One of Joseon era’s famous gisaengs, or courtesan, Hwang Jin-i penned a sijo when she had to part from an upper-class scholar named Lee Jong-suk, who was also a relative of the royal family. Following is the sijo, or traditional three-verse classical poem, by Hwang.

“Byeokgyesu running through the ravine, do not boast of flowing away easily.
Once you reach the sea, it will be difficult to return.
Since the bright moon is shining above the empty mountain, why not take a rest before you leave.”

Byeokgyesu in the sijo literally means “clear, blue water” but it also refers to Hwang’s love, Lee Jong-suk. And Myeongwol, or bright moon, is Hwang’s gisaeng name. In the sijo, she describes how it’s difficult to return once the water reaches the sea. So she suggests her love to take a moment while she’s there and amuse oneself before leaving.

As Hwang described in the sijo, most people are unlikely to meet again when they get separated, and time and tide wait for no man. As we follow the footsteps of the lives of master musicians of the past and learn about their dedication to traditional music, we can’t help but feel regret for not showing more interest in them when they were alive. Such a thought makes us think of the first music piece of today’s show pyeong-sijo “Cheongsanri” sung by Kim Wol-ha.

Pyeong-sijo Cheongsanri / Song by Kim Wol-ha

Isn’t it amazing how the sijo composed hundreds of years ago by a Joseon courtesan Hwang Jin-i is still sung these days? It was possible thanks to the myeongins who have transmitted the tradition from generation to generation. Today, we’ll meet master musician Kim Wol-ha and learn about her life and love for traditional music.

Master Kim Wol-ha was born in Seoul in 1918. But she got into the world of Korean classical music very late in her life - in her late 30s. When she was only two, her mother and siblings died of cholera. Even her father went insane and left his family. So, young Kim had to move in with her maternal aunt for a while and, eventually, she was adopted by another family as a foster child.

When she reached 16, she tied the knot with a very attentive husband who would give her a ride on his bicycle to an evening school. Unfortunately, he went missing when the Korean War broke out in 1950. Kim, who had to seek refuge in Busan alone, managed to earn her living by needlework. As she had to throw herself into the hard work, she was diagnosed with a stomach ulcer.

Although her worsened health was a life-or-death matter, it was also an incident that entirely changed the course of her life. After barely escaping death, she regularly took a walk to a nearby park every morning to maintain her health. It was there where she met elderly people who passed time in the park by singing sijo.

Before we move on, let’s listen to the female song titled “The Big Dipper” in a minor key sung by Kim Wol-ha. The song describes one’s wish, hoping for the late coming of dawn so that one can spend more time with one’s love.

Female Song “The Big Dipper” in Minor Key / Song by Kim Wol-ha

Master Kim Wol-ha picked up how to sing sijo as she started to participate in the gatherings of sijo singers. Not long after she started to learn sijo, she was introduced to Lee Byeong-seong, the greatest master musician of that time. After three years, she entered the Master Singer Contest hosted by a major broadcaster and grabbed the first place in the sijo section and made quite a name for herself.

In 1973, she was designated as the nation’s Important Intangible Cultural Asset No. 30 and earned the title as an artistic-talent holder of gagok. Later on, she made efforts to introduce female songs to a wider audience, while she also devoted herself to fostering young students.

As Kim was an unrivaled figure having a mastery of female songs, she had to juggle a very busy schedule of staging performances and giving lectures. Although she had a comfortable income, she lived a frugal life as she opted to walk everywhere instead of taking a bus to save money. Since she cherished even small items and never threw away things carelessly, it is said that her disciples had a difficult task arranging her mementos after she passed away.

Kim would readily donate her savings to offer scholarships to students in need. By establishing Wolha Cultural Foundation, she presented her entire wealth of hundreds of millions of won to educate future students. The followers of Kim who have received financial support from her still regard her as their second mother and busy themselves to promote her teachings and lessons. It seems like Kim in the other world would never get lonely, even though she never had any children.

In today’s edition of Sounds of Korea, we met master musician Kim Wol-ha. We’ll sign off today’s show with the Chinese poem song Gwansanyungma “Chugangi” performed by Kim Wol-ha.

Chinese Poem Song Gwansangyungma “Chugangi” / Song by Kim Wol-ha