Music of Japan, China, and Korea

  Music of Japan In this lesson, you will discover the traditional music of Japan through their vocal (folk songs) and instrumental music. J...

 Music of Japan

In this lesson, you will discover the traditional music of Japan through their vocal
(folk songs) and instrumental music. Japanese vocal music is based on the intervals of human
breathing rather than mathematical timing, and on how Japanese musicians show their spiritual
self-mastery in mastering their instrument more than simply perfecting a technique of some sort
and giving value to their performance and composure.


Japanese music is the art concerned with combining vocal or instrumental sounds for beauty of
form or emotional expression. Another impotant fact to be considered is the presence of northern Asian
tribal traditions in the form of Ainu culture surviving on Hokkaido island.
Basically, traditional Japanese music is basically meditative in character. Its performance is highly
ritualized, as much in the music itself, as in the composure of the musicians when performing it. Japanese chamber and solo music have a slow meditative pace. The performance of Japanese music has traditionally been of a spiritual character, similarly to martial arts and other forms of art such as the tea ceremony and calligraphy. Itis usually about religious festivals, work, dance, love, and regional songs.

Music of China
For several thousand years, Chinese culture was dominated by the teachings of the
philosopher Confucius, he conceived music in the highest sense as a means of calming the
passion of dispelling of unrest and lust, rather than as a form of amusement. Traditionally, the Chinese have believed that sound influences the harmony of the universe. Significantly, one of the most important duties of the first emperor of each new dynasty was to search out and establish that dynasty’s sound through standard of pitch. A result of this philosophical orientation was that the Chinese theoretically opposed music performed solely for entertainment.



The music of China dates back to the dawn of Chinese Civilization with documents and artifacts
providing evidence of a well-developed musical culture as early as the Zhou Dynasty (1122 B.C.E). In
ancient China, music was regarded as central to the harmony and longevity of the state. Chinese traditional
music is played on solo instruments or in small ensembles or in small ensembles of plucked and bowed
stringed instruments, flutes, and various cymbals, gongs, and drums.


Music of Korea
Korea’s folk music tradition, with its generous use of bright rhythms and melodies, offers a more energetic and capricious contrast to the nation’s collection of classical music works.
Folk music represents the soul and sound of traditional Korean villages with an eclectic array of music forms including numerous folk songs, various forms of instrumental pieces, pansori, and shaman ritual music, one of the most popular traditional folk song of korea is “Arrirang” listen to the music on this following links
Chong-ak means literally “right or correct music” is one of the classification of Korean music,. Its
tradition includes both instrumental and vocal music, which were cultivated mainly by the upper-class
literate of the Joseon society. Chong-ak also refers to ensemble music for men of high social status outside of the court. In this category, three important terms are a-ak, tang-ak, and hyang-ak.
Sog-ak or minsogak is another category which is traditionally associated with the lower classes of for
the general public and is vibrant and energetic. It includes genres such as pansori and minyo. Pansori is a kind of music presented to audiences by skilled vocal singers and drummers. But even the unskilled could sing these songs. They sang when they worked in the rice paddy or fields, sang when they went off their lover and sang when their life was troubled and weighing them down.

Source: Pangasinan II MUSIC
QUARTER 2 – MODULE 1
MELC: Listens perceptively to music of Southeast Asia.