Aak
Encyclopedia
Aak is a genre of Korean court music
. It is an imported form of Chinese
ritual music
. Aak is often labeled as "elegant music" in contrast with other traditional Korean music
. Aak began as the music played during the Korea
n "Jongmyo Shrine's Jerye Ceremony," and was later used for other occasions, and as Korean court music
, often with lyrics praising the current ruler.
Aak was brought to Korea in 1116 through a large gift of musical instruments from the Song Dynasty
emperor Huizong
. 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
. The music is now highly specialized, and uses just two different surviving melodies. It is played only at certain very rare concerts, such as the Munmyo jeryeak (Sacrifice to Confucius
) held each spring and autumn at the Munmyo
shrine in Seoul
.
Aak is one of three types of Korean court music; the other two are dangak
and hyangak
. Aak is similar to dangak in that both are rarely played and both have Chinese influences.
The article on Aak in the Encyclopaedia Britannica is the very first, though it consists only of a cross-reference to the article on gagaku
.
Korean court music
Korean court music refers to the music developed in the Joseon Dynasty . Very little is known about the court music of earlier Korean kingdoms and dynasties.It was partly modeled on the court music of China, known as yayue...
. It is an imported form of Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
ritual music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
. Aak is often labeled as "elegant music" in contrast with other traditional Korean music
Korean music
Traditional Korean music includes both the folk, vocal, religious and ritual music styles of the Korean people. Korean music, along with arts, painting, and sculpture has been practiced since prehistoric times....
. Aak began as the music played during the Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n "Jongmyo Shrine's Jerye Ceremony," and was later used for other occasions, and as Korean court music
Korean court music
Korean court music refers to the music developed in the Joseon Dynasty . Very little is known about the court music of earlier Korean kingdoms and dynasties.It was partly modeled on the court music of China, known as yayue...
, often with lyrics praising the current ruler.
Aak was brought to Korea in 1116 through a large gift of musical instruments from the Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
emperor Huizong
Emperor Huizong (Song Dynasty)
Emperor Huizong was the eighth and one of the most famous emperors of the Song Dynasty of China, with a personal life spent amidst luxury, sophistication and art but ending in tragedy....
. 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
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
. The music is now highly specialized, and uses just two different surviving melodies. It is played only at certain very rare concerts, such as the Munmyo jeryeak (Sacrifice to Confucius
Confucius
Confucius , literally "Master Kong", was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period....
) held each spring and autumn at the Munmyo
Munmyo
Munmyo is Korea's primary Confucian shrine...
shrine in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
.
Aak is one of three types of Korean court music; the other two are dangak
Dangak
Dangak 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...
and hyangak
Hyangak
Hyangak, literally "village music," is a traditional form of Korean court music with origins in the Three Kingdoms period . It is often accompanied by traditional folk dances of Korea, known as hyangak jeongjae...
. Aak is similar to dangak in that both are rarely played and both have Chinese influences.
The article on Aak in the Encyclopaedia Britannica is the very first, though it consists only of a cross-reference to the article on gagaku
Gagaku
Gagaku is a type of Japanese classical music that has been performed at the Imperial Court in Kyoto for several centuries. It consists of three primary repertoires:#Native Shinto religious music and folk songs and dance, called kuniburi no utamai...
.
See also
- YayueYayueYayue , Wade-Giles ya-yüeh; ; ; ) was originally a form of Chinese classical music that was performed at imperial courts. The basic conventions of yayue were established in the Western Zhou. Together with law and rites, it formed the formal representation of aristocratic political power...
- MunmyoMunmyoMunmyo is Korea's primary Confucian shrine...
- DangakDangakDangak 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...
- HyangakHyangakHyangak, literally "village music," is a traditional form of Korean court music with origins in the Three Kingdoms period . It is often accompanied by traditional folk dances of Korea, known as hyangak jeongjae...
- Akhak GwebeomAkhak GwebeomThe Akhak gwebeom is a nine-volume treatise on music, written in Korea in the 15th century, in the Joseon Dynasty. It is written by hand in hanja, and depicts, in line drawings, most of the musical instruments in use at the time, with detailed descriptions and fingerings.- References :* Chang,...
- National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts
- Traditional Korean musical instrumentsTraditional Korean musical instrumentsTraditional Korean musical instruments comprise a wide range of string, wind, and percussion instruments.-String:Korean string instruments include those that are plucked, bowed, and struck...
- Korean musicKorean musicTraditional Korean music includes both the folk, vocal, religious and ritual music styles of the Korean people. Korean music, along with arts, painting, and sculpture has been practiced since prehistoric times....
- GagakuGagakuGagaku is a type of Japanese classical music that has been performed at the Imperial Court in Kyoto for several centuries. It consists of three primary repertoires:#Native Shinto religious music and folk songs and dance, called kuniburi no utamai...
- Nhã nhạc
- Culture of KoreaCulture of KoreaThe current political separation of North and South Korea has resulted in divergence in modern Korean cultures; nevertheless, the traditional culture of Korea is historically shared by both states.-Dance:...
- List of Korea-related topics
External links
- Korean ritual music
- 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)
- Old recordings of aak in the 1960s A collection of Korean court music videos