Ancient people used to consider the geomungo(거문고) as the best of all the musical instruments. According to a legend, when Prime Minister Wang San-ak (왕산악) of the Goguryeo (고구려) kingdom first created and played the instrument, a black crane flew down and danced to the tune. During the Unified Silla(신라) period, the geomungo(거문고) was kept in Cheonjongo(천존고), the kingdom’s treasure house. When geomungo(거문고) virtuoso Ok Bo-go(옥보고), a renowned Silla-era musician, left the secular world to live the life of a hermit in Jirisan(지리산) Mountain, the king sent a special envoy to Ok’s(옥) hermitage to learn how to play his music. The geomungo(거문고) was considered an instrument that scholars used to play to clear their heads and calm their minds. When people of low social status played the instrument, they were supposed to think and behave like Confucian scholars. One of the most admired geomungo(거문고) musicians of all time is Kim Seong-ki(김성기) of the late Joseon(조선) period. The more he was revered for his geomungo(거문고) skills, the more ashamed he felt for selling his talent to support his family, which made him poorer and poorer. When he got older, Kim left home to build a shack near the Hangang(한강) River and fished all day long. He might have been the best geomungo(거문고) musician of his day, but was not much of a family man. Some surviving geomungo(거문고) music pieces like “Eoeunbo(어은보)” or “Nangongsinbo(낭옹신보)” are said to be his creations. Today we’ll listen to Geomungo(거문고) Factory playing “Jeongjungdong(정중동),” which translates to “movement within silence.”  

Music 1: Jeongjungdong/ Performed by Geomungo Factory

Kim Seong-ki(김성기) was not only skilled at playing the geomungo(거문고), but also exceptionally talented at playing the tungso(퉁소), a vertical bamboo flute, and the bipa(비파), a four-stringed instrument. It is said that he used to go out to the riverside on quiet moonlit nights to play the tungso(퉁소). The sound of his tungso(퉁소) supposedly made geese and ibises cry in sorrow and stopped people in their tracks and made them listen. Kim enjoyed playing music in nature, unfettered by worldly concerns, but when wealthy or powerful people tried to entice him with money to play for them, he would flatly refuse the offers and did not bend to their will. There once was an influential feng shui expert named Mok Ho-ryong(목호룡), who used to invite Kim to play at his parties. Back then, the reputation of a person was determined by who came to perform at his party. The more famous the musicians, the more classier the hosts were considered to be. It was more likely that Mok(목) wasn’t really a fan of Kim’s music, but rather someone who wanted to pretend that he had fine taste. Refusing invitations from such a person could have landed Kim in serious trouble, so he always thought of polite excuses to avoid the engagements. However, his repeated refusals enraged Mok(목), who ordered his servant to threaten the musician’s life if he refused once more. Upon hearing the threat, Kim threw down his bipa(비파) and told the servant to relay the message that the 70-year-old musician had nothing to fear and dared the geomancer to use his influence to lock him up in prison. This story tells how resolute Kim was in preserving his conviction about music. Now we’re going to listen to “Pungryu(풍류) City” performed by the traditional music ensemble Bulsechul(불세출). 

Music 2: Pungryu City / Performed by Bulsechul

Kim Seong-ki(김성기) couldn’t have been a geomungo(거문고) virtuoso from the beginning. He must have practiced and studied the instrument endlessly. Kim also had a teacher, but while his old master might have been a great geomungo(거문고) artist, he was not a great human being, since he selfishly guarded his creations and did not teach them to his students. The teacher used to play his tunes only late at night, when his students were all asleep. But Kim stayed up until the teacher started his nightly sessions and hid outside his window to learn music. One day, the teacher suddenly opened his window to catch him hiding, but having been immersed so deeply by the geomungo(거문고) melody, Kim failed to notice the opening window and fell to the ground. 

That’s when the teacher realized how serious Kim was about learning the geomungo(거문고). So he started sharing everything he knew, helping shape Kim into one of the greatest geomungo(거문고) players of all time. We’ll wrap up this week’s episode with the E Joung-ju(이정주) Gugak(국악) Band playing “Chulgang(출강).”

Music 3: Chulgang/ Performed by E Joung-ju Gugak Band