Authenticity Score from only purchased publication: 2=EURO-AMERICAN ARTISTIC PROCESSES
ARIRANG is perhaps the most popular of all Korean folk songs. Some scholars think it was written 150 years ago near the end of the Choson Dynasty (1392-1910). Others believe it is much older—possibly more than 1,000 years. ARIRANG tells the story of a heartbroken maiden who wishes that her departing sweetheart will have sore feet before he has gone “ten li” (about two and a half miles) and will have to come back to her" (program notes from score). However, there clearly is more than one version of the folk tale. Indeed, there are indeed conflicting stories. The lyrics tell the story of a woman who is either longing for her lost love, glad that he has gone, or is ambivalent about his departure.
아리랑
Arirang
Chorus and Verse 1
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Chorus and Verse |
Romanization |
Translated into English
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Chorus |
Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo... Arirang gogaero neomeoganda |
Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo... I am crossing over Arirang Pass. |
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Verse 1 |
Nareul beorigo gasineun nimeun Simnido motgaseo balbyeongnanda
Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo.. |
The man/woman who abandoned me Will not walk even ten li before his/her feet hurt.
Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo... |
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Verse 2 |
Cheongcheonghaneuren byeoldo manko Urine gaseumen kkumdo manta
Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo.. |
Just as there are many stars in the clear sky, There are also many dreams in our heart.
Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo... |
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Verse 3 |
Jeogi jeo sani Baekdusaniraji Dongji seotdaredo kkonman pinda
Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo.. |
There, over there that mountain is Baekdu Mountain, Where, even in the middle of winter days, flowers bloom.
Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo... |
Korean folk instruments include both plucked and bowed string instruments. There are video and audio resources further down this page.
The song is taught by ear traditionally. Of course, there are many notated versions of the song (see #4).
Arirang has “moved” from the song it was a long time ago. Pop arrangers, rock bands, jazz bands, solo performers, and symphony orchestras have adapted the song for modern concert audiences and the internet.
The song is used as part of large outdoor ceremonies in both North and South Korea. "Arirang" is also the the name of one of the largest television networks in South Korea.
One of our orchestra moms says that the song is so amazingly popular that she doesn't think most people know how or when they learned it. It is just the kind of song that everyone "just knows." It is sort of like learnig to tie our own shoes. We know how but probably don't remeber much about learning to do this. Arirang is like that for people in and from Korea.
Mrs. Kim from the Atlanta, Georgia (USA) says that in Korea there are many mountain passes with the name Arirang and no one is sure which is the one from the story. Because of this, it is also possible to interpret Arirang not as a physical location but as a state of mind or as a place better than the here and now. This viewpoint is a long way from Snow White waiting for Prince Charming to return.
It would be great if some students or anyone from Korea were to find out about this Wiki and add to information here. Can anyone help?
Students in the Florida Middle School All-State decided that Michael Story’s arrangement for string orchestra is less related to these contemporary performances than it is to the older folk song connected to the folk tale. They conclude that the arrangement demonstrates the personal, contemplative nature of the folk song. So they further decided to alter the arrangement to increase its connection to the personal nature of the folk song. Therefore, instead of the large first violin section playing the melody after the arrangement’s four-measure introduction, they decided to begin with a single violinist playing the first verse and then have the rest of the violinists enter at the repetition of mm. 5–12, which we also add.
In Illinois, students decided to begin with everyone playing the song on their own to reflect the personal and aural nature of the song. The resulting cacophony merged into a unison performance and segued into the arrangement itself. As each player aurally recognized that the bass section had begun to play together, he or she stopped playing at his or her own speed and style and joined in with the larger group. When the tutti version concluded, the piano entered with the introduction from the arrangement, which the orchestra played as written. This last part reflected the videos we saw in which Arirang was performed by an orchestra in different ways (e.g., accompanying a vocal solo or a piano rhapsody or as an outdoor festival showpiece).
In Wisconsin, the 2007 Middle School Honors Orchestra decided that each player would play the song through by her or himself, in their own way, as many times as they wanted, ending on a sustained open D-string. When everyone had come together on the open-D (softly), the piano would begin the introduction from the arrangement. They would play through the arrangement without a conductor. This group didn't have much time together to think of ways of doing it, but this seemed to work out ok. What was nice was that we spent time finding new versions of the song on You-Tube, which we added to this entry. There were some pop/rock/"head bangin'" ones that got us wanting to do an amplified, rock-modern version. But we didn't have the time.
In California, the 2013 CMEA All-State Middle School Orchestra (TBD)
| Source Name | Page # |
Short Note or Quote |
| Story, Michael. Arirang: Korean Folk Song. (Musical score.) Miami, FL: Belwin Mills, 2005. | cover |
"ARIRANG is perhaps the most popular of all Korean folk songs. Some scholars think it was written 150 years ago near the end of the Choson Dynasty. Others believe it is much older—possibly more than 1,000 years. ARIRANG tells the story of a heartbroken maiden who wishes that her departing sweetheart will have sore feet before he has gone “ten li” (about two and a half miles) and will have to come back to her" There are indeed conflicting stories. The lyrics tell the story of a woman who is either longing for her lost love, glad that he has gone, or is ambivalent about his departure. |
| Arriang: An Interactive Classroom on the Korean-American Experience |
This excellent web-based social studies unit from PBS is designed for secondary school students in the US. With multimedia resources and lesson plans, it is organized into four parts, by essential questions and themes: 1. A century ago, would you have moved to a new country? (Early Immigration) 2. What if your country of origin had been taken over by invaders? (Resistance to Oppression) 3. What is the effect of contemporary immigration being "color blind"? (The New Immigration) 4. Are the new Americans in the margin or in the mainstream? (Building Multi-cultural America) |
If the separate videos do not load, they are all part of this playlist.
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RiuGang Num has replied to your comment on Arirang. This is a performance at a Folk Song Festival in China. Most verses were sang in Korean but the last verse was sang in Chinese.
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Variations on a Korean Folk Song for Band. (Which folk song do you think?)
Uploaded on Apr 25, 2008 This is arranged by John Barnes Chance. There are 5 movements Con Molto, Vivace, Larghetto, Allegro con brio, and Con Islancio. The Mount Prospect Community Band is sponsored by the Mount Prospect Park District and directed by Ralph Wilder. |
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Arirang by Jang Sa Ik The title of the song is "Gangnam Arirang." Gangnam means "south of the river," but in this case, the word refers to the direction= in which birds migrate during winter.
The lyrics of the first part (soloist) of the song is something like: "It is almost March when birds return from the south, we will, too, have spring again." Added 12/17/07
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A contemporary and (still) personal rendition. How does technology change Arirang's presence around the world? |
| What else does this performance tell you about what Arirang means for the people who live in Korea today? (Question 4a). Where in your country or society would a song be presented in the way that Arirang is presented here? |
Grandparents Singing Arirang Meeting them was bittersweet for me. They're old and I don't know if this would be the last time I saw them. So many memories that could have been...but I'm very grateful that they're in good health. I hope I could see them again very soon. |
| What about the purpose of Arirang here? |
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Source Name |
Location | Description |
| Arirang | Arriang: An Interactive Classroom on the Korean-American Experience | An interactive classrom on the Korean-American Experience by PBS |
| Arts of Asia | The Arts of Asia | Cultures with long histories—like many in Asia—can be difficult to grasp. This guide to Korea's historical periods describes its major eras in terms of artistic production and significant political developments. |
| Orchestra Name | Month-Year | School-Location |
Conductor-Teacher |
| Florida Middle School All-State String Orchestra | 02-07 | Tampa, FL | Louis Bergonzi |
| Illinois Summer Youth Music Junior Orchestra | 07-07 | Champaign-Urbana, IL | Louis Bergonzi |
| Wisconsin State Music Education Association Middle Level State Honors Orchestra | 10-07 | Madison, WI | Louis Bergonzi |
| California Middle School All-State Orchestra | 02-13 | Fresno, CA | Louis Bergonzi |