BOOKS
Kim Hey-jung.
Nongak. Community Band Music, Dance, and Rituals in the Republic of Korea.
Seoul, Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, 2014.
€ 29.50
Softcover, 194pp., 16,5x20cm., richly illustr. in col., in very good condition. ISBN: 9788964330999. "K-Heritage, vol. 2".
This book, published in 2014, is part of the K-Heritage series and covers Nongak, which was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in the same year. Nongak is a form of performing art encompassing music, dance, and theater. Although literally meaning the 'farmers' music', in actuality nongak can be more accurately described as the folk music of the Korean people, whose livelihoods were traditionally deeply rooted in agriculture. No festive village event was considered complete without the uproarious music and dance of nongak; it is therefore immediately associated with ecstasy and excitement in the minds of many Korean people. This music and dance steeped in agrarian traditions has been creatively transformed into modern-day forms of performance as well.