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Korea

Various Artists
Korea This 1972 recording features Korean court music, or jeong-ak, which was codified in the 5th century. Jeong-ak is essentially pentatonic and is derived from a type of sung poetry. Vocal performances are accompanied by a variety of Korean string, wind, and percussion instruments. The first track, “Sujecheon,” is among the most renowned pieces of jeong-ak. The title of the song, which is believed to have been composed during the Silla dynasty in the 7th century, means “Life Long Everlasting Sky,” and depicts the splendor of a rising sun. The piece is performed by an ensemble composed of a hyang piri (double-reed instrument), tang-chuk and daegeum (flutes), a-jaeng and haegeum (bowed string instruments), janggu (drum) and an eo, or “Wooden Tiger” (a wood scraper heard three times at the beginning and end of each piece of court music). The liner notes are in English and French.

Track Listing

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101
Imperial Orchestra
15:17
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102
Tang-Ak ensemble of Chinese origin
04:06
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103
Chui-Ta Ensemble
04:22
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104
Imperial Orchestra
04:49
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105
Sang Kyu Lee
05:42
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106
Choo Whan Lee
08:10
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107
Eun Joo Lee
01:36
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108
Singer from Central Korea with daegum and orchestra
04:03
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109
Sung Keum Ryun
09:06