Beompae

Summary

Beompae (Korean범패; Hanja梵唄) is a Korean genre of Buddhist chants and songs,[1] and is a traditional Korean song category. Other such examples include gagok and pansori).[2]

Beompae
Hangul
범패
Hanja
梵唄
Revised Romanizationbeompae
McCune–Reischauerpŏmp'ae

Description edit

There are three kinds of beompae:

  • anchaebi sori (안채비 소리), "indoor chant", musically simple, sutra chants, mainly in Chinese, sung by a monk, usually inside a temple.
  • baggatchaebi sori (바깥채비 소리), "outdoor chant", the solemn recitation of specific Chinese poems, either as hotsori (홋소리) "simple chant", or jitsori (짓소리) "long chant". Sung in a characteristic high pitch by a trained professional singer and monk, for special ritual occasions. The term boempae sometimes refers specifically to these kinds of chants, the most ancient of Korean Buddhist ritual chants.
  • hwacheong (화청), secular Buddhist ritual chants, in vernacular Korean, easily understood by listeners.[3][4]

History edit

Beompae developed since the Three Kingdoms period, when Buddhism enjoyed official patronage as Korea's dominant religion. It declined during the Joseon Dynasty, when Confucianism was promoted, and during the Japanese era, when Korea's traditional Buddhist culture was repressed.[2]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Korea Times, "Beompae: solemn chant for Buddhist ritual", by Han Chang-ho, July 15. 2010
  2. ^ a b "Traditional Music: Sounds in Harmony with Nature", Robert Koehler et al., The Korea Foundation, 2011
  3. ^ "Korean Traditional & Folk Music Knowledge Site - Jeollabuk-do"
  4. ^ "Pŏmp'ae", "Korean Ritual Music: Buddhist", adapted from an article by Lee Byong Won, The Concise Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, Volume 2, Routledge, Feb 1, 2013, p.1206.

External links edit

  • "A Short History of Pomp'ae: Korean Buddhist Ritual Chant", by Byong Won Lee, Journal of Korean Studies, Volume 1, Number 2, January–June 1971, pp. 109–121.
  • "PŎMP'AE" (from Byong Won Lee, Buddhist Music of Korea, Seoul: Jung Eum Sa, 1987), Korea: A Historical and Cultural Dictionary, by Keith L. Pratt, Richard Rutt, Psychology Press, 1999, p. 354.
  • "Religious Music : Buddhism", by Byong Won Lee, from Music of Korea, edited by Byong Won Lee & Yong-shik Lee. Seoul: National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts, 2007, p. 145.