When Chinese philosopher Mencius asked an emperor of the Zhou Dynasty if he liked music, the emperor answered that he does like music but not the classics or songs written in accordance with accepted customs. He just liked the songs that were popular at the time. Mencius said that music must be enjoyed with common people to be fully appreciated. What he meant was that the kind of music the emperor liked didn’t matter much to his people, just whether the emperor enjoyed what common people enjoyed. The emperor’s genuine love for his people and attention to what his people enjoy will eventually bring about true loyalty. King Sejong of the Joseon Dynasty created music with such genuine affection for common people. The music piece is titled “Yeominrak여민락,” which translates to enjoying music together with people. Here’s National Gugak Center’s Court Music Orchestra performing “Yeominrak.” 

Yeominrak/ Performed by Court Music Orchestra of the National Gugak Center

King Sejong was motivated to invent the Korean alphabet, hangeul, out of his love and sympathy for the common people, who couldn’t better their lives because they didn’t know Chinese characters and couldn’t get an education. Once King Sejong created the new writing system, he wrote a poem in hangeul that described how Joseon came to be founded. This poem is “Yongbieocheonga용비어천가,” which means the song of a dragon soaring up to heaven. “Yeominrak” is the musical version of this poem. The renowned king wrote the poem and the song to remind the kings that followed him that Joseon was founded to benefit the people, to make people happy. Hangeul was one of the things that he had invented to make people’s lives better. 

It was everyone’s wish, not excluding kings or common folks, to experience peace and prosperity. The next song is a piece titled “Jingukmyeongsan진국명산,” a gagok favorite of Confucian scholars of the time. It starts with the phrase “Manjangbong만장복 Peak of Bukhansan북한산 Mountain stands tall like a golden lotus blossom.” The song describes the topographical features of Seoul and wishes long peace for the state and comfortable lives for the people since the capital was built on an auspicious site. Here’s Lee Dong-gyu singing “Jingukmyeongsan.”

Jingukmyeongsan/ Sung by Lee Dong-gyu

Coming up next is a song for real common folks praying for an age of peace. Back in the old days, there was a folk band for each village, and sometimes a traveling samulnori troupe like Namsadangpae남사당패 toured villages. On holidays or happy occasions, such bands visited each house in the village to wish them good fortune. The songs they sang all wished for everything good, like illuminating the darkness, cleansing the impurities, or being admired like a phoenix or the moon. Here’s an excerpt from the song.

Light a lamp at night and purify the water in the daytime. 

Just as a pearl rolls on a golden plate,

Just as a phoenix lives on a royal foxglove branch,

I hope your precious sons and daughter live lovingly

Like that painting of the moon. 

A new president was elected yesterday and we hope that everyone in Korea would work together with the new president to make this country bright, wholesome, precious, and beautiful. Let’s conclude today’s episode with “Words of Blessing” sung by Lee Kwang-su.

Words of Blessing/ Sung by Lee Kwang-su