S.Korea

= Korea by Vu Pham = Korea have many type of traditional music that varies to different regions. There are three distinctive type of traditional Korea music that is well known and they are Arirang, Samulniri and Pansori. Arirang is the Korean traditional folk song that had many variations for many of the provinces of Korea. The original Arirang song is called " Jeongseon Arirang " and is sang since 600 years ago and originated from Jeongseon County in Gangwon Province. The different variations of Arirang have different tempo, lyrics, mood and rhyme by region. One of the famous Arirangs that I found is Miryang arirang. It has 9/8 tempo and there is a janggu accompaniment. This is a love song of a dancing girl from Miryang who was left behind by her lover from Seoul. She is calling him to take her with him to Hanyang. She believed that her own beauty was above all flowers in Hanyang. The words in the first line of the chorus are sounds of bitter sorrow at parting.

Samulnori is one of the Korean traditional music that relies mostly on Percussion. The word Samul mean 4 object and the word nori means play so Samulnori is playing 4 traditional musical instrument. The instruments are Kkwaenggwari (a small gong), Jing (a larger gong), Janggu (an hourglass-shaped drum), Buk (a barrel drum similar to the bass drum). These Instrument represent different weather conditions: janggu represents rain, the kkwaenggwari thunder, the jing the sounds of the wind, and the buk clouds. The idea of yin and yang is also reflected in these instruments: the buk and janggu (leather) represent the sounds of the earth, while the jing and kkwaenggwari (metal) represent sounds of the heavens. These co ncepts are made from the sound that each instrument create like the drums creates solid earthen sound while the gong can ring sound that sound like the endless sky. Although it is mostly played indoor the root of this music comes from natural enviroments. Samul nori is characteriz ed by strong, accented rhythms, vibrant body movements, and an energetic spirit which is said to create cheerful and lifting moods.

Arirang media type="file" key="Korean music - Arirang.mp3" width="240" height="20"

Samulnori media type="file" key="Korean music - Samulnori2.mp3"

Pansori - Love Song media type="file" key="Korean music - Pansori - love song2.mp3"