Korea¡¯s Western-style contemporary pop music is now a huge hit across Asia. But the country¡¯s traditional music, with its genuine Asian roots and deep Chinese influences, is equally enchanting and exciting. Korean traditional music is also distinctive despite the imprint of China. Evidence of this is the existence of Koreanized-Chinese music called tangak. The Korean term tangak literally means music from Tang Dynasty China. But Chinese music was adapted to the indigenous local culture, giving birth to a unique music reflecting the artistry of the Korean people. Just as Korean culture maintained its identity throughout five thousand years of often turbulent history, Korean music retained its distinctive characteristics different from those of Chinese or Japanese traditional music.

Despite its richness, Korean traditional music can be divided into two major genres-chongak and sogak. Chongak is music for the ruling class, and sogak for the common people. Within these two major types are various subcategories that make up the whole of Korean music. In chongak, there are two different, but somewhat related meanings. In a broad sense, the term refers to the elegant musical style that was considered ¡°right¡± for the Korean ruling class in terms of Confucian philosophy, and within this broader meaning it also refers to ensemble music for men of high social status outside the court. In this category, three important terms are aak, tangak, and hyangak.

Chongak and aak can be used interchangeably, in their broader sense, referring to music for the ruling class, which includes tangak, hyangak and Confucian ritual music. In its narrow sense, aak refers to ritual temple music, of which at the present time only one example remains: Munmyoak. Munmyoak is music performed at Munmyo, the shrine where Confucius and his disciples are honored. Tangak refers to secular music of both the Chinese Tang and Sung dynasties, which was altered to become court music after its introduction to Korea. In tangak, bell chimes, stone chimes and the mouth-organ are also used. Tangak underwent a large degree of Koreanization during King Sejong's reign.

Music for the upper class consists of a type of ensemble music, pungnyu, the most sophisticated Korean lyric song genre; kagok, and the indigenous Korean popular song, sijo. Pungnyu is an archaic word that formerly meant music in general. Its present literal meaning denotes the state of being in which a man at leisure physically and mentally removes himself from the everyday world into a harmonious mood suitable for the appreciation of poetry, music and female companionship. When the term is used in the context of Korean classical music, however, it refers to a type of ensemble music for the nobility. One variety of this music, called chulpungnyu, consists mainly of stringed instruments. A second variety, taepungnyu, consists mainly of wind instruments and a third is a combination of the first two.

Kagok uses a rhythmic pattern of either a 16-beat changdan, which literally means long and short, or its varied form, a 10-beat changdan. Any kagok selection is based on the ujo or kyemyonjo mode, or sometimes of both. Instruments used for accompaniment are the komungo, kayagum, yanggum, haegum, piri and changgo. Kagok is usually sung by professional singers, men or women. A complete performance consists of 26 pieces and lasts for many hours. Sijo is almost similar to kagok in tone and text.

Sokak, music for the commoner, includes shaman music, Buddhist music, folk songs, farmers¡¯ music called nongak, a form of dramatic song called pansori, and an instrumental solo music called sanjo. In shamanistic music, the role of an inspired female shaman priestess called a mudang is very important. The mudang plays the part of a medium between our world and the spiritual world. Singing, dancing and playing instruments are always involved. One of the most important types of Buddhist music is called pompae, a song of praise to Buddha, and today preserved by only a few priests. To promote this music, the government has designated pompae as an intangible cultural asset and is taking steps to encourage new devotees of the art.

Since Korea traditionally has been an agricultural nation, the life of the farmer has always had significant influence on the musical history of the country. The most interesting characteristic of farmers¡¯ music is its 12 different rhythmic patterns called shipichae, which are led by a small gong called kkwaenggwari. Nongak is a type of band music that is played by farmers to express their delight at completing transplantation or harvest of rice. The band usually plays along village roads and in open grounds. It consists primarily of percussion instruments, but sometimes conical oboes are added. One of the more appealing types of sogak is the sanjo, an instrumental solo piece originally in improvisational style for various instruments; the kayagum, komungo, taegum, haegum, tanso and piri. Pansori is another musical treasure of leading importance in Korea and can be defined as song in drama, an indigenous opera-like production with one singer storyteller. Within the pansori, aniri is the spoken description of the dramatic content between songs, and pallim is the physical motion of the drama.

Korea has also developed a large number of musical instruments. Komungo is representative of zithers with six strings of twisted silk. The second, third and fourth strings are stretched over 16 fixed frets and tuned by round pegs, while the other strings are stretched over movable bridges and tuned by moving the bridges to the left or right. The strings are plucked with a bamboo rod which is held between the index and middle fingers of the right hand, while the left hand presses on the stings to produce microtones. Kayagum, which is related to the Chinese cheng and the Japanese koto, is another type of Korean zither. It has 12 silk strings supported by 12 movable bridges. The thumb, index and middle fingers of the right hand pluck the strings, while the index and middle fingers of the left hand touch the strings of the left side of the movable bridges. The tone quality is clear and delicate.

Taegum is the largest and most representative transverse flute of Korea. It has a blowing hole, a home covered with a thin membrane, six finger holes and five non-finger holes at the lower end. The vibration of the membrane lends a beautiful, expressive tonal quality to the music. Tanjok is the smallest transverse flute, similar to the piccolo of the West. The tone quality is pure and clear, particularly in the upper register. Piri, a cylindrical oboe, has a long, wide double reed and eight finger holes, including the back thumb hole. It is the leading instrument and always takes the main melody in Korean court music or f o l k ensembles. Tanso is a small, notched, vertical bamboo flute with five finger holes, one in the back. The tone quality is exceedingly pure and delicate, making it a favorable solo instrument.

Changgo, or hourglass drum, is the most frequently used accompaniment in almost all forms of Korean music. The thick skin of the left side is struck with the palm and produces a soft and low sound, and the thin skin on the right side is struck with a bamboo stick to produce a hard, crisp sound. The pitch of the right side can be made higher or lower by tightening or loosening the tension of the drum head.

Korean traditional court music is slow and simple in tempo and rhythm in comparison with Western music. In an age that favors quickness and complexity in all fields, it¡¯s popularity in Korea has waned vis-a-vis Western music. As such, since the introduction of Western music, Korea¡¯s traditional music had long been neglected, seldom appearing on radio, records or theaters and concerts. After the fall of the Yi Dynasty (1392-1910), most of the ancient traditional rituals and ceremonies were abolished. At the same time, traditional music began to be treated as a sort of useless relic to be preserved purely for the sake of being handed down to future generations.

The writer is a journalist based in Seoul.