ABSTRACT
This chapter first attends to the long history of Korea, describing the processes through which Korea developed tradition, national culture, and modernization. The new folks song, called “Arirang,” offers a case study that illustrates the later part of this narrative. The chapter then explores Shamanist traditions, and traces their significant influence on other genres, such as sinawi, sanjo, and pansori. The chapter then explores court and “elegant” music, including the Royal ancestral ritual and its music. This section is followed by an introduction to percussion traditions such as pungmul and samulnori. More recent genres explored in this chapter include a genre called trot, K-pop, and Korean rap. A short, concluding section offers a reflection on music in North Korea.
