What is your Gugak?
Are you ready to find the music that resonates with your soul?
Entrance to the National Gugak Center's Gugak Museum special exhibition "What is your Gugak?". National Gugak Center
1. Echoes of Life
Who composed these songs, and how did they come about? All minyo passed down before the emergence of sinminyo (“new” Folksong) in the 1930s are of unknown origin, with no known composers or creation dates. These songs hold stories and sentiments that resonate with the lives of ordinary people.
singing folk songs National Gugak Center
Minyo: Songs of the Ordinary People
These recordings from the late 1960s and 1980s offer a precious window into the world of local folk songs.
They capture the original forms of a cultural heritage that has since largely vanished in the wake of industrialization and urbanization.
lullaby National Gugak Center
Lullaby
This was recorded in Changwon City (formerly Changwon-gun). The recording features 60 year old Choe Jeong-suk singing a song to soothe a child to sleep in 1968.
Yeonhui: A Spectrum of Shared Emotion
Yeonhui
(traditional performing arts, including music, dance, theater and acrobatics), such as mask dances and village rituals, embody the full range of life’s emotions: joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.
The way people faced daily life -with satire and humor, empathy and laughter- is not so different from how we do today.
This video features modern reinterpretations of Yeonhui, a genre once performed to invoke prosperity for a village.The performances are by Yeonhui Group Yeonhwa, Yeonhui Connect I-eul, and AJAE.
geomungo National Gugak Center
2. Between Discipline and Delight
Pungnyu (a refined enjoyment of musical leisure), as practiced by the Joseon Dynasty’s literati, occupied a unique space betweendisciplined self cultivation and elegant leisure.
Geomungo: The Seonbi Art of Reflection
For the Seonbi (the ideal Confucian scholar) of the early Joseon Dynasty, the geomungo
was an instrument akin to a mirror.They would gaze upon their geomungo to reflect on their place in society and to reaffirm their disciplined way of life. What, in our own lives, inspires us to pause and reflect?
Let us seek the answer in the quiet, contemplative world of the Joseon scholar.
Pungnyu: Captivated by Music
These gatherings, for artistic fellowship, gave rise to a new musical culture centered on Pungnyu (a refined enjoyment of musical leisure). We invite you to encounter the romantic world of these artists, who found in nature a space where art could transcend the boundaries of age and rank.
Listen to the performance of the National Gugak Center's Court Music Orchestra.
20th-century phonograph records National Gugak Center
3. Trendsetters of Gyeongseong, Intoxicated by Exuberance
The city’s trendsensitive public was fascinated by the phonograph, and the popular music of the 1930s is preserved on the records it played.
Amidst an era of turbulent change and the hardship of colonial rule, traditional Korean music became a vital source of comfort and inner strength.
It was one of the most difficult times in our history, and yet a period when our music provided profound solace.
Gramophone National Gugak Center
Sound Pressed onto a Record
In the 1930s, a diverse repertoire centered on the songs and performances of Korean traditional music masters was recorded on phonograph records, and the traditional music masters who were chosen by the public grew into stars.
Gyeongseong Yuhaengga (Popular Songs of Old Seoul)
A new repertoire based on traditional music has developed, and this is being transmitted through phonographs released by record labels such as Okeh and Chieron.
New folk songs, created using melodies centered on folk songs, gained popularity with a distinct appeal from existing traditional music.
Even today, these folk songs are passed down as folk songs imbued with the artist's virtuosity.
Produced by: National Gugak Center, Gugak Research Bureau
Overall Director: Kim chae-won (Head, Gugak Research Bureau)Project Lead: Kim so-ri
Planning & Editorial Management: Shin hye-ju, Yu kyung-min
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