{{Short description|Genre of percussion music from Korea}} {{Italic title}} {{Infobox music genre | name = Samul nori | native_name = {{lang|ko|사물놀이}} | image = Bigthumb DSC 1101.jpg | caption = A {{Transliteration|ko|rr|samul nori}} performance in Bremen, Germany | stylistic_origins = ''{{hlist|Pungmul|muak}}'' | cultural_origins = Late 1970s – early 1980s, South Korea | instruments = ''{{hlist|Janggu|buk|jing|kkwaenggwari}}'' }} {{Infobox Korean name/auto |title = ''Samul nori'' |hangul=사물놀이 |hanja=四物놀이 }} '''{{Transliteration|ko|rr|Samul nori}}''' ({{Korean|hangul=사물놀이|lit=four objects play}}) is a genre of Korean percussion music. It is a modern adaptation of traditional Korean musics, namely the ritual farming music ''nongak'' and Korean shamanic music ''muak'', for the indoor stage.
As per its name, ''samul nori'' is performed with four traditional Korean musical instruments: a small gong ''kkwaenggwari'', the larger gong ''jing'', an hourglass-shaped drum ''janggu''; and a barrel drum called ''buk''.
With dozens of professional and amateur groups, ''samul nori'' has been called "Korea’s most successful traditional music".<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Howard |first=Keith |title=SamulNori: Korean Percussion for a Contemporary World |date=October 28, 2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781472462893}}</ref>
== History == The term ''samul'' originally comes from Korean Buddhism, where it referred to four instruments considered essential for ritual use in temples: the wooden fish ({{Korean|hangul=목어|hanja=木魚|rr=mogeo|labels=no}}), the temple bell ({{Korean|hangul=범종|hanja=梵鐘|rr=beomjong|labels=no}}), the dharma drum ({{Korean|hangul=법고|hanja=法鼓|rr=beopgo|labels=no}}), and the bronze gong ({{Korean|hangul=운판|hanja=雲板|rr=umpan|labels=no}}).<ref name=":1">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=사물놀이 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture |publisher=National Folk Museum of Korea |url=https://folkency.nfm.go.kr/kr/topic/detail/6501 |access-date=May 16, 2024 |last=김 |first=헌선 |language=ko |trans-title=Samul nori}}</ref> The term ''nori'' means "to play" in Korean.<ref name=":3" /> thumb|251x251px|A traditional ''pungmul'' performance (2009) ''Samul nori'' is a modern adaptation of the traditional ritual music of Korean farmers, called ''nongak'' or ''pungmul nori'', for the stage. Traditionally, such music involved elaborate costumed dances and was performed outdoors; in ''samul nori'', emphasis is placed on the music and musicians, who are seated while performing.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite interview |last=Kim |first=Duk-soo |interviewer=Niels Footman |title=Born to do it: Interview with Kim, Duk-soo |url=http://english.seoul.go.kr/today/infocus/interview/1236715_5099.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080315234056/http://english.seoul.go.kr/today/infocus/interview/1236715_5099.php |archive-date=March 15, 2008 |url-status=dead |work=Seoul Metropolitan Government |date=September 7, 2006}}</ref>
In a later interview, Kim Duk-soo ({{Korean|hangul=김덕수|labels=no}}), the founder and artistic director of the group, claimed that the choice to adapt traditional music to indoor venues was due to political circumstances at the time. The late 1970s saw the last years of the rule of South Korean president Park Chung Hee. During that time, large public gatherings were restricted, and Korean traditional music was associated with the student protest movement. Public performers were subject to arrest.<ref name=":0" />
The first ever ''samul nori'' performance was on February 22, 1978,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=어 |first=기선 |date=2023-02-22 |title=[역사속 오늘리뷰] 2월 22일 사물놀이 시연 |url=http://www.financialreview.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=23617 |access-date=2024-05-17 |website=파이낸셜리뷰 |language=ko}}</ref> in a small theater in Seoul.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> Its original performers included Kim Duk-soo, Kim Yong-bae ({{Korean|hangul=김용배|labels=no}}), Choe Jong-seok ({{Korean|hangul=최종석|labels=no}}), and Choe Tae-hyeon ({{Korean|hangul=최태현|labels=no}}). This group has since been dubbed the Original SamulNori Group ({{Korean|hangul=원사물놀이패|labels=no}}), and a descendant of this group still performs today as SamulNori Hanulim ({{Korean|hangul=한울림예술단|labels=no}}).<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kim Duk-soo, Samulnori Master of 27 Years |url=http://english.kbs.co.kr/society/people/1340388_11774.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080613021121/http://english.kbs.co.kr/society/people/1340388_11774.html |archive-date=2008-06-13 |website=KBS}}</ref> Initially, ''samul nori'' failed to gain acceptance from traditional Korean musicians; among others, South Korean musicologist Alan Heyman questioned the genre's link to traditional local bands. Ethnomusicologist Keith Howard noted, "Older musicians saw in the quartet a challenge to what they knew, hence SamulNori was destined to struggle for acceptance from them."<ref name=":3" />
However, ''samul nori'' soon gained popularity both nationally, especially among the urban youth,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hesselink |first=Nathan |url=https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo12645430.html |title=SamulNori: Contemporary Korean Drumming and the Rebirth of Itinerant Performance Culture |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=2012 |isbn=9780226330983 |series=Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology |location=Chicago, IL |pages=2-3 |language=en}}</ref> and globally, with the original quartet being invited to perform in Tokyo and at the opening of Disney World Resort’s Epcot Centre in Florida in 1982. In 1984, Kim Yong-bae brought ''samul nori'' to the South Korean National Gugak Center. In 1985, the group began touring in Europe.<ref name=":3" /> Over the following decades, a number of professor and amateur groups developed around the genre.<ref name=":3" /> There are now also a number of other unrelated ''samul nori'' troupes, some with their own significant styles.<ref name=":1" /> By the 21st-century, ''samul nori'' was incorporated into some South Korean public school curriculums, particularly around the middle school level. Internationally, ''samul nori'' has found footing as long-standing student organizations at universities such as Washington University in St. Louis.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Keaggy |first=Diane Toroian |date=2023-02-01 |title=Beating the drum for Samulnori |url=https://source.washu.edu/2023/02/beating-the-drum-for-samulnori/ |access-date=2026-03-17 |website=The Source |language=en-US}}</ref>
The original ''samul nori'' quartet disbanded in 1993, as a result of internal conflicts, burnout, and financial issues. The same year, however, Kim founded a large ''samul nori'' orchestra called "Hanullim" ({{Korean|hangul=한울림}}).<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Lee |first=Katherine In-Young |title=Dynamic Korea and rhythmic form |date=2018 |publisher=Wesleyan University Press |isbn=978-0-8195-7706-1 |series=Music/culture |location=Middletown, Connecticut}}</ref> The orchestra seeks to promote ''samul nori'' performance.<ref name=":02">{{Cite interview |last=Kim |first=Duk-soo |interviewer=Park Ji-won |title=INTERVIEW 'Samulnori' master reflects on 63 years of tradition |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20200521/interview-samulnori-master-reflects-on-63-years-of-tradition |work=The Korea Times |date=May 21, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kim Duk-soo, Samulnori Master of 27 Years |url=http://english.kbs.co.kr/society/people/1340388_11774.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080613021121/http://english.kbs.co.kr/society/people/1340388_11774.html |archive-date=June 13, 2008 |website=KBS Global}}</ref>
== Influences == The music of ''samul nori'' is heavily based on ''pungmul nori'' music, particularly the ''namsadang'' style. The link to ''namsadang'' is because the founders of the genre were heavily based in that style themselves, having come from families and being taught by teachers involved in the genre. For example, Kim Yong-bae's teacher and Kim Duk-soo's father, both practitioners of ''namsadang'', were heavily involved in ''samul nori''<nowiki/>'s creation. They and several others traveled South Korea and gathered traditional farming melodies for use in ''samul nori'', drawing particular inspiration from the melodies of Gyeonggi Province, Chungcheong Province, the Honam region, and of {{Ill|Jinju samcheonpo nongak|lt=Jinju ''samcheonpo nongak''|ko|진주삼천포농악}}. They took continual feedback from their research, and gradually incorporated melodies and ideas from them into their set over time.<ref name=":1" />
There are, however, several differences between the original ''pungmul'' and ''samul nori''. ''Samul nori'' is usually performed sitting down, whereas ''pungmul nori'' often incorporates dances into their performances. Additionally, while ''pungmul nori'' is usually led by the ''kkwaenggwari'' player, ''samul nori'' instead hinges on the rhythm of the ''janggu'' player.<ref name=":3" />
The original group also incorporated other types of traditional Korean music, including ''muak'': music of the Korean shamanic rituals called ''gut''. To this end, they collaborated with Korean shamans from around South Korea, and even trained with them in camps in order to learn the music.<ref name=":1" />
The concept of dualism, particularly through the lens of yin and yang, is considered important to ''samul nori''. The genre's instruments and their uses are interpreted in various ways using this theme.<ref name=":1" />
== Notable repertoire == The ''Yeongnam nongak'' ({{Korean|hangul=영남 농악|labels=no}}) composition is often the first piece learned by amateurs, with ethnomusicologist Katherine In-Young Lee describing it as the most accessible. Lee wrote that the piece was "likely the most performed ''samul nori'' composition by amateur ensembles within and outside South Korea".<ref name=":4" /> The piece adapts and arranges existing ''pungmul'' rhythmic patterns from the Yeongnam region in Korea. ''Yeongnam nongak'' is generally composed of six distinct rhythmic sections: ''gilgunak'' ({{Korean|hangul=길군악|rr=|labels=no|lit=road military music}}), ''bangilunak'' ({{Korean|hangul=반길군악|rr=|labels=no|lit=half road military music}}), ''dadeuraegi'' ({{Korean|hangul=다드래기|labels=no}}), ''yeongsan dadeuraegi'' ({{Korean|hangul=영산 다드래기|labels=no}}), ''yeongyulchae'' ({{Korean|hangul=연결채|labels=no}}), ''byeoldalgeori'' ({{Korean|hangul=별달거리|labels=no|lit=bright moon scene}}), ''ssangjinpuri'' ({{Korean|hangul=쌍진풀이|labels=no}}), and ''maeji'' ({{Korean|hangul=맺이|rr=|labels=no}}, derived from the verb ''maetda'' ({{Korean|hangul=맺다|rr=|labels=no}}), meaning "closure"). During ''byeoldalgeori'', performers shout a chant, one of the few spoken parts in ''samul nori'' repertoire.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Samul nori}} * [http://www.visitseoul.net/en/article/article.do?_method=view&art_id=7613&lang=en&m=0003001006003&p=06 Samullori - Official Seoul City Tourism] * [http://www.poongmul.com Poongmul in the U.S.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070910094709/http://www.poongmul.com/ |date=2007-09-10 }} * [http://www.kycc.net/NPN Information about Pungmul and Pungmul in the U.S.] * [http://www.samulnori.eu European samul nori website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080316083425/http://www.samulnori.eu/ |date=2008-03-16 }} * [http://www.samulnori.de German samul nori website] * [http://www.olsou.fr French samul nori website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622060734/http://olsou.fr/ |date=2013-06-22 }}
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Category:Korean traditional music Category:Korean styles of music Category:Percussion music Category:1978 establishments in South Korea