Seokgae석개 was a renowned singer of the Joseon Dynasty. She used to be a maid for a noble family, but instead of housework, Seokgae spent her days singing. When told to bring water from the well, she would hang the water jar by the well and sing until the sun went down. When told to pick some medicinal herbs, she would go to the field and sing to the birds and animals. She would put a stone in her basket for every song she sang and, when the basket became full, she would take out a stone for every song she sang. 

Seokgae would be scolded and beaten for neglecting her work, but that did not stop her or lessen her passion for music. One day, the patriarch of the noble family for which Seokgae was indentured, heard the maid’s singing. Fortunately for her, he was a man of arts, and encouraged Seokgae to take proper singing lessons. Years later, Seokgae became one of the most admired singers in the country and her daughter, Oksaeng옥생, followed her mother’s footsteps to become a famed singer herself. The first piece we’re going to listen to today is a song typically performed by female vocalists called “The Wind Is,” sung by Kim Wol-ha.

Music 1: “The Wind Is”/ Sung by Kim Wol-ha

According to one record, the songs Seokgae used to sing out on the field were like “the songs of a woodcutting boy and an herb-hunting woman.” What that meant is the songs were folksy, for common people. 

But the songs Seokgae learned at the lessons arranged for her by her master were probably like the ones you just heard: classier pieces generally enjoyed by noblemen and scholars. When a traditional singer reaches a certain stage, he or she is said to have “acquired sound.” This is akin to an ascetic attaining enlightenment. The singer can sing songs in whatever way he or she desires. 

It is said that such ability cannot be gained through ordinary effort alone. Thus there are many legends associated with “attaining sound.” There was a singer called Song Silsol송실솔 about a hundred years after Seokgae’s time. During his training days, he used to go practice under a waterfall every day. For over a year, he practiced singing amid the waterfall’s thunderous roar. At first, only the sound of the water could be heard, but after a year of strenuous training, Song Silsol송실솔’s voice ended up overpowering the deafening rumble. 

But he wasn’t satisfied. Next, he went to the top of Bugak북악 Mountain and trained his voice against the wind. His voice was dispersed by the wind at first, but after a year, not even gale-force winds could break up his sound. Later on, Silsol’s singing was likened to a cuckoo’s chirping or a dragon’s cry, and harmonized well with any instrument. The next piece we’re going to hear is “The Warm Light of Winter Days” by the gugak ensemble Souljigi. 

Music 2: The Warm Light of Winter Days/ Sung by Souljigi

Singers are not the only ones striving to “attain sound.” Instrumentalists also need this ability. At the end of the Joseon period, court musician Jeong Yak-dae정약대 practiced daegeum대금, a traditional Korean wind instrument, at the top of Inwang Mountain every day. He practiced only one piece – “Dodeuri도드리.” He would take off his shoes and put a grain of sand in the shoe every time he finished playing “Dodeuri.” He would come down from the mountain only after his shoe was filled with sand. “Dodeuri” is an easy piece with a simple beat and melody, but it wasn’t easy to infuse it with emotion. Traditional instrumentalist today use this music as a practice piece. Today’s last music will be “Dodeuri” played by daegeum virtuoso Cho Chang-hoon, who is also the practitioner of daegeum-jeongak정악.

Music 3: Dodeuri/ Daegeum by Cho Chang-hoon