Byeongchang refers to singing to the accompaniment of a musical instrument, usually geomungo or gayageum. In western music, it is not unusual to sing along with a piano or guitar, but in Korea, byeongchang was regarded as something adopted by singers of mediocre talent. Gayageum byeongchang was mostly used for folk songs or to relax one’s vocal cords before the actual performance. Pansori singers who could not sing the entire pansori piece properly after damaging their voice found an alternative way of performing by doing gayageum byeongchang. This is why gayageum byeongchang was looked down upon. However, early 20th-century gayageum virtuosos such as O Tae-seok (오태석) and Sim Sang-keon (심상건) remastered gayageum byeongchang pieces to a legitimate musical genre, and gayageum byeongchang is now designated as a national intangible cultural asset. The first gayageum byeongchang singer to be named the practitioner of this intangible national treasure was Park Kui-hee (박귀희), who had built up traditional musicals with female singers, together with master singers Kim So-hee (김소희) and Park Rok-ju (박록주). Here’s Park Kui-hee’s gayageum byeongchang performance of “Jebinojeonggi (제비노정기).”
Music 1: Jebinojeonggi/ Gayageum byeongchang by Park Kui-hee
MC: “Jebinojeonggi” is an aria from pansori “Heungboga”. It is the story of how a swallow that Heungbo had saved and cared for flew to the warm southern region in the winter and came back to Heungbo’s home the following spring, bearing magical seeds. Here, the southern region refers to the area south of the Yangtze River in China, which now includes Jiangsu, Anhui, and Zhejiang provinces. There were probably numerous scenic spots between those southern provinces and Heungbo’s home at the foot of Jirisan Mountain. “Jebinojeonggi” is a song that describes those scenic spots in detail, allowing the song’s listeners to imagine visiting those wonderful places with the swallow. As gayageum byeongchang became a respected musical genre, geomungo players came up with its own byeongchang pieces. One of the pioneering musicians in geomungo byeongchang was master geomungo free-style soloist Shin Kwae-dong (신쾌동). The geomungo virtuoso’s experience of having worked together with pansori masters since young helped him create geomungo byeongchang pieces. Now we’re going to hear his performance of “Saetaryeong (새타령)” or “The Bird Song” from pansori “Jeokbyeokga (적벽가),” “Song of the Red Cliffs.” This aria depicts the scene in which Cao Cao, who was fleeing from the battle of the Red Cliffs after his army was decimated, compares the forlorn sounds of birds to the vengeful spirits of his dead soldiers.
Music 2: “Saetaryeong” from pansori “Jeokbyeokga”/ Geomungo byeongchang by Shin Kwae-dong
MC: In the old days, geomungo was considered an instrument of gentlemen, so ordinary people were forbidden to play it. This is why, at the end of the Joseon Dynasty, noblemen deplored that the end was near when they heard that geomungo was played for sanjo, the music for ordinary people. Joseon-era gentlemen would have been dumbstruck, and maybe even enraged, if they had heard geomungo byeongchang. But the fact is that byeongchang is a genre that requires musicians to be able to both play an instrument and sing, which is why there are not that many traditional musicians willing or capable of practicing this genre of music. But there are some musicians who come up with new byeongchang renditions. The next two pieces are “Winter,” a gayageum byeongchang piece played with a 25-string gayageum, and a passage from the pansori “Heungboga” sung as piano byeongchang. These two pieces are special in that “Winter” is a musical rendition of a poem written by distinguished Joseon-era poet Heo Nanseolheon (허난설헌) and the piano byeongchang piece was arranged by composer Choi Jun. This week’s Sounds of Korea will conclude with “Winter” played with a 25-string gayageum played and sung by Jang Seo-yoon (장서윤) and piano byeongchang “Hwachojang” performed by Choi Jun.
Music 3: Winter/ Gayageum byeongchang by Jang Seo-yoon
“Hwachojang” from pansori “Heungboga”/ Piano byeongchang by Choi Jun