Chǒngak: The Rise of Music for the Middle Classes

Abstract

Korean music culture of the 18th century is distinguished from the previous era by the rise of Chongak for the middle class, Chung'in (中人) and P'ansori for the low class Sangmin (常民). They are very important musical genres in the history of Korean music for their tradition is still alive in the present.

Traditional music of Korea is presently classified into three major genres: Court music, Chŏngak and Folk music. This classification is derived from the musical tradition of the 18th century.

This paper aims to shed light into on the music culture of the 18th century by describing (a) the historical background of Chŏngak, (b) the development of music forms in the 18th century, and (c) the musical characteristics of Chŏngak.