Flashback - Korean Music

By: Joon-Sup Kim
Edited & Published By: Neena Rouhani

The history of Korean music exemplifies the formation of art through combining vocal/instrumental sounds for beauty of form or emotional expression. It is also influenced by the Chinese and the Mongols and religious inspiration through Buddhism. Korean music also worked as a bridge between China and Japan since Korea is located just between these two countries. In the Ancient era, which is also known as Koryo era, Korean music represented Shamanism which was a long-lived transition in Korea. It was also developed in the agricultural area since the majority of the population was working in farms. People used music to pray for a good harvest for the year. Ancient Korean music always used musical instruments such as Pyongjong, Saeng, Piri, Taegum, Komungo, Haegum, etc. However, as histpry progressed into the modern period, vocal music became more popular than instrumental. People started to write and perform music based on their emotions, feelings, and wills. Western cultural influences especially boosted the Korean music market. After the Korean War, western investments started entering South Korea and lots of genres such as R&B, jazz, ballad, rock, and rap flourished. The 1990s is considered the turning point for Korean music. The world became interested in Korean music and it was increasingly gathering fame. The 90s were also a successful period for vocal groups which were popularized in western culture. During the 21^st century, the K-pop genre began spreading out to other regions of the world as part of the global Korean wave (Hallyu). Since the mid-2000s, a huge portion of the East Asian music market has been dominated by K-pop idol groups. Currently, Korean music has began influencing Western markets as well. For example, Psy’s Gangnam Style became one of the top tracks on the Billboard Hot 100 and Youtube. In the past, Korean music was more ritual and traditional that tribes or small groups of people used to share their emotions and time with; nowadays, however, music became one of the most useful ways to communicate and influence one another in Korea and globally.












Source: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/322408/Korean-music
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