the genre were heavily based in that style themselves, having come from families and being taught by teachers involved in the genre. For example, Kim Yong-bae's teacher and Kim Duk-soo's father, both practitioners of ''namsadang'', were heavily involved in ''samul nori'''s creation. They and several others traveled South Korea and gathered traditional farming melodies for use in ''samul nori'', drawing particular inspiration from the melodies of Gyeonggi Province, Chungcheong Province, the Honam region, and of . They took continual feedback from their research, and gradually incorporated melodies and ideas from them into their set over time.

There are, however, several differences between the original ''pungmul'' and ''samul nori''. ''Samul nori'' is usually performed sitting down, whereas ''pungmul nori'' often incorporates dances into their performances. Additionally, while ''pungmul nori'' is usually led by the ''kkwaenggwari'' player, ''samul nori'' instead hinges on the rhythm of the ''janggu'' player.

The original group also incorporated other types of traditional Korean music, including ''muak'': music of the Korean shamanic rituals called '' gut''. To this end, they collaborated with Korean shamans from around South Korea, and even trained with them in camps in order to learn the music.

The concept of dualism, particularly through the lens of yin and yang, is considered important to ''samul nori''. The genre's instruments and their uses are interpreted in various ways using this theme.

Notable repertoire

The ''Yeongnam nongak'' () composition is often the first piece learned by amateurs, with ethnomusicologist Katherine In-Young Lee describing it as the most accessible. Lee wrote that the piece was "likely the most performed ''samul nori'' composition by amateur ensembles within and outside South Korea". The piece adapts and arranges existing ''pungmul'' rhythmic patterns from the Yeongnam region in Korea. ''Yeongnam nongak'' is generally composed of six distinct rhythmic sections: ''gilgunak'' (), ''bangilunak'' (), ''dadeuraegi'' (), ''yeongsan dadeuraegi'' (), ''yeongyulchae'' (), ''byeoldalgeori'' (), ''ssangjinpuri'' (), and ''maeji'' (, derived from the verb ''maetda'' (), meaning "closure"). During ''byeoldalgeori'', performers shout a chant, one of the few spoken parts in ''samul nori'' repertoire.

References

External links

Samullori - Official Seoul City Tourism

Poongmul in the U.S.

Information about Pungmul and Pungmul in the U.S.

European samul nori website

German samul nori website

French samul nori website

{{Authority control

Korean traditional music
Korean styles of music
Percussion music
1978 establishments in South Korea