Gyeonggi Song (Ginjapga)

This is a japga, a folk song genre sung in Seoul and the Gyeonggi region; because the singer sits alone, accompanying themselves on the janggu (hourglass drum) while singing, it is classified as jwachang, a "seated song". The name japga was given in contrast to the jeongga, the "correct songs" favoured by the yangban class. There are two types, Ginjapga ("long japga") and Hwimori japga; since Ginjapga consists of twelve pieces, it is also known as the Twelve Japga. The genre arose in the mid-nineteenth century and was widely sung among the Sagyechuk singers of what is now the Cheongpa-dong area of Seoul. Ginjapga was formerly divided into the Eight Japga and the Japjapga ("miscellaneous japga"): the Eight Japga are Yusan-ga, Jeokbyeokga and Jebi-ga, Jipjang-ga, Sochunhyang-ga, Seonyu-ga, Hyeongjang-ga and Pyeongyang-ga, while the Japjapga are Dalgeori, Sipjang-ga, Bangmul-ga and Chulin-ga. Ginjapga is thought to have been modelled on the jeongga of the yangban, and for this reason it blends the characteristics of jeongga and folk song. In terms of mode, its most distinctive feature is the mixing of Gyeonggi and Seodo melodic idioms. In rhythm, Yusan-ga, Sochunhyang-ga, Pyeongyang-ga, Seonyu-ga, Chulin-ga, Sipjang-ga, Bangmul-ga, Jipjang-ga and Hyeongjang-ga are accompanied in dodri rhythm; Dalgeori mixes dodri and gutgeori rhythm, and Jebi-ga mixes dodri and semachi rhythm. Musically, japga takes a form in which verses are linked in parallel: where the verses are of even length this is a strophic form, and where their length is irregular, a modified strophic form. The lyrics of Ginjapga are often lyrical in content, or drawn from a passage of pansori. Ginjapga is regarded as a representative art song of the Gyeonggi region. Musically it is a masterpiece combining the strengths of jeongga and folk song, a hybrid of Gyeonggi and Seodo music, and these features together form the cultural identity of Ginjapga.

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Where it is

Region

Gwacheon, Gyeonggi

Designation

Provincial Intangible Heritage · 시도무형유산