When Wang San-ak (왕산악) of Goguryeo (고구려) first played the geomungo (거문고), a black crane is said to have flown over and danced to the music. During the Unified Silla period, King Munmu (문무), a great Silla ruler who according to legend evolved into a dragon became a dragon, provided magical bamboo to make the mythical instrument called manpasikjeok (만파식적).

When it was played, rain would come to relieve a drought, enemy forces would be driven away, and all one’s worries would vanish. These stories probably sound silly to us now, but a long time ago people truly believed that these instruments and the music played by them had special powers. 

Another such instrument was the saenghwang (생황), a gift from Nuwa, a goddess who according to Chinese mythology created human beings. Accordingly, the saenghwang (생황) was provided to bring happiness to the people, and its sound was thought to emanate from the divine.

Music 1: Bicheonsang/ Saenghwang by Sohn Beom-ju

That was “Bicheonsang” with Sohn Beom-ju at the saenghwang. “Bicheon (비천)” referred to mysterious beings that could fly, much like angels commonly known in the west, but with one difference – they had no wings. They would drift gently among the clouds, with their long sleeves trailing behind them. Old paintings portray these heavenly beings as musicians playing various instruments or attendants serving tea or lighting incense. Paintings or sculptures of bicheon(비천) are most commonly seen in Buddhist temples. One of the most beautiful bicheon artworks is a carving on a bronze bell, made in 725, at Sangwonsa (상원사) Temple. A bicheon (비천) playing the saenghwang (생황), and another playing the gonghu (공후) are kneeling side by side on a cloud. Their dress elegantly floats up to the sky and the melodies from their instruments seem to resonate through the breeze. 

The Saenghwang (생황) is made by scooping out the inside of a gourd and inserting several thin bamboo pipes. Each pipe is fitted with a small metal reed, which makes a mystical sound when wind is blown through. Saenghwang (생황) was considered so magical that ancient Koreans thought that the instrument resembled a seated phoenix and its sound the cries of a dragon. 

Music 2: Wind Cape/ Saenghwang by Kim Gye-hee

Kim Hong-do is one of the most revered painters of the Joseon Dynasty. Among his many works, there is one painting that depicts a young boy playing the saenghwang (생황) under an ancient pine tree. His appearance is quite unusual, with his hair tied in two side knots; a hairstyle traditionally sported only by youth in contact with the divine. 

The boy in the painting has a wine bottle on his back and a short skirt made of feathers around his waist. Clothes made out of feathers are also common for divine beings. Judging from his attire, we can assume he’s no ordinary mortal. He may even be a Chinese crown prince of the Zhou Dynasty named Jin. The crown prince, known to have been indifferent to politics, met a Taoist teacher at age 15 and learned to play the saenghwang (생황). Jin bid goodbye to his parents the following year and ascended to heaven, while riding a snow-white crane and playing the instrument. The first verse of a poem about Crown Prince Jin is written on Kim Hong-do’s painting and it goes something like this. 

The bamboo pipes are long and short, like a phoenix with spread wings.

A sound more terrifying than the cries of a dragon echoes in the Moon Hall. 

As if Kim Hong-do wanted to describe the sound, a branch of the old pine tree is shaped like a dragon flying up to the sky. The painter must have wanted to listen to the melodies of saenghwang (생황) and forget about his worldly troubles. This week’s episode of Sounds of Korea will conclude with saenghwang (생황) musician Kim Hyo-young playing “Oblivion.”

Music 3: Oblivion/ Saenghwang by Kim Hyo-young