Ancient Kingdom of Gaya Exists in Culture, History
A number of kingdoms rose and fell throughout the five millennia of Korean history. One such lost dynasty is the Gaya Kingdom, which existed in the lower reaches of the Nakdong River in the southeastern part on the Korean Peninsula from around the first century to 562 AD. But its history continues to this day, thanks to the musical instrument, the gayageum.

Dubbed the flower of Korean traditional musical instruments, the gayageum is well known for its soft, graceful tones and a variety of performing techniques. As the name “gayageum” indicates, this string instrument has passed down the culture, spirit and history of the Gaya kingdom through the ages. And the creator of this valuable cultural heritage is Ureuk.

Gayageum, a Musical Instrument Containing Wishes for National Unity
Along with Wang San-ak from the Goguryeo Dynasty and Park Yeon from the Joseon Kingdom, Ureuk is celebrated as one of the three greatest masters of Korean music history.

Ureuk was a native of the Gaya Kingdom, a large federation of states that included Geumgwangaya, Daegaya, Seongsangaya, Aragaya, Goryeonggaya and Sogaya. There is no historical record of exactly when Ureuk was born or what family he was from, but it is said the musician lived during the sixth century. In the twilight years of Gaya, Ureuk served as a court musician of the Daegaya kingdom, located in present-day Goryeong County in North Gyeongsang Province, at the pleasure of King Gasil.

The king is estimated to have lived during the mid-6th century, the same period of King Jinheung (546~576) of the Silla Dynasty. The Daegaya king ordered Ureuk to integrate musical instruments used in different regions into a single form and to write 12 songs representing the musical characteristics of each region.

Touted as a venerable king of culture, King Gasil is known for his profound knowledge of art. Keenly aware of the power of music to influence people, the king sought to achieve national solidarity by integrating the indigenous music of each village, which represented the unique sound of Gaya. His efforts gave birth to a new musical instrument named gayageum, meaning the representative string of gaya, with its 12 strings standing for the 12 tribes of Daegaya. The achievement is comparable to the historic creation of the Korean alphabet of Hangeul by King Sejong the Great of the Joseon Dynasty for the purpose of fitting the spoken language to a written one. Unfortunately, gayageum never realized its original wish for national unity but was incorporated into the Silla Dynasty.

From Gaya to Silla
History has it that Gaya’s court musician Ureuk defected to the neighboring enemy state of Silla in 551 with his disciple Imun, 11 years before Daegaya’s collapse (42~562).

In 532, during the 19th year of King Beopheung’s reign in the Silla Dynasty, King Guhae, the last ruler of Geumgwangaya, surrendered to Silla with his three sons. As a result, the status of the federation Gaya fell significantly, boding ill for the advent of the “age of the sword” that lasted for the next 30 years. During the period, the collapsing Gaya fought desperately against Silla. Against this tumultuous backdrop, Ureuk, who had once dreamed of unifying Gaya through music, had no choice but to leave his home country.

Silla’s King Jinheung welcomed the musician in exile and allowed him to stay in Chung-ju. The place where he used to play the gayageum is called Tangeum-dae, meaning the point for touching the strings, while the place he used to relax after teaching is known as Geumhue-po, which means a waterside resting place for the strings. Also, a village across the river is named Cheonggeum-dae, the point for hearing the strings, as his gayageum was heard at great distances. All of these sites are precious legacies the ancient musician left behind.

Ureuk selected three promising Silla artists—Gyego, Beopji and Mandeok—as his disciples. He taught Gyego how to play the gayageum, while instructing the other two in singing and dancing, respectively. The musical pieces of the great Gaya artist were gradually incorporated into Silla music, which has been handed down from generation to generation. It is not known when Ureuk died, but in the ensuing 1,500 years, the name of Gaya is still alive in his musical instrument.

Listen to the Song of Strings
The world of sound, represented by Ureuk’s music, flourished in the sixth century when ancient kingdoms were dominated by sword and thereby constantly fighting over who would unify the Korean Peninsula. The life of the great master of music has been highly appreciated to this day, and is used as a theme for novels and movies. Novelist Kim Hoon describes gayageum’s spread in his novel “Song of Strings.”

The melodies Ureuk contained in the gayageum were the sounds of villages that helplessly went down by the sword of Silla. But the strings Silla youth plucked continuously revived the sounds of the lost Gaya villages with such beautiful names as Mulhye, Dalgi, Daro, Alteo and Baramteo. Returning to the Silla capital of Seorabeol, the young artists selected their own disciples and conveyed Ureuk’s sounds. With the collapse of the Gaya Dynasty, its royal palaces fell. But its music, defying the nation’s tragic fate, managed to survive and spread.

Gayageum’s dream of national unity, as amply illustrated in its name, never really came true. But it did gain an immortal life as the representative sound of Gaya. And Ureuk will be remembered as one of Korea’s most eminent musicians who demonstrated the power of immortal sound.