In the old days, people living in a village were practically family. There is a Korean saying that goes ‘a close neighbor is better than a distant relative,’ illustrating how close-knit community members can be. Villagers would gather to celebrate traditional holidays by playing various games like ssireum씨름, the Korean style of wrestling, or congratulate private events like weddings or birthdays by holding village-wide parties. And what would parties be without entertainment? There usually were one or two go-to singers in every village who would be in charge of livening up the atmosphere. One of the favorite party songs was “Changbutaryeong창부타령” which is the specialty of master singer Jeon Tae-yong. Jeon didn’t start out as a vocal artist, but as a haegeum player. He used to play haegeum at shaman rituals but discovered his true talent when he was asked to sing at the end of a shaman ritual. Word of mouth turned him into a renowned singer and his voice was luckily recorded for the posterity. Now Jeon Tae-yong came to be equated with “Changbutaryeong.” Take a listen.

Music 1: Changbutaryeong/ Sung by Jeon Tae-yong

Among the shaman rituals performed in the Gyeonggi-do region, there is one held for the god of changbu or the musicians of shaman rituals. Changbu gods are great shaman musicians who died and became deities. It was believed that paying respect to these musician gods resulted in effective shaman rituals. This was why shaman priestesses paid particular attention to this part of the ceremony. This song became an iconic Gyeonggi folk song when people began to sing it widely. Jeon Tae-yong’s “Changbutaryeong” is characterized by relaxing and delightful happiness rather than complicated singing technique. Coming up next is “Hoisimgok회심곡,” a song that reminds us of parental love as Korea marks Parents’ Day on May 8^th. “Hoisimgok” was originally a song performed during a Buddhist memorial service. Buddhist monks would sing a special song called “beompae범패” during this service. However, the lyrics were usually in ancient Indian or in Chinese, making it practically impossible for ordinary believers to understand. So, by the time the services were drawing to a close, the monks would sing Buddha’s words in Korean for the benefit of the audience. This song in Korean was called “Hoisimgok.” The words were so moving and inspirational, professional singers took this popular song to perform in their concerts and it soon became an iconic Gyeonggi-do folk song. The Gyeonggi-do rendition of “Hoisimgok” is about a person’s life process, from the moment of birth to the journey to afterlife. It teaches that life can be pointless and the judgment day can be frightening, so it would be best to live a virtuous and charitable life. The growing-up part of the song is taken from the Buddhist scripture about how parents care for their children. The passages from the scripture describe how the bones of a baby are taken from the father and the flesh from the mother. Then the parents give up sleep and food to raise their baby with care and love. Here’s the passage titled “Parents’ Love” from “Hoisimgok” sung by Kim Young-im.

Music 2: Parents’ Love from Hoisimgok/ Sung by Kim Young-im

In pansori “Simcheongga심청가” there is a passage about how Simcheong’s blind father raises the baby girl. Simcheong’s mother dies soon after giving birth and it must have been difficult for the blind man to raise a baby all on his own. On the day of his wife’s funeral, Simcheong’s father breaks down after failing to comfort the baby bawling from hunger. The following morning, he takes her to the water well in the village to beg for some breast milk from other mothers there. The kind village women take turns feeding the motherless baby. That’s how the little baby grew up to be a kind-hearted girl who later decides to sacrifice herself to restore her father’s eyesight. There is a saying that it takes a village to raise a child. In the old days, that saying must have been more than just an adage, but a common practice. The concluding piece for this week’s Sounds of Korea is the passage from “Simcheongga” about Simcheong’s father asking for breastmilk sung by Seong Chang-sun.

Music 3: Passage from Simcheongga/ Sung by Seong Chang-sun