Thursday, February 22, 2018

Korea's beloved Arirang folk song at the PyeongChang Olympics

A very interesting article appeared in The New York Times entitled "A tune heard often at these Olympics gets to the heart of being Korean."   The accompanying video contains a version of the song performed on KBS television.
The New York Times' article includes the following excerpt.  "In an 1896 essay, Homer B. Hulbert, an American missionary in Korea, wrote: “To the average Korean, this one song holds the same place in music that rice does in his food — all else is mere appendage. You hear it everywhere and at all times.” The same could perhaps be said about the song’s place at these Games. It has turned up as more than background music for the skating pair’s routine. It was played twice at Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony. It has been sung in the stands at hockey games. And with all the interaction here between North and South Korea, it has served as a stand-in national anthem for the formerly unified countries."  The rest of the article is well worth reading.

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