The Sound of Music? Arirang

The New Year is approaching, I was invited to participate in the community choir organized by the "2022 New Year's Day Gala".

The chorus of the community choir is going to perform the Korean ballad "Arirang".

In order to improve the performance level, the community hired a teacher from the vocal department of the Art College of Changjiang University to guide the choir students.

Our chorus is divided into four parts, soprano, alto, tenor and bass.

Tonight, the vocal teacher mainly explained the vocal requirements and techniques of each of the four parts, the knowledge of tonal music, the requirements and effects of chorus, the general knowledge and requirements of stage performance, the background of the creation of the ballad "Arirang" and the basic characteristics of Korean folk music.

The teacher introduced that the music of "Arirang" is a famous Korean song, which is the most representative folk song of the Korean people. There are different versions of it in different places, and the most common one is "Arirang in the key" which is popular in Gyeonggi-do area of Korea.

From 1910 to 1945, Korea was colonized by Japan. Under the national hatred, Korean patriotic director Roh Yun-kyu made a movie "Arirang" in 1926. This piece of music is the movie theme song in the movie "Arirang".

In the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the athletes of the South Korean and North Korean delegations entered the stadium, and the Chinese movie "The Loveliest of All" both used this song as background music.

The ballad "Arirang", with its gentle and melodious music, recounts a Korean girl's longing for her husband, her desire for love, and expresses the Korean people's inner persistent pursuit of peace and a happy and fulfilling life.

The melody is clear, the rhythm is light and smooth, the tune is euphemistic and lyrical, beautiful and melodious, the feelings are mournful, the mood is slightly sad.

"Arirang" is a 3/4 meter, sub-vocalized, palindromic melody.

The whole piece consists of two phrases, one above and one below, which are repeated and varied, and is a double-complex phrase.

The music shows the dignity, elegance and delicacy of Korean folk songs, which are representative of Korean folk songs.

The Korean people are a people who can sing and dance well, and they make good use of songs and dances to express their rich and delicate inner feelings, and express their fervent hope for a happy life. They all sing Arirang, and it can be said that where there is Arirang, there are Korean people.

The creation of this piece of music originated from a love story in the Goryeo period.

There was a young loving couple who lived a hard life. The husband went out to work to improve the family's situation. The wife did not want her husband to leave, she felt that the couple was happy to be together. But the husband still wanted his wife to be able to live a good life. The husband left home secretly one night. The beautiful wife was coveted by gangsters, who often harassed her and forced her to remarry, but she was harshly refused. When the husband returned from work, the couple was reunited, the ruffians gossiped about the wife, saying that she was unfaithful to her husband, who left the house in anger. When the husband left, his wife chased after him, singing Arirang as she chased after him:

Arirang, Arirang, Arirang, Yo

My husband has traveled a long way over the mountains

You're so unfeeling, you've left me behind

You're going to be homesick for me when I leave the house

Arirang, Arirang, Arirang, Yo

My husband has traveled a long way over the mountains

I'm not sure what to say about this, but I think it is a good idea.

The dark nights of spring are full of stars

Our parting words are hard to say

Arirang Arirang Arirang Yo

My husband has traveled a long way over the mountains

The dark nights of spring are full of stars

Our parting words are hard to say

Arirang Arirang Arirang Yo

My husband. The journey is long and long over the mountains

When will you come back after parting this night

Please leave me your promise so I can wait

The stirring song is filled with the wife's deep love and longing for her husband. The song eventually moved her husband, and the two loved each other as much as before, and went to the capital together to live a happy life.

The story, along with the music of Arirang, has since spread around the world.

Every nation has its own unique and outstanding musical art.

"Arirang" sang out the national characteristics, loved by people from all over the world, and became one of the world's classic folk music.

I really like the beautiful melody of the Korean music "Arirang" and the content of the song which is simple, clear, catchy and loving.

It embodies the excellent character of the peace-loving and vibrant Korean people, and the deep yet active, sad yet optimistic qualities of Korean music.

When I wrote these words, the beautiful music melody of "Arirang" was still gently circling in my ears.

It seems to see the lively and lovely Korean girls, dressed in colorful traditional national dresses, hand-clapping Korean long drums, the sound of drums sometimes deep and soft, sometimes crisp and bright.

People singing and dancing, faces full of happy smiles, people and drum beat, dancing, everywhere is a peaceful and joyful, cheerful scene.