Arirang

"Arirang" (Korean: 아리랑) is a Korean folk song, often considered as the unofficial national anthem of Korea.^[1]

In December 2012, South Korea's submission of the song was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity program by UNESCO.^[2][3] This was followed by the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea's announcement of a five-year plan to promote and preserve the song. The plan supports "Arirang" festivals by regional organizations with the purpose of building an archive for the song, promoting research grants, holding exhibitions, and so on.^[4] The song's first translation into singable lyrics in nine languages was performed in December 2013.

North Korea also submitted the song to the Intangible cultural heritage list and their submission was inscribed in 2014.^[5]

Etymology

Arirang, Lyrics in English Adaptation-2 by GSIT at HUFS in 2013. Adaptation of W. B. Yeats' great poem, 'The Falling of the Leaves,' into the Arirang melody to convey the woe and sorrow with which Korean people sympathize when listening to the song.

Arirang performed by the United States Army Band Strings with a tenor soloist

Arirang performed by the United States Army Band Chorus with a tenor soloist

Many versions of the song start by describing the travails encountered by the subject of the song while crossing a mountain pass. "Arirang" is one name for the pass and hence the title of the song. Some versions of "Arirang" mention Mungyeong Saejae, which is the main mountain pass on the road connecting Seoul and southeastern Gyeongsang Province during the Joseon Dynasty.

There are apparently a number of passes called "Arirang Pass" in Korea. One of them is located in central-northeastern Seoul. This particular pass, however, was originally called Jeongneung Pass and was only renamed as Arirang in 1926 to commemorate the release of the film Arirang.^[6] Older versions of the song long predate the movie.

Arirang Pass (아리랑 고개) is an imaginary rendezvous of lovers in the land of dreams, although there is a real mountain pass, called "Arirang Gogae," outside the Small East Gate of Seoul. The heroine of the story from which the Arirang Song originated was a fair maid of Miryang. In fact, she was a modest woman killed by an unrequited lover. But as time went on, the tragic story changed to that of an unrequited lady-love who complained of her unfeeling lover. The tune is sweet and appealing. The story is recounted in "Miss Arirang" in Folk Tales of Old Korea (Korean Cultural Series, Vol. VI).

Variations

There are many variations of the song, which may be classified based on the lyrics, the timing when the refrain is sung, the nature of the refrain, the overall melody, and so on. Titles of different versions of "Arirang" are usually prefixed by their place of origin or some other kind of signifier.

The original form of "Arirang" is Jeongseon Arirang, which has been sung for more than 600 years. However the most famous version of "Arirang" is that of Seoul. It is the so-called Bonjo Arirang, although it is not actually "standard" (bonjo: 본조; 本調). This version is more widely known simply as Arirang, and is of relatively recent origin. It was first made popular when it was used as the theme song of the influential early feature film Arirang (1926).^[7] This version of the song is also called Sin Arirang (Shin; "new") or Gyeonggi Arirang, after its provenance, Seoul, which was formerly part of Gyeonggi Province. (The titles Bonjo Arirang and Sin Arirang are also sometimes applied to other versions of the song.)

Particularly famous folk versions of Arirang—all of which long predate the standard version—include:

• Jeongseon Arirang, (정선 아리랑) from Jeongseon County in Gangwon Province;
• Jindo Arirang (진도 아리랑) from Jindo County in South Jeolla Province; and
• Milyang Arirang (밀양 아리랑) from Milyang in South Gyeongsang Province.

Paldo Arirang is sometimes used to collectively denote all the many regional versions of the song, as sung in the far-flung regions of Korea's traditional Eight Provinces (Paldo).

The American composer John Barnes Chance based his 1965 concert band composition Variations on a Korean Folk Song on a version of "Arirang" which he heard in Korea in the late 1950s.

Translation into other languages

Until 2013, the song's lyrics had not been translated into other languages into a song, forcing singers to sing romanized Korean lyrics. In the fall of 2013, a group of professional translators and interpreters from the Hankuk University, Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies produced singable lyrics of "Arirang" in nine languages other than Korean. On 3 December 2013, professor Jongsup Jun directed a concert under the title of "Let the World Sing Arirang in their Tongues", in which a student choir sang the famous Kyunggi "Arirang" in English, Chinese, Japanese, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Russian, Arabic and Korean.^[8][9][10]

Lyrics

The table below gives the refrain (first two lines; the refrain precedes the first verse) and first verse (third and fourth lines) of the standard version of the song in Hangul, romanized Korean, and a literal English translation:

The standard version of Arirang (Seoul Arirang or Gyeonggi Arirang) has various verses, although other verses are not as frequently sung as the first verse. The lyrics are different from singer to singer:

Refrain

In all versions of the song, the refrain and each verse are of equal length. In some versions, such as the standard version and Jindo Arirang, the first refrain precedes the first verse, while in other versions, including Miryang Arirang, the first refrain follows the first verse. Perhaps the easiest way to classify versions—apart from melody, which can vary widely between different versions—is the lyrics of the refrain. In the standard and some other versions, the first line of the refrain is "Arirang, Arirang, arariyo...," while in both the Jindo Arirang and Miryang Arirang (which are otherwise quite different from each other), the first line of the refrain begins with "Ari arirang, seuri seurirang...." ("Arariyo" and "seurirang")

Miryang Arirang

Statue commemorating the Miryang Arirang near Miryang Station

Bird Pass or "Saejae" is the summit of a high mountain, rising north of Moonkyung in the ancient highway, linking Seoul with Miryang and Tongnae (Pusan). Its sky-kissing heights are so rugged that in their eyes. This is a love song of a dancing girl from Miryang who was left behind by her lover from Seoul (Hanyang). She is calling him to take her with him to Hanyang. She believed that her own beauty was above all flowers in Hanyang. The words in the first line of the chorus are sounds of bitter sorrow at parting. This song was composed by Kim Dong Jin.

Gangwon Arirang

The highland maids would like to make up their hair with castor and camellia oils and go flirting instead working in the soybean fields. The mountain grape moroo and banana-shaped darae were precious foods to mountain folk. The song is sarcastic, but emotional to comfort the fair solitary reapers who go about gathering the wild fruits in the deep mountains of Kangwon-do.

Association with the United States

The South Korean government designated "Arirang" as the official march of the U.S. Army's 7th Infantry Division since 26 May 1956,^[16] after its service in Korea during the Korean War, though the official Division song was the "New Arirang March," an American-style march arrangement of "Arirang" (the 7th Infantry Division was inactive and was reactivated as an administrative headquarters at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington on October 1, 2012 to provide more oversight and guidance for the base’s five combat brigades).^[17]

On February 26, 2008, the New York Philharmonic performed "Arirang" for an encore during its unprecedented trip to North Korea.^[18]

In popular culture

The tune is used for the hymn "Christ, You Are the Fullness".^[19]

• In Killer Instinct Season 3, it is used in Kim Wu stage theme.
• In Sid Meier's Civilization V, it is used as the theme for the Korean civilization, led by Sejong the Great.
• In 2001, the Milton High School Marching Band played a variation on the piece, called "Impressions of the Orient."

See also

• Arirang Festival

References

External links

• Arirang - Korean American History (Informative website on the Korean American Experience - Includes the song Arirang with lyrics.)
• Podcast: The Case of Arirang: How the Anthem of Korean Resistance Became a Japanese Pop Hit

UNESCO Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity: music
Aka polyphony Albanian folk iso-polyphony Angklung Aqyn Arabic maqam Arirang Ashik Ashiqs of Azerbaijan Azerbaijani tar Baul music Bećarac Bigwala Biyelgee Bistritsa Babi Dainichido Bugaku Beijing opera Candombe Cante Alentejano Cantonese opera Cantu a tenore Ca trù Cremona violins Doina Duduk Eshuva Fado Frevo Fujara Gagaku Gagok Garifuna music Georgian vocal polyphony Gong culture Guqin Gwoka Hua'er Hudhud chants Istrian scale Kgal Laox Khuumii Klapa Koodiyattam Khorasan Bakhshi music Kumi Odori Kunqu Lhamo Long song Maloya Maqam al-iraqi Meshrep Morin khuur Mugham Muqam Nanyin Nhã nhạc Ojkanje singing Pansori Pirekua Quan họ Radif Sama Samba de roda Seto Leelo Shashmaqam Silbo Gomero Slovácko Verbuňk Song of Sana'a Sosso Bala Sutartinės Táncház The Song of the Sibyl Tumba francesa Vallenato Vedic chant Wayang kulit Xi'an guyue Xoan singing

UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity/Asia & Pacific
Acupuncture & Moxibustion Ainu dance Akiu no Taue Odori Akyn Angklung "Arirang" Bakhshi music Batik Baul Beijing opera Boysun District Bunraku Cantonese opera Ca trù Chakkirako Cheoyongmu Chhau dance Chinese architecture Chinese block printing Chinese calligraphy Chinese paper cutting Chinese seal engraving Chinese shadow puppetry Daemokjang Daimokutate Dainichido Bugaku Darangen Epic Dragon Boat Festival Drametse Ngacham Epic of King Gesar Farmer's Dance Gagaku Gagok Ganggangsullae Gangneung Danoje Festival Gimjang Gióng Festival Gong culture Grand Song Guqin Guqin music Hayachine Kagura Hitachi Furyumono Hua'er Hudhud Chant Indonesian kris Jamdani Jeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut Jultagi Kabuki Kalbelia Kashan rug Katta Ashula Khoomei Koshikijima no Toshidon Kumiodori Kunqu Kutiyattam Ladakh chant Lakalaka Lenj boats Lhamo Longquan celadon Mak yong Mazu belief Meshrep Mibu no Hana Taue Morin khuur Mosie ramie Mudiyett Muqam Naadam Namsadang Nori Nanyin Naqqāli Nhã nhạc Noh Oku-noto no Aenokoto Pahlevani and zoorkhaneh rituals Pansori Quan họ Radif Ramlila Ramman Royal Ballet of Cambodia Regong arts Royal Ancestral Ritual Sada Shin Noh Saman dance Sand drawing Sbek Toch Sekishu-Banshi Shiraz rug Taekkyeon Ta'zīye Urtiin Duu Vedic chanting Wayang Xi'an ensemble Xuan paper Yamahoko Yeongsanjae Yūki-tsumugi Yunjin