Traditional Korean music

Traditional Korean music includes combinations of the folk, vocal, religious and also ritual music styles of the Korean people. Korean music, along with arts, painting and sculpture has been practiced since prehistoric times.

Two distinct musical cultures exist in Korea today: traditional music (Gugak) and Western music (yangak).

The Korean traditional music of proto-three kingdoms period is not known much, while some historical records of China write that people of Buyeo, Goguryeo, Dongye and Samhan drank and danced in their harvest festivals. Those texts also say that Korean tribal states habitually worshipped to the heaven, dancing and drinking several days as an agricultural rite.

The oldest records about Korean music appear in the Chinese historical text, Records of the Three Kingdoms written by Chen Shou (233-297). It says that Mahan people made rituals in May and October without a cease of dancing for a few days. The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty during Sejong the Great says that Samhan had its own style of music but without musical instruments.

The music history of Goguryeo is chiefly divided into three periods: the first is a period before external influence came through when geomungo, a traditional instrument was invented.; second is normally around 4th to 6th century when Goguryeo started to form a relationship with Northern Wei; the final stage is from the end of 6th century until the collapse of the kingdom.

Hwangjoga (Hangul: 황조가; Hanja: 黃鳥歌) is a song from Goguryeo composed by King Yuri. The song mainly tells a princess whom he loved.

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