“Cheongseong Jajinhanip청진자진한잎” is a beloved daegeum or danso solo. The last song in the repertoire of Korean traditional songs was usually “Taepyeongga,” meaning the song of peace. It was sung to conclude a cheerful performance in a quieter manner. “Cheongseong Jajinhanip” was “Taepyeongga” minus the words and played an octave higher. “Cheongseong” means high notes and “Jajinhanip” is a purely Korean terms for the song genre of gagok. When this piece is played with the daegeum or danso, the high notes generate a peaceful, unrestrained vibe as if the notes are flying through the clear skies. The National Gugak Center included a modern arrangement of “Cheongseong Jajinhanip” in Volume 23 of its recently released music series for daily listening. It may sound strange to have a music album for sporting events, but many different occasions require music, such as opening ceremonies, athlete introductions, breaks, and closing ceremonies. Music can liven up the atmosphere and work up the spectators even at community soccer matches and corporate sporting competitions. The album contains music pieces to be played. “Cheongseong Jajinhanip,” usually known as a calm piece, was included in the album to cheer up the athletes. Why don’t we listen to it to see how a traditional song can be turned into a cheering song. Here’s daegeum virtuoso Ahn Gun-yong to play “Cheongseong Jajinhanip.”

Coming up next is a geomungo거문고 piece. The geomungo is one of Korea’s most iconic string instruments together with the gayageum. This instrument dates back to the Goguryeo era more than 1,500 years ago. There is even a historical record from the kingdom of Goguryeo that a government minister named Wang San-ak왕산악 created the geomungo by modifying the Chinese seven-stringed instrument and when he played it, a black crane came and danced to the tune. The crane has been considered an auspicious bird since ancient times. The white crane has represented dignified Confucian scholars and when the crane lives for a thousand years, Koreans of the old believed the white crane would turn into the blue crane which the divine beings called ‘sinseon신선’ were known to ride on. If the blue crane lives on for another thousand years, its color will turn black, and the bird would become immortal. The tale of a black crane dancing to the tune of geomungo portends an unusual and favorable event. So, the geomungo was considered an instrument symbolizing the noble spirit of scholars from the moment it was created. 

It is hard for ordinary people not familiar with gugak to distinguish between the geomungo and the gayageum. The gayageum is played by plucking the strings with your fingers, while the geomungo strings are plucked or struck with a short bamboo stick called ‘suldae술대.’ The use of a suldae is what makes the geomungo sound more solid than the gayageum, which is why some people consider it also as a percussion instrument. 

Coming up next is a collection of songs titled “9-to-5,” which play up the percussion character of the geomungo. This set of songs describes the daily lives of office workers who have to fight the traffic or ride crowded public transportation to commute to work and toil from nine in the morning until five in the evening. We’ll listen to “9-to-5 Going to Work” with Kim Hwa-bok playing the geomungo and Kim In-soo the percussion.  

Today’s last song is a Gyeonggi-do folksong loved by practically every Korean. It’s titled “Nilririya닐리리야” even included in an elementary school textbook. The term “nilririya” is an imitative word that mimics the sound made by the piri. This reed instrument is responsible for the main melody in almost all music pieces because of its notable sound. Even children are familiar with this instrument because in the old days they made piri out of tree leaves or barley stems. Today Lee Hee-moon and his friends sings “Killed Damn Song,” a reinterpretation of “Nilririya.”