Hun (instrument)

The hun (Korean: 훈; Hanja: 塤) is a Korean Xun-like globular flute made of baked clay or other ceramics.

Hun
Musicians playing the hun during a Seokjeon Daeje ceremony
Woodwind instrument
Classification Aerophone
Hornbostel–Sachs classification421.13
(vessel flutes without distinct beak)
Developed12th century
Related instruments

Origin

The hun is a close relative to the Chinese xun. It dates back to the 12th century, when it was introduced to Korea by the Song dynasty of China in 1114 and 1116. This came about when the Chinese emperor gave 72 hun to King Yejong of Goryeo as a gift.[1] The instrument began being made in Korea around the 15th century.[2][3][4]

Design

The instrument is made of clay and is usually black.[5] The hun is globular and comes in three main shapes: the egg, the hemisphere and the ball. It has a blowing hole on top and five finger holes, two on the back and three on the front. The is no standard size for the instrument.[2] The hun is played using two hands. The range of the hun is an octave: it can produce all 12 chromatic notes.[2] It has a dark timbre similar to the ocarina.[3][6]

Usage

It is used primarily in court music ensembles to play aak: ceremonial music to honour Confucius.[7][5] In these ceremonies, the hun represents the earth and plays together with the ji, a flute.[5] The hun has been used in this capacity since the 12th century.[8] In the late 20th century some contemporary Korean composers began to use it in their compositions and film scores.[6]

See also
  • Traditional music of Korea

References
  1. Provine, Robert C. (1992). "The Korean Courtyard Ensemble for Ritual Music (Aak)". Yearbook for Traditional Music. 24: 91–117. doi:10.2307/768472. ISSN 0740-1558. JSTOR 768472. S2CID 193035723.
  2. The New Grove dictionary of musical instruments. Internet Archive. London : Macmillan Press ; New York, NY : Grove's Dictionaries of Music. 1984. ISBN 978-0-943818-05-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. Service (KOCIS), Korean Culture and Information. "Gamin's sounds of wind : Korea.net : The official website of the Republic of Korea". www.korea.net. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  4. Gibbons, Roy W. (1983). The CCFCS collection of musical instruments. Internet Archive. Ottawa : National Museums of Canada.
  5. Song, Hye-jin (2008). Confucian ritual music of Korea : tribute to Confucius and royal ancestors. Internet Archive. Seoul, Korea : Korea Foundation. ISBN 978-89-86090-28-4.
  6. "10 Unusual Musical Instruments From Around the World". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  7. "421.13 Vessel flutes (without distinct beak)". Horniman Museum and Gardens. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  8. "Korean music – Court instrumental music | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
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