Korea: The Royal Ancestral Shrine Music

played by The National Classical Music Institute: (1)

After the bluesy P'ansori post from September by Grey Calx, here's another example of Korea's rich and varied musical traditions.
Every year in May, Korea pays homage to its ancestral kings with a ceremony at the Royal Ancestral Shrine in Seoul. Music and dance are important elements of the ceremony which includes symbolic offerings of gifts and wine. There are two dances used throughout the ceremony: munmu celebrates the cultural achievements of the nation while mumu celebrates past military achievements.

The music features two lengthy suites of 11 movements each: "Chongdaeop" (Achieving Great Works) and "Pot'aep'yong" (Achieving Great Peace). These suites were composed in the 15th century during the reign of King Sejong. Documents with full scores of notation show us that the music has remained virtually unchanged since then.

This shrine music is a major orchestral work which employs two complete orchestras, the "deungga" located up on the terrace and the "hunga" located down in the courtyard. The orchestras alternate as the piece progresses.

The two center-pieces of the recording, "Chonp'ye Huimun" and "Chinch'an", which represent the music for the Offering of the wine and the table, are newer compositions.
For detailled info, including notated examples, please read Mee Eun Jeon's "The Design of a Korean Ritual Musical Offering": http://www.sapaan.com/vol3/jeon2.htm

Or take a closer look at the exceptionally beautiful instruments: www.angelfire.com/alt/koreanmusic/instruments.html

Next up: an old EMI LP from 1974 by the British electro-acoustic ensemble "Gentle Fire", with graphic works by Brown, Cage & Wolff, plus two long extra-tracks: group compositions by Gentle Fire, performed live in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1974.