Aak

Aak was brought to Korea in 1116 through a large gift of 428 musical instruments as well as 572 costumes and ritual dance objects from China, a gift to Emperor Yejong of Goryeo from Emperor Huizong of Song.

It was revived in 1430, based on a reconstruction of older melodies, and preserved in "Treatise on Ceremonial Music" (Aak Po), a chapter of the Sejong Annals.

All the instruments used in aak are derived from Chinese originals, and very few of these are used in other kinds of traditional Korean music.

[4] Aak was first performed at the Royal Ancestral Shrine in the Goryeo period as ritual music of the court.

[4] The music is now highly specialized, and it is played only at certain ceremonies, in particular the Seokjeon Daeje held each spring and autumn at the Munmyo shrine in the ground of Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul to honour Confucius.