Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MUSIC
Korean traditional music
(gugak)
is played on stringed instruments, most notably the
gay-
ageum
(12-stringed zither) and
haegum
(two-stringed fiddle) as well as on chimes, gongs,
cymbals, drums, horns and flutes. Court music
(jeongak)
is slow and stately, while folk mu-
sic such as
samullori
is fast and lively.
Similar to Western opera is
changgeuk,
which can involve a large cast of characters. An
unusual type of opera is
pansori.
It features a solo storyteller (usually female) singing to
the beat of a drum, while emphasising dramatic moments with a flick of her fan. The
singing is strong and sorrowful: some say if
pansori
is done correctly, the performer will
have blood in her mouth upon finishing. Only a few
pansori
dramas have survived;
Chun-
hyang,
the story of a woman's faith and endurance, is the most popular.
At the park in front of Jongmyo you may see pensioners dancing to 'trot' music. Short for
'foxtrot', this musical form combines Korean scales with Western harmonies and sounds sim-
ilar to Japanese enka music.
K-Pop
Fans of Korean pop (K-Pop) will have ample opportunity to enjoy tunes - both recorded
and live - by their favourite singers and bands in Seoul. Among solo singers, few have at-
sing, dance, act and run a company.
