Detail

`The Ministry of Communications is issuing these two stamps as the fifth and last part of a series designed to introduce Korea`s traditional musical instruments. 1. Pak (Clappers) Shaped like a folded fan, this instrument consists of six leaves which are loosely held together at the upper end by a chord made of deer`s skin. The loose ends are thicker than the bound ends. The left hand holds a leaf, while the right hand opens and claps the other leaves against the leaf held in the left hand. Pak is clapped once to start the music and three times in rapid succession to end the music. 2. Pyenchong (Bell-Chimes) This instrument is made up of 16 bronze bells, two rows of eight each, which hang in a carved standard. The bells are identical in shape and size, but different in thickness. The thicker the bell, the higher the tone. These bell-chimes, together with the stone-chimes called Pyenkyong, are indispensable to the traditional Korean court music and are now used during the ceremonial music at Chongmyo, the ancestral temple of the royal family, and the Confucian Temple.`