Aak

Aak ( ; ) is a genre of Korean court music. It is an imported form of the Chinese court music yayue, and means "elegant music". Aak was performed almost exclusively in state sacrificial rites, and in the present day it is performed in certain Confucian ceremonies. Aak in Korea was facilitated and adapted through the gifting of instruments from a Chinese emperor to Korea in the 12th century. Due to Japanese occupation in the 20th century, performances of aak were limited to The Sacrifice to Confucius and The Sacrifice to Royal Ancestors.

Aak ( ; ) is a genre of Korean court music. It is an imported form of the Chinese court music yayue, and means "elegant music". Aak was performed almost exclusively in state sacrificial rites, and in the present day it is performed in certain Confucian ceremonies. Aak in Korea was facilitated and adapted through the gifting of instruments from a Chinese emperor to Korea in the 12th century. Due to Japanese occupation in the 20th century, performances of aak were limited to The Sacrifice to Confucius and The Sacrifice to Royal Ancestors. ==Background== Shrine, Sungkyunkwan seowon Aak is one of three types of Korean court music; the other two are dangak and hyangak. Aak is similar to dangak in that both have Chinese origins. All the instruments used in aak are derived from Chinese originals, and very few of these are used in other kinds of traditional Korean music. Aak was first performed at the Royal Ancestral Shrine in the Goryeo period as ritual music of the court. The definition of aak later became narrowed to music for Confucian rituals, although aak in its broadest sense can still mean any kind of refined or elegant music and therefore can arguably encompass dangak and hyangak. The music is now performed by members of the Kungnip Kugagwon National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts in Seoul, Korea. ==Performance== The music is now highly specialized, and it is played only at certain ceremonies, in particular the Seokjeon Daeje held each spring and autumn at the Munmyo shrine in the ground of Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul to honour Confucius. It may also be performed at special concerts. There are two instrumental ensembles – a "terrace" or tȗngga ensemble located on the porch of the main shrine, and a "courtyard" or hôn'ga ensemble located near the main entrance in front of the main shrine building. The music performances or munmyo jeryeak may be accompanied by dances called munmyo ilmu. There are two forms of dances; one a "civil" dance, the other a "military" dance, performed by 64 dancers in an 8x8 formation. ==See also== Akhak Gwebeom Culture of Korea Gagaku Jongmyo Jeryeak Korean music Nhã nhạc Traditional Korean musical instruments ==External links== A Study of Musical Instruments in Korean Traditional Music (The National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Republic of Korea, 1998) Old recordings of aak in the 1960s A collection of Korean court music videos

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