A Reflection on Korean Traditional Music from Confucian and Buddhist Perspectives
Suk Gabriel Choi, Towson University
The quest for Korean aesthetics demands careful selection and systematization of various aspects relevant to Korean philosophy, history, art, and culture. Such aspects should be not only unique in exploring what ‘Korean’ means, but also in understanding overarching human aesthetic experiences. It would be more ideal to demonstrate continuity in any sense through traditional and modern Korean culture.
Considering the theme of the conference, Buddhism and Confucianism in the East Asian Intellectual history, this presentation aims to understand and examine musical expression and ideology of Korean Jeongak (정악 正樂 literally translated as ‘proper music’) and pungnyu (풍류 風流 literally means ‘wind’ and ‘flow’), especially of yeongsanhoesang (영산회상 靈山會相 ) from Confucian and Buddhist philosophical and aesthetic perspectives. It is well known that the origin of pungnyu contains three ideologies, namely the Confucian idea of filial piety and royalty, the Daoist idea of wu-wei (non-activity), and the Buddhist idea of compassion. During the Joseon dynasty, the word, pungnyu, was used in terms of literati’s artistic activities such as poetry, painting, calligraphy, and music to present their aesthetic ideology. I will note that: 1) pungnyu as a musical genre embraces the key musical features of both the court music (아악 雅樂) and Folk music (민속악 民俗樂); 2) pungnyu as an artistic expression represents both the Confucian and Buddhist aesthetic view of art and its value. I will examine the pungnyu ideology as one of the Korean aesthetic characteristics that can contribute to the identification of Korean aesthetics.
Considering the theme of the conference, Buddhism and Confucianism in the East Asian Intellectual history, this presentation aims to understand and examine musical expression and ideology of Korean Jeongak (정악 正樂 literally translated as ‘proper music’) and pungnyu (풍류 風流 literally means ‘wind’ and ‘flow’), especially of yeongsanhoesang (영산회상 靈山會相 ) from Confucian and Buddhist philosophical and aesthetic perspectives. It is well known that the origin of pungnyu contains three ideologies, namely the Confucian idea of filial piety and royalty, the Daoist idea of wu-wei (non-activity), and the Buddhist idea of compassion. During the Joseon dynasty, the word, pungnyu, was used in terms of literati’s artistic activities such as poetry, painting, calligraphy, and music to present their aesthetic ideology. I will note that: 1) pungnyu as a musical genre embraces the key musical features of both the court music (아악 雅樂) and Folk music (민속악 民俗樂); 2) pungnyu as an artistic expression represents both the Confucian and Buddhist aesthetic view of art and its value. I will examine the pungnyu ideology as one of the Korean aesthetic characteristics that can contribute to the identification of Korean aesthetics.