| Sanjo | |
 Intangible Cultural Heritage Report Sanjo | |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 산조 |
| Hanja | 散調 |
| RR | sanjo |
| MR | sanjo |
Sanjo (Korean: 산조), literally meaning 'scattered melodies', is a style of traditionalKorean music, involving an instrumental solo accompanied by drumming on thejanggu, anhourglass-shaped drum. The art ofsanjo is a real crystallization of traditional Korean melody and rhythm which may have been handed down by rote generation after generation. The drummer who beats thejanggu also makeschuimsae (exclamations) in order to please the audience.The audience can also express their excited feeling withchuimsae while listening tosanjo. A bigchuimsae indicates a good performance, so the musician can make a better performance. Likepansori,chuimsae plays an important role insanjo. Withoutchuimsae, the music is meaningless.Chuimsae connects musician and audience during asanjo performance. Almost every Korean traditional musical instrument is used insanjo:gayageum,geomungo,daegeum,haegeum,piri,taepyeongso,ajaeng,danso.
Sanjo was said to be developed around 1890 byKim Chang-jo (1865–1920) for thegayageum. Thereafter, it was expanded to other traditional Korean instruments, including thegeomungo andKorean flutes. Its early development was informed by other genres of traditional music, includingpansori,sinawi, and the performances ofKorean shamanism.
Daegeum sanjo, played on thedaegeum (a traditional Koreantransverse flute) was developed in the 1920s. It has since become one of the most popular forms ofsanjo. Its leading practitioner today isYi Saenggang.
Sanjo is traditionally identified as a form ofminsogak, or folk music.
The composition ofsanjo varies depending on the people, instruments and time. However, usuallysanjo starts with a slowjinyangjo rhythm (hangul: 진양조장단; very slow rhythm used inpansori orsanjo) and becomes faster, ending with a very fast rhythm like adanmori rhythm and creating enthusiasm in the audience. Starting from a slow rhythm, the audience can gradually sink into the melody of the song.Sanjo expresses various aspects of the player.Sanjos are not fixed music. The musician can make new music with original variations.Sanjo has endless melodies in which musicians make new compositions that change with the times.[1]
