Samulnori

Samulnori 사물놀이. In 1978, four folk company musicians led by Kim Deoksu brought the rural rhythms of nongak / pungmul to a Seoul stage. This was called Samulnori, “performance of four objects”, since it used the four basic pungmulnori instruments: the buk, janggu, jing, and kkwaenggwari. Differing from its initial danced performance, this interpretation was played seated on the floor, a new format that proved highly popular, especially among young urban audiences. New groups were formed, both in varied Korean locations and internationally, all maintaining the name samulnori, which became a genre in itself. The five canonic samulnori pieces, created by the original group, embrace the rhythms of different Korean regions with great virtuosity.