Korea's traditional dance, like
its music, can be classified into either court dances
or folk dances. The slow, gracious movements of the
court dances reflect the beauty of moderation and
the subdued emotions formed as a result of the strong
influence of Confucian philosophy. In contrast, the
folk dances, mirroring the life, work and religion
of common people, are exciting and romantic, and aptly
portray the free and spontaneous emotions of the Korean
people. Court dances are called 'jeongjae,' and include
hwagwanmu (a flower crown dance), geommu (a sword
dance), cheoyongmu, mugo, suyeonjang and gainjeonmokdan.
Folk dances include talchum (a mask dance), seungmu
(a monk dance) and salpuri.
Traditional Music
Traditional music can be divided
into two types: jeongak, or the music of the royal
family and the upper classes, and minsogak, or folk
music. Jeongak has a slow, solemn and complicated
melody, while minsogak is fast and vigorous. Jeongak
is divided into two types: yeomillak and sujecheon.
Minsogak is also divided into two types: seongak (vocal
music), which includes pansori, minyo and gagok ,
and giak (instrumental music), which includes the
sanjo and samullori styles. The first noteworthy characteristic
of Korean court music is its leisurely tempo. As a
result, the mood of this music is meditative and reposeful.
Traditional
Paintings
From the murals of ancient tombs
to the paintings of the Joseon Dynasty (1392 ~ 1910),
there are a number of indigenous Korean styles. Korean
artists have an inclination toward naturalism, in
which subjects such as landscapes, flowers or birds
are rendered in ink and colored pigments on mulberry
paper or silk. In the middle Joseon Dynasty, noble
artists established new style in Korean painting.
Folk Paintings, which described the joys and sorrows
of people's lives, became popular.
