Samulnori: A Drumroll for Traditional Korean Percussion
A clang from four instruments, brass and boom filling the air. Then another. Gradually, the four beats separate into a weaving pattern of rhythm.
Samulnori (사물놀이) is a genre of traditional Korean percussion. This word translates to “samul,” or four objects, and “nori,” or play, which succinctly describes the four instruments used to create music.
Each of these four instruments represents an element of nature. Kkwaenggwari (꽹과리), a small, handheld gong, symbolizes thunder. Jing (징), a larger gong, mimics the wind. Janggu (장구), an hourglass-shaped drum, imitates rain, and buk (북), a barrel drum similar to the bass drum, corresponds with the clouds.
When played, the musicians are seated in a circular formation, facing each other. Their careful movements mimic those of a farmer in a field, drawing from samulnori’s agrarian origins. Typically, performers dress in traditional Korean clothing in bright colors such as blue, red, and yellow.
Historically, samulnori began as a means to entertain and ensure a plentiful harvest in rural communities. As the genre expanded, samulnori was used to march in wars and for celebrations. Samulnori also varies by region and purpose. For example, in military regions, samulnori carries a strong beat and a simple rhythm while, in farming territories, it has a more complex rhythm.
Samulnori grew in popularity with the establishment of a famous samulnori quartet: Kim Duk Soo, Kim Yong-bae, Choe Taehyon, and Yi Chongdae. SamulNori, as they were called, drew from the four core instruments of pungmul nori (풍물놀이), an earlier Korean folk music genre, to create and combine rhythmic patterns.
Informational/Image Sources:
Constante, Agnes. “Rooted in Korean Folk Music Tradition, Samulnori Finds a Home in the 21st Century.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 18 Nov. 2017, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/rooted-korean-folk-music-tradition-samulnori-finds-home-21st-century-n706726.
“Samulnori.” Korean Performance Research Program, https://u.osu.edu/kprp/performance-traditions/samulnori/.
