History

Jongmyo Jerye and Jongmyo Jeryeak are inclusive terms for the music, singing, and dancing used in performing the rites in honor of the successive generations of kings from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) buried in the Jongmyo Shrine. Jongmyo Jerye, the Royal Ancestral Rite, is a solemn and reverent ceremony of strict propriety and harmonious music, praising the deeds of former kings, reporting them to the gods, and praying for a happy and prosperous posterity.

Designated Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 1, Jongmyo Jeryeak, or the Royal Ancestral Ritual Music consists of two pieces in the form of suites, "Botaepyeong" and "Jeongdaeeop." The words of "Botaepyeong" praise the civil works of the former kings, while "Jeongdaeeop" focuses on their military exploits. "Botaepyeong" is performed during the "first service" when the first cup of wine is offered, and "Jeongdaeeop" accompanies the offering of the second and third cups.

"Botaepyeong" and "Jeongdaeeop" are thought to have been composed by King Sejong in 1449 on the basis of existing pieces. At first performed at various ceremonies and banquets within the court, the music was rearranged for use in the royal ancestral rites in 1463 during the reign of King Sejo, and began to be performed at Jongmyo Shrine in the following year.

Together, "Botaepyeong" and Jeongdae-eop form a composite ceremonial performance combining song, dance, and the playing of specially constructed instruments. Following the principle of yin and yang, the ensemble is divided into an Orchestra on the Terrace that plays on the raised area where the shrines containing the royal mortuary tablets are located, and an Orchestra on the Ground that plays on the lower area adjacent to the terrace. The beginning and end of the music and the form of the movements are based on the ancient Chinese-derived ceremonial music aak (yayue in Chinese), while the main musical content, the melody, was created by adapting existing tunes of native Korean origin, such as songs from the preceding Goryeo Dynasty. The two orchestras perform separately and differ somewhat in instrumentation. Both include the pyeonjong (a set of tuned bells), pyeongyeong (a set of tuned L-shaped stone chimes), banghyang (a set of tuned metal chimes), daegeum (a bamboo flute), dangpiri (a type of oboe), janggu (hourglass-shaped drum), chuk (wooden box mortar), bak (wooden clapper), and singing. In addition, the Orchestra on the Terrace includes the ajaeng (bowed zither) and jeolgo (barrel drum), while the Orchestra on the Ground uses the taepyeongso (shawm), haegeum (two-string fiddle), jing (gong), and jingo (a different type of barrel drum).

In short, Jongmyo Jeryeak is remarkable for the elegance of its stately rhythms and tunes, and the native Korean instruments such as the bamboo flute that play together with the instruments of ancient music produce solemn and dignified melodies enriched with the bright percussive attacks of the pyeonjong bells and the pyeongyeong stone chimes. The dances performed in time to this noble music comprise the "civil dance" to the music of "Botaepyeong" and the "military dance" accompanied by "Jeongdaeeop." Both dances are performed while holding symbolic objects in the dancers' hands: for the civil dance, two kinds of flute, the yak and jeok (the latter made from a pheasant feather), and for the military dance, a wooden sword and spear. Both dances re-enact the founding of the Joseon dynasty through stylized movement.