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

101	Sujecheon	Imperial Orchestra	15:17
102	Manpa Jungshi Ji Kok (The Calmness of Ten Thousand Waves)	Tang-Ak ensemble of Chinese origin	04:06
103	Dae Chui-Ta	Chui-Ta ensemble	04:22
104	Samhyon Yongsan	Imperial Orchestra	04:49
105	Chong Song Jajin Hanip	Sang Kyu Lee	05:42
106	Man-Nyun Jang-Hwan Ji Kok (Song of Joy Everlasting)	Choo Whan Lee	08:10
107	The Waterfalls of Bak-Yon	Eun Joo Lee	01:36
108	Chongsun Arirang	Daegeum (flute) player	04:03
109	Kayageum Sanjo	Sung Keum Ryun	09:06