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Aak

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see AAK (disambiguation).

Aak
Hangul
아악
Hanja
Revised RomanizationAak
McCune–ReischauerAak

Aak (Korean: 아악; Hanja: 雅樂; Korean pronunciation: [a.ak̚]) is a genre of Korean court music. It is an imported form of the Chinese court music yayue,[1] and means "elegant music". Aak was performed almost exclusively in state sacrificial rites, and in the present day it is performed in certain Confucian ceremonies.[2]

Aak in Korea was facilitated and adapted through the gifting of instruments from a Chinese emperor to Korea in the 12th century.[3] Due to Japanese occupation in the 20th century, performances of aak were limited to The Sacrifice to Confucius and The Sacrifice to Royal Ancestors.[4]

Background

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Aak musicians at the Confucian ritual of Munmyo Shrine, Sungkyunkwan seowon

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 have Chinese origins. All the instruments used in aak are derived from Chinese originals, and very few of these are used in other kinds of traditional Korean music.[5] Aak was first performed at the Royal Ancestral Shrine in the Goryeo period as ritual music of the court. The definition of aak later became narrowed to music for Confucian rituals, although aak in its broadest sense can still mean any kind of refined or elegant music and therefore can arguably encompass dangak and hyangak.[6]

The music is now performed by members of the Kungnip Kugagwŏn National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts in Seoul, Korea.[5]

History

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Koryô Dynasty

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Aak was brought to Korea in 1116 through a large gift of 428 musical instruments as well as 572 costumes and ritual dance objects from China, a gift to Emperor Yejong of Goryeo from Emperor Huizong of Song.[1][3][7] The number of performers in Korea's aak ensembles were reduced to 190 from the 400 required for China's ensembles.[8] Many of the musical pieces and instruments originally brought from China would eventually be lost to deterioration and the 1361 invasion of Red Turbans from China[9][10].

Chosŏn Dynasty

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A restoration of aak occurred in the 15th century during the Chosŏn Dynasty, led by King Sejong[11][12] in an effort to promote Confucianism[13]. This revival of aak tradition was based upon Chen Yang's writings on court ensemble Yueshu or "Treatise on Music", Lin Yu's court music notation Dasheng yuepu or "Collection of Dasheng Music", and Aak Po or "Treatise on Ceremonial Music" (a chapter of the Sejong Annals), showing little resemblance to the aak performances of the previous dynasty.[14][15] This caused a further decrease in the number of performers to about 20, notably without any singers or stringed instruments.[16][17] The aak tradition suffered loss again due to invasions of the Manchu and Japanese in the 16th century, not returning until the late 17th century.[18]

Modern Period

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In 1910, Korea was annexed by Japan, causing the abolishment of the majority of court music pieces, leaving only the Confucian rites: The Sacrifice to Confucius and The Sacrifice to Royal Ancestors.[4][19] These continue to be the only surviving pieces from the 20th century through present times, though The Sacrifice to Royal Ancestors has not been considered to be part of aak since the 15th century.[4][20]

Performance

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The music is now highly specialized, and it is played only at certain ceremonies, in particular the Seokjeon Daeje held each spring and autumn at the Munmyo shrine in the ground of Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul to honour Confucius.[21] It may also be performed at special concerts.

There are two instrumental ensembles – a "terrace" or tȗngga ensemble located on the porch of the main shrine, and a "courtyard" or hôn'ga ensemble located near the main entrance in front of the main shrine building. The music performances or munmyo jeryeak may be accompanied by dances called munmyo ilmu.[22][23] There are two forms of dances; one a "civil" dance, the other a "military" dance, performed by 64 dancers in an 8x8 formation.[5][22]

Sound

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The modern repertoire of aak consists of just two different surviving melodies.[24] Both the two surviving pieces have 32 notes that last around 4 minutes when performed, and one of the two is performed in a number of transpositions. The two ensembles perform in alternating turns, playing in musical keys with pitches corresponding to the concept of yin and yang from Confucian philosophy, the tȗngga ensemble in 'yin' key and the hôn'ga ensemble in the 'yang' key.[25] The music is played very slowly. Each note is drawn out for around four seconds, with the wind instruments rising in pitch at the end of the note, giving it a distinctive character.[5] This rise in pitch is believed to have been introduced in the 20th century, influenced by Chinese musical practice.[26]

Instruments

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Bu and P'yǒn'gyǒng played in aak during Confucian ritual performance at Munmyo Shrine

Instruments utilised in aak music are classified by their primary materials through a system of Chinese origin, referred to as p'arum or the "eight sound" system.[27] The eight types of instrument under the p'arum system: bamboo, wood, metal, silk, skin, stone, gourd, and clay.[27]

The instruments used in the performance of The Sacrifice to Confucius are limited to the types of instruments present in Emperor Huizong of Song's gift to Korea's King Yejong of Goryeo, many of which only remain in use for aak.[28] The construction practice used in the instruments present in aak is based upon a measurement system of Chinese origin where the instrument's pitches correspond to the measurements of Emperor Huizong's finger.[29] This practice introduced by the Dasheng Institute was abandoned in China but remained in practice in Korean court music.[29]

List of instruments

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Bamboo

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Wood

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Metal

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Silk

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  • Seul – chordophone
  • Geum – chordophone

Stone

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Players

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Keith Howard. "Korean Music" (PDF). Archived from the original on March 27, 2005.
  2. ^ Provine, Robert C. (1992). "The Korean Courtyard Ensemble for Ritual Music (Aak)". Yearbook for Traditional Music. 24: 107. doi:10.2307/768472. ISSN 0740-1558. JSTOR 768472.
  3. ^ a b Provine, Robert C. (December 21, 2001). "Confucian Ritual Music in Korea: Aak". East Asia: China, Japan, and Korea. The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. New York: Routledge. pp. 862–863.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  4. ^ a b c Provine, Robert C. (1992). "The Korean Courtyard Ensemble for Ritual Music (Aak)". Yearbook for Traditional Music. 24: 107. doi:10.2307/768472. ISSN 0740-1558. JSTOR 768472.
  5. ^ a b c d The Concise Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, Volume 2 (1st ed.). Routledge. 2008. pp. 1201–1202. ISBN 978-0415994040.
  6. ^ "Korean ritual music". Archived from the original on June 5, 2004.
  7. ^ Keith Howard (2012). Music As Intangible Cultural Heritage: Policy Ideology and Practice in the Preservation of East Asian Traditions. Ashgate. ISBN 978-1409439073.
  8. ^ Provine, Robert C. (1992). "The Korean Courtyard Ensemble for Ritual Music (Aak)". Yearbook for Traditional Music. 24: 96. doi:10.2307/768472. ISSN 0740-1558. JSTOR 768472.
  9. ^ Provine, Robert C. (1992). "The Korean Courtyard Ensemble for Ritual Music (Aak)". Yearbook for Traditional Music. 24: 97. doi:10.2307/768472. ISSN 0740-1558. JSTOR 768472.
  10. ^ Provine, Robert C. (December 21, 2001). "Confucian Ritual Music in Korea: Aak". East Asia: China, Japan, and Korea. The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. New York: Routledge. pp. 862–863.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  11. ^ Lee, Byong Won (1981). "Korean Court Music and Dance". The World of Music. 23 (1): 38. ISSN 0043-8774. JSTOR 43562607.
  12. ^ Provine, Robert C. (1992). "The Korean Courtyard Ensemble for Ritual Music (Aak)". Yearbook for Traditional Music. 24: 97. doi:10.2307/768472. ISSN 0740-1558. JSTOR 768472.
  13. ^ Kwon, Donna Lee (2011). Music in Korea: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture. Global Music Series. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 28. ISBN 978-0195368284. OCLC 740630366.
  14. ^ Robert C. Provine, Jr. (January 1974). "The Treatise on Ceremonial Music (1430) in the Annals of the Korean King Sejong". Ethnomusicology. 18 (1): 1–29. doi:10.2307/850057. JSTOR 850057.
  15. ^ Provine, Robert C. (1992). "The Korean Courtyard Ensemble for Ritual Music (Aak)". Yearbook for Traditional Music. 24: 97–106. doi:10.2307/768472. JSTOR 768472.
  16. ^ Provine, Robert C. (1992). "The Korean Courtyard Ensemble for Ritual Music (Aak)". Yearbook for Traditional Music. 24: 97. doi:10.2307/768472. ISSN 0740-1558. JSTOR 768472.
  17. ^ Provine, Robert C. (December 21, 2001). "Confucian Ritual Music in Korea: Aak". East Asia: China, Japan, and Korea. The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. New York: Routledge. pp. 862–863.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  18. ^ Provine, Robert C. (1992). "The Korean Courtyard Ensemble for Ritual Music (Aak)". Yearbook for Traditional Music. 24: 106–107. doi:10.2307/768472. JSTOR 768472.
  19. ^ Kim, Hee-sun (2012). "Performing History and Imagining the Past: Re-contextualization of Court Ensembles in Contemporary South Korea". The World of Music. 1 (1): 84–85. ISSN 0043-8774. JSTOR 41699977.
  20. ^ Lee, Byong Won (1981). "Korean Court Music and Dance". The World of Music. 23 (1): 39. ISSN 0043-8774. JSTOR 43562607.
  21. ^ Peter Fletcher (2004). World Musics in Context: A Comprehensive Survey of the World's Major Musical Cultures. Oxford University Press. pp. 375–376. ISBN 978-0195175073.
  22. ^ a b Jon Dunbar (March 14, 2016). "Confucius to be honored in ancient ceremony". The Korea Times.
  23. ^ Kwon, Donna Lee (2011). Music in Korea: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture. Global Music Series. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 32–39. ISBN 978-0195368284. OCLC 740630366.
  24. ^ Provine, Robert C. (1992). "The Korean Courtyard Ensemble for Ritual Music (Aak)". Yearbook for Traditional Music. 24: 107. doi:10.2307/768472. JSTOR 768472.
  25. ^ Provine, Robert C. (December 21, 2001). "Theory and Notation in Korea: History". East Asia: China, Japan, and Korea. The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. New York: Routledge. pp. 833–835. ISBN 9780824060411.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  26. ^ Provine, Robert C. (1992). "The Korean Courtyard Ensemble for Ritual Music (Aak)". Yearbook for Traditional Music. 24: 110. doi:10.2307/768472. JSTOR 768472.
  27. ^ a b Kwon, Donna Lee (2011). Music in Korea: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture. Global Music Series. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 32–39. ISBN 978-0195368284. OCLC 740630366.
  28. ^ Kwon, Donna Lee (2011). Music in Korea: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture. Global Music Series. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 32–39. ISBN 978-0195368284. OCLC 740630366.
  29. ^ a b Provine, Robert C. (1992). "The Korean Courtyard Ensemble for Ritual Music (Aak)". Yearbook for Traditional Music. 24: 92. doi:10.2307/768472. JSTOR 768472.
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