It is a genre of traditional Korean vocal music performed by men and women to the accompaniment of a small orchestra and is one of several forms of singing that make up jeongga, or the proper song that contains three-line poetry (sijo) accompanied by native instruments.
The musical genres of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) were roughly divided into two kinds depending on the class of the listeners. In addition to three genres of songs composed from poetry, the aristocracy and literati also enjoyed three different kinds of songs. Similarly, if the same poetry was set to more sophisticated songs accompanied by an ensemble, it was called a gagok. Lastly, songs derived from prose-poetry, or Gasa, were longer and more complex.
In the past, these three types of vocal music were known as proper songs (jeongga) by aristocrats to distinguish them from commoners’ songs. Pansori epic chant, folk songs (minyo), and other “miscellaneous songs” (japga) are considered the three types of proper songs, but Gagok is the most artistically sophisticated form.
The Gagok consists of 26 namchang (song for men) and 15 yeochang (song for women). Voices of Namchang are deep, resonant, and strong, while those of Yeochang are thin, high, and high-pitched. The songs used in gagok use a 10-beat or 16-beat rhythm and are composed in either a solemn, peaceful key or a melancholic one. The orchestra tends to use geomungo six-string zithers, daegeum transverse bamboo flutes, gayageum twelve-string zithers, and piri (small double-reed pipes).
There are just 43 syllables in the lyrics, and the song lasts for over 11 minutes. An individual singing such a slow song for more than 10 minutes is considered enough to calm the mind, fading away sadness and anxiety. In spite of the fact that these songs are neither exciting nor cheerful, they are attractive in a serene, elegant, and meditative way. No matter how high-strung or low-key, the tunes flow softly and resonantly.
As of today, practices and traditions of Gagok are preserved and transmitted in local heritage training centers by practitioners, their communities, and related organizations. However, Korean lyric songs of gagok have drawn special attention from world music experts, hailed as songs that cleanse the body and the soul, and as the slowest music in the world, ideal for hermits. In the future, lyric songs of poetry will likely be loved and cherished by music fans all over the world, serving as a medium to spread cultural exchange between Korea and other countries.
===References===
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/gagok-lyric-song-cycles-accompanied-by-an-orchestra-00444) (http://english.cha.go.kr/cop/bbs/selectBoardArticle.do?ctgryLrcls=CTGRY210&nttId=58143&bbsId=BBSMSTR_1205&mn=EN_03_02) |Subject=Art, Music, Verbal Arts and Literature |Country=South Korea |SDG=(09) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, (11) Sustainable Cities and Communities }}