Music Grade 8

8. PenglingThese are two small bells made of high-tinbronze, without internal clappers, andhemispheric or bottomless gourd-like inshape. The instrument has a delicate,clarion and melodious tone. It is a coloringrhythmic instrument,either in ensembles or intheater music, bringing aneffect of peaceful dreams.

Lesson 3: Korean MusicKorea's folk music tradition, with its generoususe of bright rhythms and melodies, offers amore energetic and capricious contrast to thenation's collection of classical music works. Folkmusic represents the soul and sound oftraditional Korean villages with an eclectic arrayof music forms including numerous folk songs,various forms of instrumental pieces, pansori,and shaman ritual music.

Chong-ak means literally \"right (or correct)music\", and its tradition includes bothinstrumental and vocal music, which werecultivated mainly by the upper-class literatiof the Joseon society. Chong-ak also refersto ensemble music for men of high socialstatus outside of the court. In this category,three important terms are a-ak, tang-ak,and hyang-ak.

Sog-ak or minsogak is acategory of Korean musictraditionally associated with thelower classes or for the generalpublic and are vibrant andenergetic. It includes genressuch as pansori and minyo.

Pansori is a kind of music presented toaudiences by skilled vocal singers anddrummers. But even the unskilled couldsing these songs. They sang when theyworked in the rice paddy or fields, sangwhen they went off their lover and sangwhen their life was troubled andweighing them down.

Instrumental music of KoreaKorean music especially in South Korea has arich vocal tradition, and diverse instruments andmusic forms. Folk songs, religious works, courtmusic, and shaman rituals all express the soulof a nation whose history is filled with colorfuland fascinating tales. Traditional Korean musicrepresents a world of captivating rhythms andmelodies whose sounds draw listeners in like abreath. Koreans sang songs when they couldnot hold their sadness in.

String Instruments1. Kayagum (gayageum) - is a traditionalKorean zither-like string instrument, with 12strings, although more recently variants havebeen constructed with 21 or more numbers ofstrings. It isprobably thebest-knowntraditionalKorean musicalinstrument.

2. Geomungo - Six-string plucked zither is atraditional Korean stringed musical instrument ofthe zither family of instruments with both bridgesand frets. Scholars believe that the name refersto Goguryeo and translates to \"Goguryeo zither\"or that it refersto the colourand translatesto \"black cranezither\".

3. Haegum (two-string vertical fiddle) –It has a rodlike neck, a hollow woodensoundbox, two silk strings, and isheld verticallyon the knee ofthe performerand played witha bow.

Wind InstrumentsPiri - used in both the folk and classical(court) music of Korea. It is made ofbamboo. Its large reed and cylindricalbore gives it a sound mellower thanthat of manyother typesof oboe.

Percussion InstrumentChanggo - is the most widely used drum used in thetraditional music of Korea. It is available in mostkinds, and consists of an hourglass-shaped body withtwo heads made fromanimal skin. The twoheads producesounds of differentpitch and timbre, whichwhen played togetherare believed to representthe harmony of man and woman.

Characteristics of East Asian musicVocal Timbre – nasal and throatyRhythm – duple, triple, quadrupleMelody – pentatonic scale, diatonic scaleTexture – monophony (a capella); homophony(with chordal accompaniment); heterophony(same melody but ornamented by severalinstruments)Form – Strophic (using the same tune ondifferent verses)

Lesson 1: Vocal Music of East AsiaThe main tone of Japanese music has two modes:The Yo-sen and the In-sen. Both consist of fiveprimary tones based on a scale with seven tones.The two remaining tones are considered as auxiliarytones. The ancient melody of Japanese music iscommonly based on these modes. However, onemelody is not always in one mode alone. The melodyof Japanese music is commonly shifts on bothmodes. They often give emphasis on the second orfourth tone of the mode.

Yosen modeInsen mode

Sakura - Cherry Blossoms is atraditional Japanese folk songdepictingspring, the season ofcherry blossoms.

Sakura Cherry BlossomsSakura sakura Cherry blossoms,yayoi no sorawa cherry blossoms,mi-watasukagiri Across the Spring sky,kasumika kumoka As far as you can see.nioizo izuru Is it a mist, or clouds?izaya zaya Fragrant in the air.mini yukan Come now, come, Let’s look, at last



Mo Li Hua -is a traditional Chinese songwith a beautifully gentle and lyrical melody.The lyrics about the jasmine flower also turnit into a love song. The song describes acustom of giving Jasmine flowers, popularin the southern Yangtze Delta region ofChina. Another version describes the fear ofplucking the flower.

Melody and tone color are prominentexpressive features of Chinese musicand great emphasis is given to theproper articulation and inflection of eachmusical tone. Most Chinese music isbased on the 5 tone or the pentatonicscale though heptatonic scale is alsoused.

Arirang is a Korean folk song, sometimes consideredthe unofficial national anthem of Korea. It is used as asymbol of Korea and Korean culture. Arirang is inessence a song of farewell. The origin of the word'Arirang' is ‘the hill’. With Korea’s land beingmountainous, there are also many foothills throughoutthe country. Most Koreans had partings on a numberof such hills. An emotion of deep regret is imbued inthe rhythm of Arirang. The song evokes the feeling ofthe tears shed by Koreans and the remembrance oftheir sad stories.



Arirang,Arirang, Arariyo...Arirang gogaero neommeoganda.Nareul beorigo gasineun nimeunSimrido motgaseo balbbyeongnanda.English TranslationArirang arirang arariyo Crossing overArirang Pass Dear who abandoned me willnot even walk even ten Li before his/herfeet hurt

SYNTHESISJAPAN Japanese music was influenced by the court music of China It is based on the five tone scale or the pentatonic scale

 Before the historical period, the Japanese traditional music ( Hogaku ) develop an accompaniment of ritual dances called Kagura. In religion, Confucianism propagated the themes on loyalty and filial piety while Shintoism inculcated the idea that music is a gift from God.

Japanese music is monophony in nature. It observes minute tones, free rhythm and delicate timbre. It is usually written in duple meter.

 Japanese music has two basic types of scales, both pentatonic in nature, that are often used in playing the koto and shamisen. These are the male scale called Yo – sen and the female scale known as In – sen. The most important note important note in note in the pentatonic scale is the corner stone or the third note.

 Japanese Vocal music is quite different from the Western vocal Music, and is based on the intervals of human breathing rather than mathematical timing. Japanese musicians show their spiritual self-mastery in mastering his or her instrument more than simply perfecting a technique of some sort and how they give value to their performance and composure.

 Traditional Japanese music is basically meditative in character. Its music and performance are highly ritualized, as is the composure of the musicians when performing it. Japanese chamber music and solo music have a slow meditative pace and use concrete elements, which serve to represent natural sounds and the sounds of life.

The main tone of Japanese music has two modes:the Yosen and the In-sen. Both consist of five primarytones based on a scale with seven tones. Japanesemusic has three general types of instruments -percussion instruments (odaiko, tsuzumi, shoko,tsuridaiko, taiko), string instruments (koto, shamisen,biwa), and wind instruments-mostly flutes(shakuhachi, nokan, sho, hichiriki). Compared to ourmusic, Japanese music is very simple. They singmelodies in unison and they never repeat the samemelody in a song.

There are two ancient foundations for Japanesetraditional music. a. SHOMYO b. GAGAKUSHOMYO: > Is also called Buddhist chanting. > The chants are based on sacred text and hymns. They have flexible rhythm, where the singers simply stops when there is no more breath.

>They are sung acapella and are monophonic texture.> At present, the SHOMYO haslost its real religious nature andhas become more and more of aformal ceremonialmusic in the temple and at home.

GAGAKU: > Literally means “ elegant and refinedmusic ”. ga – refined gaku – musicIt is the only surviving music in Japan. > This court music has been greatly influenced by China.BUGAKU: Japanese court dance

MUSICAL STYLES a. Togaku – highest musical style or court music. b. Komagaku – Korean origin and of native composition associated with rituals of the Shinto religion.c. Saibara – Is a small number of regional Japanese folk songs.

CHINAChinese vocal music has traditionally been sung in a thin,non-resonant voice, or in falsettoChinese vocal music is usually solo rather than choral.All traditional Chinese music is melodic rather thanharmonic.Chinese music uses the pentatonic scale as can be heard in the song “Mo Li Hua”.

 Xiaodiao, or short tunes, are popular music in Chinese urban areas. Chinese musical instruments are classified according to the materials by which they are made: animal skins, gourd, bamboo, wood, silk, earth/clay, metal, and stone. Pipa is a four-stringed lute with a pear-shaped body. It has an extremely wide dynamic range and remarkable expressive power. Erhu is a two-stringed fiddle and one of the most popular Chinese instruments.

 Dizi is the traditional Chinese flute. Pengling are two small bells used as a coloring instrument either in ensembles or in theater music because they produce a “peaceful dream” effect. Sheng is a Chinese mouth organ, with 12 to 36 bamboo pipes. It produces several notes simultaneously, so chords and melody can be performed at the same time. It is also one of the oldest Chinese musical instruments.

KOREA Korean music has a slow tempo, giving it a verypeaceful and pensive character. Chong-ak has a literal meaning of “music for thenoble classes”. Arirang is a Korean folk song used as a symbol ofKorea and Korean culture. It evokes the feeling of the tearsshed by Koreans and the remembrance of sad storiesspecifically partings. Sog-ak or minsogak is a category of Korean music traditionally associated with the lower classes or for the common people and it is vibrant and energetic.

 Yayue- an elegant music which includes ritual and ceremonial court music Suyue-popular music Huyue-foreign music A-ak-elegant vocal and instrumental music

 Pansori is a kind of music presented to audiences by skilled vocal singers and drummers. Kayagum is a traditional Korean zither-like string instrument, with 12 strings, probably the best known traditional Korean musical instrument. Haegum a two-string vertical fiddle, with a rod-like neck and a hollow wooden sound box. Changgo is the most widely used drum used in the traditional music of Korea.

Glossary1. Arirang is a Korean folk song used as asymbol of Korea and Korean culture. It evokesthe feeling of the tears shed by Koreans and theremembrance of sad stories specificallypartings.2. Biwa- is a Japanese short-necked fretted lute,often used in narrative storytelling. The biwa isthe chosen instrument ofBenten, goddess of music, eloquence, poetry,and education in Japanese Shinto.

3. Changgo- an hourglass-shapeddrum, it is played with two hands -the left hand strikes the left sidewhile the right hand is strikes theother side with a stick4. Ching - a huge gong played bymeans of a padded stick.

5. Chong-ak - has a literalmeaning of “music for the nobleclasses”.6. Clarion–the sound of such aninstrument or any similar sound;clear and ringing and inspiring

7. Ensembles - a work for two ormore vocalists or instrumentalists.8. Form- refers to the overallstructure or plan of a piece ofmusic,[1] and it describes thelayout of a composition as dividedinto sections

9. Gagaku– ancient imperialcourt music and dance is a typeof Japanese classical music thathas been performed at theImperial Court in Kyoto forseveral centuries.

10. Haegum - a two-stringedplucked instrument made ofbamboo11. Heterophony– Is a type oftexture characterized by thesimultaneous variation of asingle melodic line.

12. Hitchiriki - is a double reed Japanesefue (flute) used as one of two main melodicinstruments in Japanese gagaku music, theother being the ryūteki. The hichiriki isdifficult to play, due in part to its double reedconfiguration13. Homophony - is a texture in which twoor more parts move together in harmony,the relationship between them creatingchords.

14. Idiophone - a percussioninstrument, such as a cymbal orxylophone, made of naturally sonorousmaterial15. Improvisation- a performancegiven extempore without planning orpreparation; something improvised,especially a musical passage or adramatic skit.

16. Kabuki- is a classical Japanesedance-drama. Kabuki theatre is knownfor the stylization of its drama and forthe elaborate make-up worn by some ofits performers.17. Kayagum- an instrument with 12strings which is also similar to the kotoof Japan and the chin of China.

18. Komunggo - a zither that is similar to thekoto of Japan. This serves as the principalinstrument for a small group of players19. Koto- is a 13-string zither, about two meterslong and made of Paulownia wood. It is pluckedusing picks on the thumb and first two fingers ofthe right hand, while the left hand can be usedto modify pitch and tone. Koto is used in anensemble in gagaku or as a solo instrument.

20. Lute - a stringed instrument having abody shaped like a pear sliced lengthwiseand a neck with a fretted fingerboard that isusually bent just below the tuning pegs.21. Membranophone - a musicalpercussion instrument; usually consists of ahollow cylinder with a membrane stretchedacross each end