Hwasun Hancheon Farmers’ Music

Nongak (farmers' music) broadly refers to music played on percussion instruments such as the kkwaenggwari (small gong), jing (large gong), janggo (hourglass drum) and buk (barrel drum) when farmers organised themselves into dure, or communal labour groups, to work together. Classified by purpose, it divides into types such as dangsangut (village guardian-spirit rite), madangbapgi (household-blessing rite), geollipgut (fund-raising rite), duregut (communal-labour rite), pangut (performance rite), giujegut (rain-prayer rite) and baegut (boat rite); classified by region, it divides into Gyeonggi nongak, Yeongdong nongak, Honam udo (Jeolla right-region) nongak, Honam jwado (Jeolla left-region) nongak, Gyeongnam nongak and Gyeongbuk nongak. Judging by performance style, costume and musical character, the nongak of South Jeolla Province can be broadly divided into jwadogut (left-region rite), udogut (right-region rite) and island-and-coastal rite. Of these, jwadogut developed in the mountainous north-eastern area of South Jeolla Province and is marked by outstanding group performance built mainly on fast rhythms and movements; it therefore emphasises upper-body, acrobatic play, while its ground-level drumming carries a plain, understated feel by comparison. Hwasun Hancheon Farmers' Music belongs to the jwadogut tradition and is said to have been passed down for about 200 years. Its chaegut, or drumbeat patterns, are especially varied and well developed. No Seung-dae is currently recognised as the holder of the performing skill for Hwasun Hancheon Farmers' Music.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Hwasun, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Provincial Intangible Heritage · 시도무형유산