SOUTH KOREA: MUSIC AND DANCE

Evidence of music in Korea dates back nearly a thousand years. A historical text dating around 1145AD mentioned two different stringed instruments. And like many cultures, their traditional music was generally divided between court music (also known as Jeongak, "orthodox music") and the people's music (or, Minsokak). The court music was for the people at the top: government officials, top generals of the military, other important and/or wealthy people and performed at banquets, official functions, or military processions. Whereas, the people's music was for the merchants, people who made things, and farmers -- the regular people. This is also the category that included folk songs (minyo). One of the most famous folk songs for both North and South Korea is called "Arirang." Pansori is a type of storytelling, performed by a soloist accompanied by a drummer; this art was recognized as one of the UNESCO's Intangible Heritage of Humanity back in 2003.  

When the Japanese took control over Korea during the early part of the 20th century, they did not really impose their own music (called gagaku in Japanese). However, they pushed for more European classical art music, which was a favorite of both the Japanese and Korean elite class. Although Kugak (Korean traditional music) was not particularly pushed or encouraged as a cultural art form, it wasn't necessarily discouraged either. Instead of dying off, it merely merged with Western music styles and adapted itself to it. Music did remain fairly divided between Western-style for the elites and traditional for the common class.

 

Dance has been a part of Korean culture since its earliest times. Although people from all walks of life participated in traditional dancing, there are a few dances that were designated as holding a higher status and generally performed in the courts. These include the famous Fan Dance (“Buchae Chum”), Entertainer Dance (“Oudong”), Monk Dance (“Seung Mu”), the Ghost Dance, and the Hermit Dance. Traditional dance fell to the wayside a bit during the Japanese occupation when they suppressed many parts of Korean culture. However, cultural dances have made a comeback in popularity and appreciation.

BTS

I found quite a few bands to listen through this past week. To my 13-year-old daughter’s delight, there were quite a few K-pop bands in my list. K-pop has somehow become quite popular among American teenagers. I think it has more of an American appeal with its borrowings from hip-hop and EDM in comparison to J-pop from Japan. I think there are many of these bands that sound kind of similar (like how I thought of all the boy band of the 1990s) – and for some reason (probably marketing), they like to capitalize their band names. BTS is probably the most internationally well known band, but I also listened to SUPER JUNIOR, SHINee, INFINITE, TWICE, EXO, BIGBANG, and TVXG!.

The Geeks

I listened to a few rock bands as well. I found some that range from kind of alt/hard rock like Sinawe to more punk bands like Crying Nut, No Brain, and The Geeks. The Geeks seem to be more hardcore punk and sometimes remind me of Guitar Wolf or Misfits at times. I anticipate listening to more of them this week.

Rain

I also found a couple of Korean hip-hop artists. The first one I listened to was Seotaiji and Boys, which reminds me a little of a Korean version of Cypress Hill in one song, but other songs seem to borrow from some old school punk. I kind of like them. The other one I listened to was Rain. His style leans more toward R&B, but he also made it internationally as well. I remember hearing his name pop up about ten years ago or so. It’s pretty catchy stuff.

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