Beompae () is a Korean genre of Buddhist chants and songs,Korea Times, "Beompae: solemn chant for Buddhist ritual", by Han Chang-ho, July 15. 2010 and is a traditional Korean song category. Other such examples include gagok and pansori).
Description
There are three kinds of beompae:
anchaebi sori (), "indoor chant", musically simple, sutra chants, mainly in Chinese, sung by a monk, usually inside a temple. baggatchaebi sori (), "outdoor chant", the solemn recitation of specific Chinese poems, either as hotsori () "simple chant", or jitsori () "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 (), secular Buddhist ritual chants, in vernacular Korean, easily understood by listeners."Korean Traditional & Folk Music Knowledge Site - Jeollabuk-do""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.
History
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."Traditional Music: Sounds in Harmony with Nature", Robert Koehler et al., The Korea Foundation, 2011
See also
Culture of Korea Korean music
References
External links
"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.