KOREA IN THE ERKEL THEATRE

Jongmyojeryeak refers to the music and dance accompanying Jongmyojerye, meaning ancestral rituals performed at Jongmyo, the royal shrine of the Joseon Dynasty, having been performed for about six centuries.
Jongmyojeryeak is a total work of art encompassing instrumental music, singing, and dance. A song included in Jongmyojeryeak is called an akjang, the lyrics of akjang works (called “akjang gasa”) are lauded for their literary value to the extent that they are considered a distinct genre of the Korean literature. Ilmu, which is the dance of Jongmyojeryeak, blends with akjang pieces singing about Joseon kings’ virtues, such as founding the country, ruling it in civil ways, and their military accomplishments. Listeners can feel the energy, vitality, grandeur, and calm beauty from the slow, clean, brilliant and delicate sounds of Jongmyojeryeak.
Jongmyojeryeak is being preserved by the National Gugak Center (NGC), Korea’s institute carrying the tradition of Jangakwon, the imperial music academy in Joseon era (1392–1910) and it is passed on as Korea’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage No.1 and designated as UNESCO’s Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001.

The performance was created in cooperation with the Korean Cultural Center.
Attendance is free of charge but prior registration is required.

Jongmyo Jeryeak
Jongmyojeryeak refers to the music and dance accompanying Jongmyojerye, meaning ancestral rituals performed at Jongmyo, the royal shrine of the Joseon Dynasty, having been performed for about six centuries.
Jongmyojeryeak is a total work of art encompassing instrumental music, singing, and dance. A song included in Jongmyojeryeak is called an akjang, the lyrics of akjang works (called “akjang gasa”) are lauded for their literary value to the extent that they are considered a distinct genre of the Korean literature. Ilmu, which is the dance of Jongmyojeryeak, blends with akjang pieces singing about Joseon kings’ virtues, such as founding the country, ruling it in civil ways, and their military accomplishments. Listeners can feel the energy, vitality, grandeur, and calm beauty from the slow, clean, brilliant and delicate sounds of Jongmyojeryeak.
Jongmyojeryeak is being preserved by the National Gugak Center (NGC), Korea’s institute carrying the tradition of Jangakwon, the imperial music academy in Joseon era (1392-1910) and it is passed on as Korea’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage No.1 and designated as UNESCO’s Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001.

History of Jongmyo Jeryeak
King Sejong, the fourth King of Joseon and the creator of Hangeul script, Sejong thought that the court music composed around the start of the Joseon Dynasty didn’t do a proper job of praising his ancestors’ achievements and endeavors of building a new country, feeling the need for a new kind of music.
The king utilized the court music of his time and traditional music from Goryeo times to create “new music,” typical examples of which include Jeong Daeꠓeop and Bo Tae-pyeong. The two sets of music were performed at official parties under Sejong’s rule before being modified for use at Jongmyo Jerye under the governance of Sejong’s son, Sejo.
The original versions of Jeong Dae-eop and Bo Taeꠓpyeong included fifteen and eleven songs, respectively. They were organized into eleven parts, respectively, through the modifications. Afterwards, a piece entitled ‹Jung Gwang› which praises Seonjo’s achievements in fighting off the Japanese invaders in the Imjin War was added to Bo Tae-pyeong, and ‹Yong Gwang› and ‹Jeong Myeong› were merged into one piece. These changes can be traced in old musical scores included in the 138th book of King Sejong’s Chronicles, the 48th book of King Sejo’s Chronicles, Dae-Ak Hu-bo in Yeongjo times and Sokak Won-Bo in Gojong times. Also, Il-mu, which is ritual dance, can be identified in a book entitled Shi-Yong-Mu-Bo.
Jongmyo Jeryeak, ritual music performed at Jongmyo Jerye dating back to 1464, has more than five centuries of history with short interruptions of about ten years after the Imjin War in 1592 and about thirty years around the Korean War. Because Jongmyo Jerye was one of the most important state businesses, its ritual music was performed by master musicians of Joseon’s Royal Academy of Music, an institution leaving its legacy to the National Gugak Center of today’s Korea.

Jongmyo, the Building to Represent Korea
Jongmyo of Joseon Dynasty is located at Jongro, the old downtown of Seoul, and houses two sanctuaries of Jeong-jeon and Yeongnyeong-jeon. Here stands the spirit tablets of Joseon’s kings and queens, starting from the first king, Lee Seonggye. Following the Asian tradition of ancestor veneration, the memorial tablets for the four generations of ancestors of king Taejo, Lee Seonggye, are enshrined.

Musical Composition According to Jongmyo Jeryeak’s Processes
The way rituals proceed in Jongmyo Jerye is basically the same as in ordinary ancestral services or religious ceremonies. The introduction of Jongmyo Jerye consists of three parts: greeting the spirits of ancestors (called “Yeong-shin-rye”), paying tributes to them (“Jeon-pye-rye”), and serving the prepared food (“Jin-chan-rye”). After the introduction, the ritual goes into the core procedure of serving wine for three times, each serving named “Cho-heon-rye,” “A-heon-rye” and “Jong-heon-rye.” The ritual comes to an end with officials in charge of the ceremony sharing the spiritsꠓblessed food (“Eum-bok-rye”), covering the bowls and plates used for the ceremony (“Cheol-byeon-du”), seeing the spirits off (“Song-shin-rye”) and burning the written prayers used for the ritual (“Mang-ryo-rye”)
Jongmyo Jeryeak consists of twenty-seven parts, eleven of which form Bo Tae-pyeong which praises the cultural achievements of Joseon’s kings, and another eleven of which make up Jeong Dae-eop which lauds their military successes. ‹Hui-Mun›, the first song Bo Tae-pyeong, is played at Yeong-shin-rye and Jeon-pye-rye with different words. While the piece is played nine times at Yeong-shin-rye, it is performed at a very slow tempo at Jeon-pye-rye. Eleven songs of Bo Tae-pyeong are played at Cho-heon-rye and the entire work (comprising eleven songs) of Jeong Dae-eop is performed at A-heon-rye and Jong-heon-rye, all of which are of pentatonic scales. ‹Pung-an-ji-ak›, based on seven note scales, is played at Jin-chan-rye, Cheol-byeon-du and Song-shin-rye with different lyrics and titles.

Ilmu, the Dance of Jongmyo Jerye
Jongmyo Jeryeak comes with ritual dance, called “Il-mu,” meaning dance in rows. Il-mu consists of “Mun-mu,” which praises cultural achievements of Joseon’s kings, and “Mu-mu,” which extols their military attainments. In Jongmyo Jerye, Mun-mu is performed as ‹Bo Taeꠓpyeong-ji-mu› while Mu-mu as ‹Jeong Dae-eop-ji-mu›. Dancers perform Mun-mu with a stick decorated with the feathers of pheasants (called “Jeok”) in their right hands and a wind instrument made of bamboo (called “Yak”) in their left hands. In contrast, wooden spears or swords are held in dancers’ right hands when Mu-mu is performed. Mun-mu is performed in the first half of the ceremony until Cho-heon-rye, while Mu-mu is performed in A-heon-rye and Jong-heon-rye. In today’s rituals, “Pal-il-mu” is performed by 64 dancers in red costumes moving in eight rows and eight columns.

National Gugak Center, A Treasure Trove of Classical Performing Arts
The National Gugak Center is Korea's representative national arts institution that inherits traditional Korean performing arts. The National Gugak Center, inheriting the tradition of royal music institutions from the Eumseongseo of the Silla Dynasty, Daeakseo of the Goryeo Dynasty, and Janggakwon of the Chosun Dynasty, the National Gugak Center has preserved our traditional music and dance for thousands of years. It was opened in 1951 to preserve the traditional music and dance that has been preserved for thousands of years.