Musok eumak

What it is

Musok eumak is the traditional shamanistic music of Korea, written in Korean as 무속 음악 and also called muak, 무악. It belongs to Korean shamanism and sounds at and during the gut, the shaman's ritual. A performance is never only sound: it joins singing, dancing and percussion. The sources present it as ritual music rather than a concert form, although it has a public life too. It is kept in South Korea, where it is treated as one of the older layers of the country's music.

In the ritual

The gut is the ritual setting, and inside it the music has a task. It is believed to help the shaman enter a trance, and trance is understood as the state in which gods, ancestors and spirits can be reached. Singing, dancing and percussion all serve that end, and the shaman stands at the centre while the sound carries the rite forward. The sources fix the music to no calendar day and give no fixed running order for the ritual. What they make clear is that the music and the gut belong together.

Beyond the ritual

Musok eumak is not played only for spiritual rites. Heard outside them, it lets listeners meet what the sources call an archetype of traditional Korean music, a model of older Korean sound. Its reach shows in later music: Samul nori, a present-day South Korean genre, draws in part on muak. The same body of sound therefore has two lives in the sources, one inside the ritual and one in Korean music more widely, where it is valued as a root that anyone who listens can experience.

How Musok eumak is kept

The music is played at and during the gut, a shamanistic ritual. A performance joins three things: singing, dancing and percussion. The shaman is the central figure, and the music is what is believed to carry the shaman toward trance. Within the rite, trance is understood as the state in which gods, ancestors and spirits can be reached, so the sound is doing the ritual's work. The sources give no fixed order of events and tie the music to no set date; it belongs to the gut whenever a gut is held.

When and where

The music belongs to the gut, the shamanistic ritual, and sounds at and during that rite. The sources give no fixed date. It is kept whenever a gut is held, rather than on one day of the year or one day of the week.

It belongs to South Korea and to Korean shamanism. The sources describe it as traditional Korean shamanistic music and note its place in Korean music more widely. They name no particular city, shrine or region as its home.

What Musok eumak means

For those who keep it, the sound is a means, not an ornament. Singing, dancing and percussion are believed to help the shaman enter trance, and trance is understood as the state in which gods, ancestors and spirits can be reached. The music therefore carries the purpose of the ritual. At the same time it is valued as an archetype, a model of older Korean music that anyone who hears it can experience, whether or not they take part in the rite.

Questions people ask about Musok eumak

See also

JesaA Korean ancestral memorial ceremony held on death anniversaries and major holidays.Water lanternSmall lamps floated on water to honour the dead and ask for good fortuneGutSacred rites of song, dance, and spirit communion performed by Korean shamansBuddha's BirthdayA festival marking the birth of Siddhartha Gautama, observed across Asia with temple rituals and community gatherings.

Good reading and sources

• Musok eumak on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-09.