[4K] THE BOYZ, DAY6, NCT WISH, n.SSign, CRAVITY, TNX, PURPLE KISS, TEMPEST | On the way to music bank 240322
2024-03-22
The weather has turned quite hot in recent weeks as summer is approaching. On days like this, Koreans in the old days used to like relaxing in pavilions, cozy structures open on all sides, under the shade and listen to the bubbling sound of a creek. It was easy to find a small pavilion wherever there was a majestic mountain and a sparkling river. The most well-known such place in Korea is Soswaewon (소쇄원), located in Damyang, Jeollanam-do Province. Soswaewon is not just a garden, but a whole complex consisting of trees, plants, and various pavilions and structures, which were built to provide views of the surrounding nature without hurting its original beauty. Some of the popular pavilions include Chojeong with a thatched roof situated near the garden entrance, Gwangpunggak (광풍각) Pavilion and Jewoldang (제월당) Hall. Today’s Sounds of Korea begins with an instrumental piece titled “Soswaewon” with Won Jang-hyun playing the daegeum.
Music 1: Soswaewon/ Daegeum by Won Jang-hyun
Natural gardens called “wollim (원림)” in Korean are often referred to in the same way as manmade gardens. But a wollim differs from gardens in that humans are invited into nature in a wollim, whereas nature is brought into human dwellings in gardens. Even within the similar far eastern cultures of Korea, China, and Japan, Chinese and Koreans preferred natural, unpolished wollim over the sophisticated, landscaped gardens of Japan. A simple structure at a location that can provide the best possible view of nature is called a “jeongja (정자)” and those larger in size are called a “nugak (누각)” or “nudae (누대).” Some of the best-known pavilions in Korea are Chokseongnu (촉석루) in Jinju and Gyeongpodae in Gangneung. Gyeongpodae, which provides a panoramic view of the East Sea and Gyeongho Lake, is said to be a place of five moons - one moon rises in the sky, one is reflected on the sea, one floats in the lake, one is sunk in a wine glass, and one is shining in the eyes of a loved one. There is a song about having drinks at Gyeongpodae on a moonlit night. The lyrics are translated roughly as follows.
When I climbed up the beautiful pavilion with twelve handrails,
The seashore’s spring color was floating on Gyeongpodae.
The depth of the calm, light green waves cannot be known,
But white birds fly here and there in pairs.
I hear the sound of rowing beyond the heavenly cloud that travels the long road
And I see the moon drowned in my ever-wandering wine glass.
A yellow crane that was flying to the east understood my heart
And it circled slowly over the lake, not hurrying a bit.
Let’s listen to the song while imagining the peaceful scene in our minds.
Music 2: Twelve Handrails/ Sung by Jo Il-ha
That was titled “Twelve Handrails” sung by Jo Il-ha. Relaxing by oneself at a pavilion is nice, but it would be doubly enjoyable if you had good company. There is a passage from the pansori “Chunhyangga (춘향가)” in which young master Lee sings of the beautiful environment at Gwanghallu (광한루) in spring. On a late spring morning, he saw the mist enveloping a mountain faraway and Gwanghallu surrounded by lush trees and assorted flowers. There was Ojakgyo (오작교) Bridge, where, according to an old myth, magpies and crows built a bridge with their bodies to help two lovers unite. Master Lee, who just entered puberty, naturally hoped to have a sweetheart of his own, while thinking about the story of those two lovers. That was when he spotted Chunhyang riding a swing over on the other side of the garden. Let’s conclude this episode of Sounds of Korea with that passage from “Chunhyangga” performed by pansori master Sung Chang-soon.
Music 3: Passage from pansori “Chunhyangga”/ Sori by Sung Chang-soon
2024-03-22
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