國樂
koreansoundproject.org

The Living Sounds of Korea

국악 · Gugak

A digital introduction to Gugak — the court music, folk songs, poetic traditions, and ceremonial performance that have shaped Korean culture for more than a thousand years.

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About This Project

What is Gugak? 국악 / 國樂

Meaning
National Music
Origin
삼국시대 (Three Kingdoms)
UNESCO Listed
Multiple elements
Genres
Court · Folk · Poetic · Religious

Gugak (國樂) literally means "national music" — a term that encompasses the full breadth of Korea's indigenous musical traditions, from the stately ritual orchestras of the Joseon court to the raw improvisational spirit of farmers' band music played in open fields.

Unlike many classical traditions that were frozen at a particular historical moment, Gugak remained a living practice through centuries of dynastic change, Japanese colonial suppression, and the division of the peninsula. Today it is performed in concert halls, village festivals, Buddhist temples, and royal ancestral shrines.

This site draws from archival recordings held by the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress to introduce four major streams of the tradition: folk music, poetic songs, religious music, and court music. Each section offers historical context, an overview of instruments and performance settings, and links to notable recordings.

Genre Catalog

4 traditions · 12 recordings
Folk
민속음악

민요 · 농악

Minyo & Nongak — Folk Songs & Farmers' Music

Korea's folk music traditions were born in the rice paddies, fishing villages, and mountain settlements of the peninsula. Minyo (folk songs) vary dramatically by region — the lyrical, melancholic quality of Gyeonggi minyo contrasts sharply with the raw, ornamented singing of the southwestern Jeolla style. Nongak, the percussion ensemble of farmers, provided communal rhythm for cooperative labor, and developed into spectacular ritual performances combining drumming, dance, and acrobatics. Both traditions were transmitted orally across generations and carry within them the social world of pre-modern Korean rural life.

Key Instruments

장구 Janggu 꽹과리 Kkwaenggwari 북 Buk 징 Jing 대금 Daegeum 해금 Haegeum

Notable Recordings

Poetic
시가음악

정가 · 가사

Jeongga & Gasa — Refined Song Traditions

Jeongga (正歌, "correct song") is the collective name for Korea's elite vocal music traditions — Gagok (lyric song cycles accompanied by chamber ensemble), Gasa (narrative songs with literary texts), and Sijo (short poetic form often sung by scholars). These traditions were cultivated by the literati class of the Joseon dynasty, valued for their restrained expression, precise vocal ornamentation, and close relationship with classical Korean poetry. Gagok, performed in a slow, stately manner with the gayageum, haegeum, daegeum, and percussion, represents perhaps the most austere and refined of all Gugak vocal forms. It was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2010.

Key Instruments

가야금 Gayageum 거문고 Geomungo 해금 Haegeum 대금 Daegeum 장구 Janggu 단소 Danso

Notable Recordings

Religious
종교음악

범패 · 무속음악

Beompae & Musok — Buddhist & Shamanic Music

Korea's religious musical traditions encompass two distinct but equally ancient streams. Beompae is the liturgical chant tradition of Korean Buddhism — a monophonic vocal art of extraordinary complexity, with long melismatic phrases that can sustain a single syllable across minutes of time. Musok refers to the musical traditions of Korean shamanism (Musok sinang), in which the mudang (shaman) uses song, drum, and cymbals to enter trance states and mediate between the human and spirit worlds. Both traditions involve highly specialized training and are considered among the oldest continuous musical practices on the peninsula.

Key Instruments

목탁 Moktag 징 Jing 바라 Bara 북 Buk 태평소 Taepyeongso

Notable Recordings

Court
궁중음악

아악 · 정간보

Aak & Jeongganbo — Court Ritual Music

Korean court music (궁중음악) is among the oldest continuously notated musical traditions in East Asia. Aak, the formal ritual music imported from Song dynasty China in 1116 CE, was performed at state Confucian ceremonies and royal ancestral rites. Jeongganbo, the unique Korean grid-based musical notation invented in the 15th century under King Sejong, allowed court music to be preserved with extraordinary fidelity. The Joseon royal ancestral shrine music (Jongmyo Jerye-ak), still performed today in a ceremony registered with UNESCO, represents a direct link to the sounds of the Joseon court.

Key Instruments

편종 Pyeonjong 편경 Pyeongyeong 아쟁 Ajaeng 피리 Piri 대금 Daegeum 거문고 Geomungo

Notable Recordings

Primary Sources & Archives

Recordings, scholarship, and documentation used in building this catalog

Smithsonian Folkways

Folk and Classical Music of Korea

FW04325 — A foundational survey album covering court, folk, and chamber traditions. Liner notes by Robert Garfias.

Smithsonian Folkways

Korean Music Series

Broader catalog including Music from Korea volumes covering Komungo, Gayageum, and regional traditions.

Library of Congress

Korea Folklife Guide

The American Folklife Center's reference guide to Korean traditional music, dance, and intangible heritage.